Huawei Watch Ultimate review – News GSMArena.com

Introduction

The Watch Ultimate arrived with the claim to be the best Huawei wearable watch yet. Comes with a 100-meter water rating, exploration mode for outdoor enthusiasts, and incredibly durable construction.

We spent almost a month with one unit and tested all of its features, and here are our findings.

The Watch Ultimate comes in only one size – 1.5″ or 48.5mm diagonal. Its price is close to the Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro, but its user experience is different from those two. , so it will address a different audience.

Design and build

Our unit came in Voyage Blue color with a titanium bracelet. The body is composed of a zirconium-based liquid metal case and a ceramic bezel, and the display is protected by a sapphire crystal. We also received two hydrogenated nitrile rubber bands in our box (one regular and one allowing for different wearing modes). The material is designed to be more durable and comfortable than the fluoroelastomer straps of other smartwatches.

The titanium bracelet is certainly a look and much more elegant, but the rubber is obviously much better suited to outdoor activities and training.

The Watch Ultimate is an automatic eye-grabber – first, because of its massive size; and two, it looks great and blurs the lines between a sleek classic watch and a smart wearable. We did our best to test its durability in all elements – rain, mud, fast rivers, bright sun and lots of sweat – it took the beatings and never showed any signs.

Huawei put an AMOLED LTPO for the first time on the Ultimate – it allows for various refresh rates, apparently going down to 1Hz in specific scenarios like AOD. Another first was the third button at the top left, which allows even quicker access to certain features.

The upper right button is a classic crown that turns and scrolls; the bottom acts as a preset function shortcut and is also conductive for ECG functionality. Rear sensors track heart rate and SpO2 levels, allowing for more accurate workout logging and sleep tracking.

Unfortunately the Watch Ultimate doesn’t have a cellular connectivity option, which we regret as it limits your options of leaving your phone at home when you go for a run. The watch only supports Bluetooth connectivity, but at least it has GPS and can store its recordings until the phone is in range.

Huawei designed the Watch Ultimate case to improve the antenna signal to work in denser forests, mountainous geography and more demanding urban environments, supporting both L1 and L5 satellites.

Software

Huawei launched the Watch Ultimate with HarmonyOS 3.0. We loved being able to download some apps from AppGallery into the Huawei Health app and then send them to the wearable.

We were also able to test the new Exploration mode. The top left button is an automatic shortcut for the function that allows you to get lost and find your way only with the set markers.

As we mentioned, Huawei claims excellent accuracy with global positioning systems, and we had no problem returning for lunch, tracking only the markers we set.

That said, we sincerely believe the Watch Ultimate shouldn’t be the only device for experiencing the wilderness – always take a charged smartphone with you, plenty of water and food, and tell a friend where you’re going before you go. TO DO.

Another essential feature is diving. The Watch GT 3 Pro was the first watch announced with such capabilities, but it was limited to freediving, mostly done at 10 meters depth at around 1 ATM. The Huawei Watch Ultimate goes much further and is the first smart wearable to be certified for 10 ATM or 100 meters depth. It’s organized scuba diving with wetsuits, flippers, air tanks on your back, etc.

The touchscreen doesn’t work underwater, which means the three buttons have a designated job when dive mode is activated – marking a timestamp, changing the screen, or displaying advanced settings like adjusting the capacity of the air bottle.

Battery life

The Watch Ultimate, the largest wearable Huawei has ever made, obviously comes with a sufficient battery. The cell capacity is 530 mAh, and we were promised 14 days of battery life with typical use and 8 days with heavy use.

First, we tried to go ahead – no notifications, no stress or blood oxygen tests, just a fancy wristband that shows the time and looks cool. We managed to get our two weeks, and we have to say we were quite impressed with that. Then we charged the laptop – Huawei promised 60 minutes from 0-100%, and we got that in 63 minutes, which isn’t bad at all.

Then we went with heavy use – that meant a daily hour-long workout, notifications on, all sensors on. It couldn’t get us through the week – we had to put the Watch Ultimate on the magnetic puck on day 6 to charge it. We got 64 minutes from 0-100% this time.

Trying all these things with AOD should have meant we got more than half the period like other Huawei Watch wearables – after all, the screen was supposed to be less refreshing, thus saving battery. Actual AOD scenarios showed seven days of battery life with regular use and four days with active use. We charged the device one last time, and again got a full charge in just over 63 minutes.

Verdict

The Huawei Watch Ultimate is indeed the best wearable the company has ever produced, and that shouldn’t even be a discussion. Yes, the Explore mode and scuba diving features are cool, but the build and battery life make the device stand out.

We’ve already mentioned a few competitors at the start of this article, but each tries to appeal to a different audience. The Apple Watch Ultra is a wearable for Apple users – its battery life is laughable at best, so it shouldn’t be in the same discussion as any Huawei watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is barely an upgrade over its 2021 sibling. It’s a watch for people who want a more minimalist look; Huawei designed the Watch Ultimate to be much larger.

There are also more professional watches from brands like Suunto, Coros and Garmin. Still, they’re aimed at specific sports, and it wouldn’t be fair to put them up against the Huawei device for enthusiasts and enthusiasts (like our resident runner).

Let’s talk price now that we know who this device is for and who isn’t. The Chinese launch in late March saw astronomical prices between $900 and $1,000. In Europe, Huawei has priced the Voyager Blue at €800 and the Expedition Black at €750.

Yes, it’s pricey, but offers a unique feature set and endurance, so the price is somewhat justified. Again, Huawei has plenty of cheaper wearables in its portfolio, so it’s a matter of portfolio size.

If you have a lot of money to spend on a wearable, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is not a purchase you will likely regret. In addition, the company offers many freebies with every purchase. For example, the watch in Germany, France or Italy comes with free Freebuds 2 Pro which alone cost €170, which helps to soften the blow.