Huawei Watch Ultimate Quick Hands On Review
The Huawei Watch Ultimate is a remarkable timepiece that combines premium design and advanced features. While it may not cater to everyone’s needs, it caters to a more professional and adventurous audience. This review explores the key aspects of the watch, highlighting its design, functionality, and unique capabilities.
Priced at around 800 USD, this timepiece offers a luxurious experience akin to traditional high-end watches, making it more than just a smartwatch. While it may have similarities to other smartwatches on the market, such as the Apple Watch Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, the Huawei Watch Ultimate stands out with its exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Design made of zirconium | High Price |
| Premium masculine design | Compatibility Issues |
| Impressive Features | Absence of Offline Maps |
| Health and Wellness Functions | Lack of Mobile Payment Support |
| User-Friendly Interface | |
| Good Visibility |
The watch is delivered in an ordinary cardboard box, which doesn’t convey the impression of an expensive product. Inside the box, you will find the watch along with its accessories and the cost may vary depending on the color you have chosen. If you opted for the Voyage Blue color, the watch will come with a titanium strap in a light color, additional links to expand it if needed, a long diving strap, and an extra silicone strap for everyday use.
Design
The Huawei Watch Ultimate features a classic and elegant design made of zirconium, a highly durable material. Its stainless steel strap adds a touch of sophistication, while the included silicone strap offers comfort during physical activities. The watch’s larger size may not suit everyone, but it still fits well on most wrists.
Its resemblance to traditional watches gives it a timeless aesthetic. With a weight of 76g and a thickness of 13mm, this watch feels substantial and well-built. The dimensions of 48.5mm by 48.4mm make it suitable for a variety of wrist sizes, accommodating circumferences from 140mm to 210mm.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate incorporates a user-friendly interface with three buttons, each serving a specific purpose. The top right button resembles the Apple Watch’s crown and grants access to the applications menu.
The button below is dedicated to the sport mode, allowing users to select and navigate through different sports activities without relying solely on the touch screen.
Additionally, the left button is exclusive to the watch and activates the expedition mode, ideal for outdoor enthusiasts who want to mark reference points or navigate back to camp.
The watch’s impeccable construction ensures durability and resistance to everyday wear and tear. The ceramic bezel adds a touch of elegance, while the zirconium material enhances its strength and scratch resistance. In terms of durability, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is designed to withstand the rigors of extreme activities such as scuba diving and mountaineering.
Display
The watch features a 1.45-inch Always-On display with a maximum brightness of 1000 nits, making it easy to read in any lighting condition. The screen is an OLED display with a high pixel density, resulting in a crisp and vibrant viewing experience. The watch also incorporates a Sapphire crystal for scratch resistance.
There are a few important points that may not be immediately apparent to those who encounter a Huawei watch for the first time.
By default, the watch conserves power by turning off the screen, requiring you to raise your hand to activate it.
You have the option to enable Always-on Display (AoD), but this results in a dim splash screen.
In bright sunlight, the purpose of a dim screen saver becomes irrelevant as it is simply not visible.
Huawei offers diverse screensavers for their watches, with the default option displaying the product name. Some users may find this peculiar and may not prefer it. However, you can choose from other watch faces through the smartphone application, and as an owner of these watches, you will have access to them for free, even those that are usually sold as part of a VIP offer.
In terms of display quality, it is excellent overall, but the software performance in certain modes has let us down, which we will discuss further below.
Connectivity
The Huawei Watch Ultimate is compatible with both Android and iPhone devices. It can be easily configured by scanning a QR code and downloading the Huawei Health application. The application allows users to customize settings, set alarms, receive notifications, and more. However, the reviewer notes that the watch’s operating system, HarmonyOS, lacks certain applications compared to other smartwatches.
The watch runs on the Harmony OS 3.0 operating system and receives regular updates for improved functionality. To fully utilize the watch’s features, users need to download the Huawei Health app, available on both Android and iOS devices. The app enables seamless synchronization, data tracking, and customization options for the watch.
Features and Functionality
The Huawei Watch Ultimate offers a host of impressive features that cater to both fitness enthusiasts and everyday users. The watch comes equipped with a blood pressure measurement feature, which allows users to monitor their blood pressure levels conveniently. Additionally, it can measure the elasticity of arteries, providing valuable health insights.
One standout feature is the watch’s ability to send and receive messages via satellite. Although this feature is currently limited to China, it holds the potential for broader availability in the future. The watch’s two-way communication capability offers added convenience and connectivity, especially during outdoor adventures or emergency situations.
For diving enthusiasts, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is a compelling choice. Certified for diving up to 100 meters and with a special diving application, this watch is built to withstand underwater environments.
Watch Controller for Spotify app:
Control Spotify playback from your Huawei Watch Ultimate, including accessing playlists and podcasts, without the need for a smartphone. It can even connect to your home devices like Sonos or Alexa sound boxes.
Scheduled Do Not Disturb (DND) modes:
Set up DND modes on your watch to silence notifications during specific hours, such as sleeping hours or office hours. You can schedule them to repeat daily or on specific days of the week.
ECG test reminders:
Huawei Health app provides reminders for regular ECG tests, ensuring you don’t forget to monitor your health. Set reminders to repeat daily and specify the time for prompt notifications.
Customizable workout displays:
Customize up to four different cards on your watch’s workout display. Choose from a variety of metrics like heart rate, altitude, air pressure, and average pace to track during your workouts.
Customizable watch face and display metrics:
Personalize your watch by changing the watch face and display metrics. Customize analog watch faces with limited options, while digital watch faces offer more flexibility. Use watch face metrics as shortcuts to quickly access corresponding apps.
Notifications and quick replies:
Receive and read notifications on your Huawei Watch Ultimate. Android users can reply using a wide range of emojis and quick reply answers, which can be customized in the Huawei Health app.
Battery life optimization:
Extend battery life by manually lowering brightness settings, using smart heart rate monitoring instead of real-time monitoring, and disabling the raise-to-wake feature. These adjustments can help maximize usage time.
Sports and Fitness Tracking
The Huawei Watch Ultimate excels in sports and fitness tracking, with over a hundred sports modes to choose from. Whether you’re running, walking, or engaging in various sports disciplines, the watch can accurately track and record your activities. It also features automatic detection for activities like walking, providing real-time feedback and analysis.
The watch’s GPS functionality allows for precise tracking of outdoor activities without the need to carry a smartphone. With 128GB of storage, you can store music directly on the watch and connect Bluetooth headphones for a hassle-free workout experience. The watch’s GPS, combined with its accurate heart rate monitoring, ensures accurate distance and calorie calculations.
Compatibility
The Huawei Watch Ultimate is compatible with both Android and iPhone devices. However, certain features are more optimized for Huawei phones, and Android users may experience limitations with functionalities like the voice assistant, Celia. Additionally, while the watch supports NFC, it does not currently support mobile payments, which may disappoint users who rely on this feature for convenient transactions.
Battery life
The Huawei watch comes with a wide range of features right out of the box, and there is a possibility of new features being introduced through updates. However, the standout aspect here is its exceptional battery life. In comparison to watches running on Android Wear and even the Apple Watch, the Huawei watch offers significantly longer battery life.
The company claims that it can last up to two weeks with average usage, although these numbers may vary depending on factors such as the level of activity, workouts, and continuous monitoring of certain metrics.
It took 60 minutes to fully charge! In my personal experience, with a constantly active screen and under load, the watch comfortably lasts for 7-8 days. This extended battery life is truly a blessing as it eliminates the need for frequent charging. This factor alone can strongly influence many people’s decision to choose these watches.
The watch supports wireless charging, and it can be fully charged in just one hour thanks to its Li-Pol battery with a capacity of 530 mAh. This is a great advantage. However, it is worth noting that the charger cable uses a USB Type A connector, which seems outdated considering the prevalence of USB Type C. Unfortunately, an adapter is not included, which may inconvenience some users.
Conclusion!
The Huawei Watch Ultimate offers a spectacular experience with its premium design and impressive features. While it may not be suitable for everyone, it caters to a more professional and adventurous audience, including scuba divers, mountaineers, and trekkers. The watch’s classic and aesthetically pleasing design, made of zirconium and ceramic materials, ensures durability and resistance to scratches. The user-friendly interface, along with the intuitive buttons and digital crown, makes navigation seamless.
The watch’s standout capabilities include the diving mode, allowing users to submerge it up to 100 meters deep, and the Expedition mode, which provides vital information and reference points for outdoor enthusiasts. The satellite GPS system ensures accurate tracking and navigation, regardless of internet connectivity. Additionally, the watch’s microphone and speaker enable users to make and receive calls conveniently.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate also incorporates health and wellness features such as blood oxygen level monitoring, stress tracking, sleep monitoring, and even blood pressure measurement—a relatively rare feature in smartwatches. The watch’s impressive screen, with its Always On display, 1.45-inch size, high pixel density, and excellent visibility in various lighting conditions, enhances the overall user experience.
However, despite its premium qualities, the Huawei Watch Ultimate has a steep price tag, making it a more exclusive choice. Some limitations, such as compatibility issues with certain Android phones, lack of mobile payment support despite having NFC, and absence of offline maps, may deter potential buyers.
In the end, the Huawei Watch Ultimate caters to those who value its unique features, design, and durability. It is a testament to Huawei’s commitment to quality and innovation. However, for users seeking similar functionalities at a more affordable price, other models in the Huawei Watch series, such as the Huawei Watch GT3 Pro, may be a more practical choice.
