Huawei Watch Ultimate: New smartwatch showcased with innovative features before global launch

Huawei has introduced the Watch Ultimate in China. Billed as a more premium alternative to the Watch GT 3 Pro, the Watch Ultimate relies on a sapphire crystal display, a ceramic back, a titanium band and a zirconium case. For reference, zirconium is less scratch resistant than glass on the Mohs scale of hardness. Additionally, Huawei claims that the Watch Ultimate meets EN 13319 and ISO 22810 standards, making it suitable for diving and waterproof to 100 metres. As such, Huawei pre-installs several diving apps.

A 1.5-inch AMOLED display sits at the heart of the Watch Ultimate, which operates at 450 x 450 pixels and has a 1-60 Hz variable refresh rate courtesy of an LTPO backplane. Unsurprisingly, the Watch Ultimate is rather large, with a 48.5 mm case that is 13 mm thick and weighs 76 g without its watch band attached. At launch, Huawei offers the smartwatch with black nitrile and silver titanium watch bands.

Also, the Watch Ultimate has a 530 mAh battery that Huawei claims will deliver up to 14 days of usage between charges, or 8 days with heavy usage. Moreover, the Watch Ultimate can send and receive satellite messages, but only via BeiDou satellite systems for now. Huawei adds that the Watch Ultimate supports its usual suite of exercise and health apps, as well as NFC and ECG technologies. The Watch Ultimate starts at CNY 5,999 (~US$880) and costs CNY 6,999 (~US$1,025) with a titanium strap. Huawei has not announced global pricing yet, but the Watch Ultimate will be available in Europe and the UK from April 3.

Purchase the Google Pixel Buds Pro on Amazon