Huawei Watch Buds: Retail packaging leaks for smartwatch with removable earbuds

Huawei has released numerous smartwatches and fitness trackers this year, with the Watch GT Cyber being the strangest so far on account of its modular design. However, the Watch Buds may well take that crown, with its name offering clues as to its combined feature set. First emerging in April via a European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) listing, the Watch Buds had not been seen in the intervening months.

However, a hands-on photo of Watch Buds has emerged on social media. Reposted by the likes of @RODENT950 and Huawei Central, the image shows what looks like a Watch GT 3 model with a hinged display for inserting and removing a pair of earbuds. The Watch Buds resemble an evolution of the TalkBand B6, a fitness tracker-cum-Bluetooth earpiece that the company launched in 2020. Arguably, the Watch GT Cyber shares a lineage with the TalkBand B6, which Huawei also based around a removable watch element and replacement outer chassis.

Huawei would be the first large smartwatch manufacturer to release a smartwatch with built-in earbuds. Smaller companies have attempted the form factor previously though, such as the Lemfo T92, but there is always a compromise between the smartwatch’s battery size and the space needed to store a pair of earbuds and their charging circuitry. In other words, the Watch Buds will have significantly worse battery life than contemporary smartwatches unless Huawei makes it comically thick. It is unclear where or when Huawei will launch the Watch Buds, but the device’s registration in Europe implies that the company has considered releasing the smartwatch and earbuds combination globally.

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