Huawei a visibly new technology player in Zimbabwe recently gave a rude awakening to mobile manufacturers and technology giants in the industry at the recently held Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain as it showcased wearable technology completely stealing the show from traditional players.
By TechnoMag
Top on their list, Huawei unveiled their smartwatch, TalkBand B2, and in-car 4G LTE mobile Wi-Fi device. It also won the Best Mobile Infrastructure Award at Mobile World Congress 2015 with its innovative LampSite solution.
Of much attention is their new Huawei SmartWatch an analog 1.4-inch AMOLED screen (400 x 400 resolution and 286ppi) is made of sapphire glass for scratch resistance. Usually, Android smartwatches use Corning’s Gorilla Glass, so this is a nice upgrade. Sapphire glass will also be sturdier when compared with Gorilla Glass, which is required in a wearable that may be prone to scratches and rough use.
This one they have just launched weeks before the much awaited smart watch from Apple, but the question is will their timeless design throw back the gauntlet at apple.
An inside report states that “Huawei intends to retail its Huawei Watch with its 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of storage in nearly 20 countries worldwide. The device, which is powered by a Snapdragon processor, packs in fitness tracking, heart-rate monitor, barometric sensor and a six-axis motion sensor ,”odetails on the battery life or charging we were not available.
Huawei, a colossal company that makes most of its money on networking equipment and infrastructure, has launched its most overt play for consumers yet by unveiling the first android based smartwatch in the market. The Huawei Watch is a circular device that looks closer to a traditional watch than the Moto 360, LG G Watch R, or any other Android Wear product to date.
One week before Apple is set to reveal the final details of its own watch, Huawei has presented a very different vision informed by the principles of classical watch design.
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“We’re trying to make Huawei a more fashionable brand,” says Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer division. “We’re trying to change our image.” Yu says Huawei’s cachet is already ahead of Chinese competitors like Xiaomi, which he describes as an “ultra low-end” brand “for low-end people.” Despite Yu’s bluster, the odds are still stacked against Huawei, especially in the US.
But the company is serious about this struggle especially against most westerners who can barely pronounce their name.
According to the CEO the new phone like 18- or 24-karat gold, but feature upgradable components to avoid technical obsolescence.
“If it’s too cheap, no one will want to use it,” says Yu, noting that the entry-level Apple Watch is made of aluminium. Pricing is yet to be announced, but both Yu and Norton indicate that it will be reasonable; the watch won’t be out until June, and Yu says he’ll be observing Apple’s sales with interest.
The CEO also says the company would like to have a presence in traditional watch stores and is considering a model where the watch could be made of more expensive materials, like 18- or 24-karat gold, but feature upgradable components to avoid technical obsolescence.
Huawei is fully behind Norton’s vision. “Samsung already launched its watch, but the design was ugly and no one wanted to buy it,” says Yu, who believes that the Huawei Watch’s focus on classicism and authenticity will set it apart.
He says the Apple Watch design is “good, it’s okay, but I think their smartwatch design is not a traditional, classical one. Our design is differentiated from them. Many people love this style; people have a loyalty to the tradition.”
Development of the Huawei Watch was led by Ben Norton, a watch designer that previously worked for Fossil in the US and in Switzerland on brands like Emporio Armani. “I had this opportunity to start designing smartwatches, and had a vision shared by many of my colleagues to have a smartwatch that was very much like a traditional watch,” Norton says. “We just believe that the consumer wants an actual watch that feels like a watch.”
An important element is the watch’s size, which Norton says was a very specific and deliberate choice to broaden the potential consumer base. He settled on 42mm, which he calls “a typical size for a traditional watch” by brands from CK to Omega, but also notes that many women wear watches in the “boyfriend” size of around 38 to 42mm.
Although a little on the thick side, it’s a much more universal and comfortable design than something like the Moto 360, which is around 46mm and — to my taste, at least — feels like strapping a CD to your wrist. The thin top ring on the Huawei Watch helps, too, allowing the display to dominate the watch’s small footprint.
The Huawei Watch has turned heads, if nothing else, which could have a knock-on effect for the company’s phones. But even if Huawei’s efforts come to nothing, it’s notable that a company best known for routers and cell towers is even attempting to join the conversation around fashion and high-touch industrial design.
Huawei would be one of the least likely US brand successes of all time, but as its Mobile World Congress presence shows, wearable technology is new enough to be anyone’s game.
“Through Huawei’s continued commitment to ‘Make It Possible,’ the Huawei Watch delivers on that promise and gives the consumer a premium smartwatch that is technologically innovative,” noted Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group.
However, rivaling the Apple Watch may be a tough task for the Huawei Watch as, for starters, Android Wear may not be able to match up to the Apple Watch’s operating system. Moreover, when it comes to color options, the Huawei offering will be available in three hues: silver, black and gold.
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