Review about Huawei Watch Buds in 2023. The Huawei Watch Buds may be for you if you’re a gadget geek who aspires to own a piece of 007-style technology.
This wristwatch appears to be a typical wearable on the outside, but when the watch face is clicked open, a pair of wireless earbuds that are docked and charging inside the watch is revealed. These earbuds include active noise cancellation (ANC) and a few other pleasant surprises.
Review about Huawei Watch Buds in 2023:
Huawei’s hybrid wearable is undoubtedly an interesting product, but is it genuinely useful? What’s more, do the features justify the cost? I’ve been using the Huawei Watch Buds and seeing how this hybrid smartwatch functions on a daily basis. I have a lot of thoughts.
Read more: The 100 Cool Tech Gadgets in 2023
Design & build:
- Two-in-one smartwatch and earbuds
- The charging case is located beneath the watch face
- Buds attach via magnets
Every time I open the screen to reveal the surprise underneath, the Huawei Watch Buds never fail to astonish onlookers.
A button below the dial opens the watch face, which may be rotated between 10 and 75 degrees. It has seen a lot of wear, but during that time it has never seemed janky or breakable.
Even when the watch is turned upside down, the earphones remain in place thanks to magnets on the top of the face. The buds will begin charging as soon as you close the watch because there is a built-in charging case beneath that. When the casing is open, the watch always alerts you.
After using this product for a few days, I realized I didn’t need it after all. The fact that I didn’t have to dig through my backpack to find my earbuds during my journey was very convenient. They were easily accessible because they were right there, so Huawei has definitely nailed the convenience factor.
The wearable:
- Heavy for anyone with smaller wrists
- 22mm leather strap
- IPX7 rating when closed
- Not suitable for swimming
Although Huawei has made an effort to make the watch look as normal as possible, it still features a compartment for headphones. This makes for one chunky wearable.
It is twice as heavy as other popular wearables like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 at 66.5g (without the strap). For someone with larger arms, this might not be a problem, but my wrists are like noodles. As a result, wearing the watch for extended periods of time, such as overnight for sleep tracking, makes it seem heavy.
When changing clothes, the thickness was a problem as well. I found myself in a dangerous situation when I unintentionally clicked open the case and it snagged on my jumper, which was already halfway over my head. When changing, I’d suggest taking the wearable off.
Black stainless steel makes up the body, and a matching 22mm leather strap with a brown underside is included. Although feeling cozy and having a high-end appearance, it isn’t the best choice for a workout because it feels pretty soiled after perspiring. But, as it is removable, you could easily replace it with any accessory from a third party.
But, you must wipe the charging case down with some cotton buds or a paper towel if you get the buds wet in any way or any liquid gets inside. If you’re using it for exercise, that could be annoying because you can’t just put them back in the case without making sure they’re sweat-free first.
Also, due to worries about the buds breaking, the Huawei Watch Buds do not enable swimming at all. This mildly let me down as a frequent pool user.
The earbuds:
- Stable and compact design
- Can be controlled using taps on buds, or on the ears
The buds themselves have an octagonal shape and a beautiful black finish with silver embellishments. They each only weigh 4g, have a tiny 21.8 x 10.3 x 10.3mm size, and come with three silicon ear tips that can be switched out. Even when worn for extended periods of time, they are incredibly comfortable.
I was concerned about stability because they are delivered without stems or wings. But, I never experienced any problems with the buds falling out; in fact, they were able to withstand a run with little movement.
They feature what Huawei refers to as Wide-Area Auricle Touch Controls, which means that they function on both the outer and inner borders of your ear in addition to the outer edge of the earbuds themselves.
I was surprised to discover that the taps on my ear were more consistent and comforting than on the buds, which occasionally responded slowly or slid into my ear a little too aggressively.
Software & features:
- Runs on HarmonyOS 2
- App selection is not as comprehensive as WearOS
The huawei watch buds are powered by HarmonyOS 2, and they have many of the same capabilities that users of Apple and Google wearables are accustomed to.
You have the option to display all the apps either in a list with everything organized as you would find on Amazfit wearables, or in a grid style (the default, which is closer to the layout on Apple Watch). I chose the latter.
A variety of apps are available from Huawei, including those for the weather, music (you may add songs using the Huawei Health app), alarms, and more. Huawei’s own AppGallery, which offers a variety of additional apps that you can download to the watch, is also included in the smartphone app. Petal Maps, a pill-reminder app, and a watch controller are some of them.
Your smartphone can send notifications to your watch, which can also respond to some of them. In WhatsApp, for instance, emojis and automatic responses are both supported.
Although the app selection isn’t quite as extensive as that on WearOS (you won’t find any Google watch apps here), it is still superior to that on Zepp OS.
Although there is no speaker or microphone built into the watch itself, you must be wearing the Watch Buds in order to make or receive phone calls on them. Also, you can save songs on the watch so that you can listen without a smartphone nearby.
Sound quality:
- Impressive audio quality
- Interchangeable left and right buds
- So-so ANC
Full-Range Planar Diaphragm Unit headphones on the Huawei Watch Buds are remarkable (for their size) and feature the same technology as the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2. In addition, a flat voice coil and a quad magnetic structure are used. All of this technology, in Huawei’s words, produces “transparency, smoothness, rich details, and deep sound.”
They have a frequency range of 20Hz–20kHz, which is consistent with most other earbuds and corresponds to the range of frequencies that are thought to be audible to humans. They may also generate up to 104dB of volume. The watch has a dynamic EQ setting that can enhance the audio’s bass, treble, and vocals.
Battery life & charging:
- Average three days usage on the smartwatch
- Up to four hours of listening on buds on one charge
- Just over one hour to charge from flat to full
Read more: The 10 Technologies That Will Change The Future
Specs:
- Watch measurements: 47 x 47.5 x 15mm
- Watch weight: 66.5g (without strap)
- 22mm leather strap
- 1.43in circular (466×466) AMOLED display
- Stainless steel casing
- Heart rate sensor
- 80 workout modes
- IPX7 rating (closed) IPX4 rating (open)
- Watch battery: Average 3 days, up to 7 seven days on power saving mode
- Wireless charging
- Compatibility: Android & iOS
- Buds measurements: 21.8 x 10.3 x 10.3mm
- Buds weight: 4g per bud
- Full-Range Planar Diaphragm Unit
- ANC and ambient mode
- Wear detection
- Interchangeable left and right channels
- Touch controls on buds and ears
- Charging within the hidden watch case
- 4 hours listening time without ANC, 3 hours listening time with ANC
- Black and silver finish on buds
