Huawei is not letting the U.S. commerce ban have an effect on its international ambitions; the model is steadily churning out one eye-catching gadget after one other. The tri-folding Mate XT is the good telephone I used, and whereas I used to be initially apprehensive about its sturdiness, that hasn’t confirmed to be a difficulty. Equally, Huawei’s tablets are more and more gaining momentum, and I completely loved utilizing the MatePad 11.5 S and MatePad Professional 12.2.
However it’s with wearables and audio merchandise the place the model has probably the most potential. Whereas the shortcoming to make use of Google’s providers — together with the Play Retailer — is a hindrance on telephones and tablets, it is not anyplace as a lot of a limitation on a smartwatch. And with the Watch Final 2, Huawei is proving that it may possibly ship a smartwatch that outmatches the very best its rivals have to supply.
The Watch Final 2 is not markedly totally different to its predecessor, with Huawei as an alternative making helpful tweaks round battery life and sharpening the design. The smartwatch is happening sale alongside the Watch GT 6 and GT 6 Professional, and is coming to a number of international markets, together with the U.Okay. The Watch Final 2 is debuting at €999 ($1,175) for the blue mannequin (which I am utilizing), and there is a black mannequin that prices €899 ($1,057) — much like the Apple Watch Extremely 3 and €200 greater than the Galaxy Watch Extremely 2025.
Design that is constructed to face out
We have to begin with the design, as a result of the Watch Final 2 has a domineering presence; the large 48.5mm watch case is designed to seize consideration, and the smartwatch is out there in two fashions: a black choice, and a blue variant. The blue colour has a dual-tone impact with white undertones, and it makes the watch stand out much more.
The Watch Final 2 has a woven fluoroelastomer band (in blue and white) as customary, and Huawei additionally features a metallic band within the field if it is advisable to change it out. Both band is of a top quality, and really feel nice to make use of. Curiously, there is a greater fluoroelastomer band bundled with the field that is designed for use whereas diving, and the outsized design is supposed to go over a wetsuit.
The 48.5mm sizing dwarfs each different smartwatch, and even towards the Garmin Fenix 8, the Watch Final 2 seems outsized. I favor sporting greater watches, and the Watch Final 2 undoubtedly delivers on that entrance. The watch will get an octagonal design that is an evolution from final yr, with the chassis made out of an zirconium alloy and the bezel that includes ceramic.
The bezel contains the identify of the watch fairly prominently — there is not any mistaking that from the design anyway. There are three buttons, with one on the left and two to the fitting. The underside button on the fitting serves as a shortcut, permitting you to drag up well being knowledge, make calls, or provoke a exercise.
The button up prime has a built-in crown, and is used for navigating the interface. There’s good suggestions whereas navigating with the crown, and there is not any lag on the whole. The Watch Final 2 has a 1.5-inch OLED panel that is the identical dimension as final yr, and it will get LTPO 2 tech. It goes as much as a most of three,500 nits, which is a bit extreme. I did not see any points utilizing the Watch Final 2 outside even below harsh daylight.
The 466 x 466 decision is first rate sufficient, and the dimensions of the panel means there are not any points viewing incoming notifications from the telephone. There’s a wide variety of watch faces, and whereas the inherent customizability is not as excessive as different Android smartwatches, you get an excellent mixture of selections.
This smartwatch is constructed to final
As with different high-end smartwatches, the Watch Final 2 is designed to be rugged; it really works as a diving watch as much as 150 meters thanks to twenty ATM water resistance. Curiously, the strategies Huawei designed to make the watch resilient to the stress at 150 meters permits it to face up to every day rigors significantly better, together with soapy water and seawater ingress. Additionally, it has a sonar gadget that sends out audio pulses; clearly, I wasn’t about to go diving simply to check the characteristic, however Huawei has an above-water testing mode that permits you to use it, which is simply plain cool.
Golf is an enormous a part of the smartwatch’s differentiation, with Huawei offering helpful steering and course-related particulars. Huawei added a brand new antenna within the Watch Final 2 with higher sign power and dual-band GPS, giving it higher accuracy whereas on a path or operating outside.
Well being monitoring is a core tenet of any smartwatch, and the Watch Final 2 makes use of Huawei’s new TruSense system that consists of an ECG, PPG, and stress sensors. It additionally has a sensor that measures SpO2 ranges with higher accuracy than different merchandise on this class.
The software program has loads of parallels to what you get on most Put on OS smartwatches, although the Watch Final 2 makes use of Huawei’s customized interface. The UI is fluid and simple to navigate, and there is loads of customizability. One challenge is that you will have to sideload Huawei Well being for those who’re utilizing a Pixel gadget like I’m; it was a little bit of a problem to get the app put in on my Pixel 10 Professional XL. This is not an issue for those who’re utilizing a Samsung, Vivo, OPPO, or Xiaomi telephone, as these units have Huawei Well being of their app shops.
The one different drawback is that I wasn’t ready so as to add my playing cards to the smartwatch, however that would simply be right down to me being in India. In any other case, it has been fulfilling to make use of the Watch Final 2, and it’s higher than the Galaxy Watch Extremely in every day use. I received higher battery life as nicely, with the watch simply lasting over two days even with heavy use, extending to 3 days with medium use. That is an enormous uptick from most smartwatches I’ve readily available, and solely the Fenix 8 lasts longer.
General, the Watch Final 2 is a terrific selection for those who want a high-end smartwatch that is loaded with options. It has good exercise and well being monitoring, however that is a given in any smartwatch on this class. The huge dimension makes it simply stand out, and the brilliant OLED panel together with fluid software program and standout battery life offers it a definite edge.
