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Huawei has been releasing smartwatches for quite some time now, and it has some truly compelling products on the market at the moment. The Huawei Watch GT 3 series and the Watch 4 are probably the best choices for most of you. If you, however, are an adventurer, and love to go diving at the same time, the company actually came up with a product for you. Its name is the Huawei Watch Ultimate, and we’re here to review it.
This device launches earlier this year, and we’ve had the chance to test it out over the last couple of weeks. In all honesty, we were unable to test out its halo feature, the 100m diving aspect. However, we’ll touch upon that a bit, and we’ll talk about many other aspects of this smartwatch. After all, this is a smartwatch that does everything you’d want it to, and it also looks like an interesting watch at the same time.
Table of contents
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Hardware / Design
The Huawei Watch Ultimate kicks things up a notch when it comes to build materials. Huawei says that this watch’s frame is made out of zirconium-based liquid metal, which is a first on a smartwatch. The company said that it is “stronger and more wear and corrosion-resistant [compared to stainless steel]”. This material makes the watch 4.5x stronger, 2.5x harder, and 17.4% lighter than it would have been if Huawei used stainless steel. This is not something we can test, of course, but the watch does both look and feel very nice and premium. It help up really well during my usage, and I did bump it against door frames, and car doors a number of times, as I’m immensely clumsy when it comes to watches. The watch is also 10 ATM-rated, in other words, it offers “100-metre water resistance under the ISO 22810:2010 standard”.
As you can see, there are three buttons on the watch, and a round display. Those buttons are quite stiff, actually, more than on other Huawei watches I’ve used in the last couple of years. That means less accidental presses, but truth be said, I prefer the ones on the Huawei Watch GT3, GT Runner, and so on. The variant I got to test is the blue one (a black one is also available), which comes with a metal-clad strap. There is also a rubber strap included in the box, though, so you can easily replace it, if you prefer something a bit more sporty and lighter at the same time. With this strap, the watch is quite bulky.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate measures 48.5 x 48.5 x 13mm, and it weighs 76 grams without a strap. The strap does add quite a bit of weight, though, the metal one. Despite all that, however, the watch is very comfortable to wear. I didn’t have any discomfort or anything of the sort, despite the fact I’m not a huge fan of bulky watches. I did test out the silicone strap too, just to see the difference, and if you want to make the watch lighter, that’s certainly an option. Also, the watch is even more comfortable when you install that strap. It’s also worth noting that the rear case is made out of nanocrystalline ceramic, while the sapphire glass is also a part of the package.
Just to be perfectly clear, the blue model is called the ‘Voyage Blue’, while the black one is officially called ‘Expedition Black’. The former comes with a strap made out of titanium, with a silicone strap in the box. The latter comes with a silicone strap only (pre-installed).
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Display
This smartwatch features a round 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display. This display has a resolution of 466 x 466, which results in a PPI of 311. There is also sapphire glass protection applied o top of it. This is one of the best displays on the market. I’ve used quite a few smartwatches over the past couple of years, and Huawei usually has really great panels inside its smartwatches. The ‘Ultimate’ is no different, in fact, it’s up there with the best of them.
This display offers very nice, vivid colors, great viewing angles, and great touch response. Touch response is not always great when it comes to smartwatches, but Huawei has been nailing that aspect for a couple of years now. On top of all that, this panel is more than bright enough. At around 1,000 nits, you can see everything on it, even when you’re in direct sunlight. I literally don’t have a single complaint about the quality and use of this display.
Before you ask, yes, the always-on display function is here, and it’s really good. It does not drain the battery nearly as much as you think, we’ll talk more about that in the battery section, though.
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Performance
Huawei did not detail the SoC situation inside of this watch, nor the RAM and ROM situation. The point is, the watch works great, and we guess that the Kirin A1 SoC is in use here again. Huawei has been using this processor in its watches for some time, and it’s been performing great. The watch keeps things smooth, no matter what you do. I never had issues with lagging or anything of the sort. In fact, I didn’t really notice any stutters whatsoever. We’ll talk more about the health aspect of its performance in a separate section, of course.
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Battery
While most other smartwatches struggle to provide a day or two of battery life, Huawei’s watches do not. The company’s smartwatches are well-known for offering over a week’s worth of battery life, even much more than that if you’re not a heavy user. What about the Huawei Watch Ultimate? Well, first and foremost, Huawei included a 530mAh battery inside it. That’s a good start. In combo with the hardware here, and Huawei’s OS, the battery life is great. Huawei claims you can get 8 days worth of battery life with heavy usage (always-on display was not enabled).
Well, I haven’t really been sparing the watch during my usage, and I was able to pull out about a week’s worth of battery life. I bet it can go for about a week and a half with lighter usage, at least. Do note that I haven’t really tested its diving features, as I’m not a diver, and haven’t really had the opportunity. Do note that enabling an always-on display will result in slightly lower battery life. I’ve used it for days in that version, and I really didn’t notice major differences in battery consumption, which is great, actually.
When it comes to charging, wireless charging is supported here. A charging cradle is included in the box, and it’s the same one that has been shipping with Huawei’s watches for a while now. It supports wireless charging, and it’s quite fast, actually. In an hour, this watch can be fully charged (0-100%).
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Software
As per usual when it comes to Huawei watches, HarmonyOS comes pre-installed here. To be more specific, it’s HarmonyOS 3.0. If you’ve used any of Huawei’s more recent devices, you’ll be right at home here. The UI is very, very responsive, and it simply feels good to use. Huawei has been doing a great job in that regard for a while now, and this time is no different.
You get a customizable set of widgets to the left, once per screen. And then you also have access to your weather and music controls to the right. Swiping up on the home screen will show you your notifications, while doing the opposite will call upon quick toggles. It’s a familiar UI, and simply to other watches. The top-right physical button/rotating crown can activate the phone’s main menu for you. In there, you’ll find all the customization options, workout options, diving modes, and so forth. There’s a lot to see here.
Now, regarding the notifications, it’s worth noting that Huawei’s watches do one-way syncing. In other words, if you remove a notification from your watch, it won’t be removed from your phone. That is something some people will prefer, others not so much. I personally do, as I can quickly see what’s going on, ditch that notification without removing it from my phone. That way it’ll wait for me there to take care of it when I have the time, and I won’t forget about it.
You also do get quick replies to messages from your watch. That is something you can set up from the phone’s app. You can basically write whatever you want and have it ready to send as a reply to a message. You cannot, however, type messages from your watch, or anything of the sort. The notifications overall work really well, though.
When it comes to music, you can either control the music on your phone (from the watch), or transfer some music on the watch and play it locally, it’s up to you. There are a ton of options in the software here, and there’s no way we can talk about it all. If you’ve been using HarmonyOS in the past, you’ll have a good idea of what’s available. Chances are you won’t be disappointed. Also, this watch can work with both Android and iOS, though you’ll get a better experience with Android. Do note that you’ll need to install Huawei’s AppGallery app store in order to grab the Huawei Health app from it. It’s not available from the Google Play Store. From that app, you’ll get full control of the watch.
Huawei Watch Ultimate Review: Health/Fitness
Let’s get down to this watch’s bread and butter, health and fitness. This watch serves as both a diving watch and an adventure watch at the same time. As we were unable to properly get into the diving aspect, we did test out the Expedition mode, a brand new addition here. You can activate this feature by tapping the top-left button on the watch. This watch will basically help you find your way back if you get lost, as you can set markers by using it. This is an immensely useful feature if you’re out and about in the wilderness, this watch can keep track of your path in an extremely easy way. That feature is also backed by Dual-Band-System GNSS positioning. We didn’t have any issues using it in our limited testing capacity. It’s worth noting that two layouts are available here, for day and night use, and the compass is just a swipe away too.
Now, there is also a diving aspect here. Unlike most other smartwatches, this watch enables you to go diving up to 100 meters. Most other watches will limit you to 10 meters, if that much. Needless to say, this is a whole new level for smartwatches. One thing to note is that the touchscreen won’t react under water, though. That’s why Huawei designed the functions differently when you’re in diving mode. Each of the three buttons has its purpose in that mode. They can change the screen, mark a timestamp, and the third one brings up advanced settings.
There are also tons of workout modes available on the watch, regardless of whether you like running, walking, cycling, swimming, jumping rope, hiking, or something else entirely. There are even separate modes for indoor and outdoor activities. The watch is equipped with an ECG, and it can monitor your heart rate 24/7. SpO2 tracking is also available here, and arterial stiffness detection is also on offer. This watch is packed with both fitness and health-related features, so you won’t be disappointed in that regard. We’ve tested most of it, and everything worked perfectly fine, which is always good to hear. The GPS was very reliable, the heart rate sensor worked reasonably well, and so on.
Huawei Watch Ultimate: Should you buy it?
So, is the Huawei Watch Ultimate worth it? Well, it all depends on who the buyer is, to be quite honest. This smartwatch is quite pricey. In order to get it, you’ll have to part with €750 or €800, depending on the version. The Expedition Black model is priced at €750, while the variant we used (Voyager Blue) costs €800. Needless to say, that’s a lot of money for a smartwatch. If you’re a specific type of user, however, this could seem appealing to you. If you’re diving frequently, there are not many choices out there. This watch goes above and beyond the vast majority of other offerings in that regard. Also, the Expedition mode can be immensely useful if you like getting lost in the wilderness frequently. For the vast majority of users, there are more affordable options out there, including Huawei’s very own offerings. So… it’s up to you.
You should buy the Huawei Watch Ultimate if:
- You simply like diving and do it frequently
- You go diving beyond 10 meters of depth
- You’re an extremely active person and want a robust smartwatch
- You love getting lost in the wilderness
- You like using premium-feeling watches
- You like more bulky smartwatches
- You value great battery life
- You enjoy fast wireless charging
You shouldn’t buy the Huawei Watch Ultimate if:
- You won’t use its halo features (diving & expedition modes)
- You have a limited budget
- You’re not an active person
- You prefer two-way notification syncing