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Huawei introduces the Watch GT 3 with some impressive battery life claims
Complete with an SpO2 reader, water resistance, and HarmonyOS
Despite all of Huawei's woes, the Chinese electronics giant isn't actually having the worst go of things this year. The Huawei P50 series showed the company can still make good phones, complete with a weird turn of events that saw Huawei use a Snapdragon 888 for those phones (it's still using its own Kirin 9000 CPU in the Pro, though). And in the wearables department, the Huawei Watch 3 and 3 Pro were recently introduced as the company's new premium smartwatch offerings, as well as its first smartwatches running HarmonyOS. That lineup is now being joined by the Huawei Watch GT 3, a new model with some pretty wild battery life claims.
Back in September, Huawei launched the Watch GT2, which seemed to be a mere upgrade over the previous generation. The company just announced a new intelligent timepiece, the Watch GT2e, which is designed for those with an active lifestyle. It's essentially a Watch GT2 with advanced fitness features and a rubberized design.
Huawei has been selling its GT line of smartwatches in the United States for a while. Instead of Google's Wear OS, the watches use Huawei's own 'Lite OS.' Now you can get the GT and GT Classic for $30 off, bringing the prices to $170 and $200, respectively.Both watches have identical specifications: a 1.39-inch 454x454 AMOLED screen, built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor, water resistance (up to 164 feet), and "up to two weeks" of battery life. The main difference is in the design — the GT is a sports watch, and the GT Classic looks more like a traditional timepiece.
While there's been plenty of talk about the consequences of Google, ARM, Qualcomm, the SD Association, the Wi-Fi Alliance, carriers, and the USB-IF no longer working with Huawei, one company has been kept out of the discussion to date: the Bluetooth SIG.
The first Huawei Watch has long been held up as a prime example of a Wear OS device, while its successor, the Huawei Watch 2, didn't fare so well with critics. Both, however, benefit from a surprisingly active joint community of fans that are eager for all the latest updates. Android Police's tips inbox lit up with a flurry of activity when new UI changes courtesy of Wear OS v2.17 began to roll out over the past day, with users reporting that their devices now felt much smoother and faster.
The original Huawei Watch was one of the best Wear OS devices ever produced, but its successor was a disappointment by comparison. Huawei said earlier this year that a new smartwatch "won't be released anytime soon," but it appears a new model is now in the final stages of development. A new watch with the model number 'FTN-B19' just passed through the FCC.
The normal Huawei Watch 2 is not all that great, but the 'Classic' variant retains the traditional timepiece design of the original model. It's a bit bulky, but it has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a recent Wear OS smartwatch. Now you can get it for $179.99, a $48 drop from the previous Amazon price and $190 off the original MSRP.The Watch 2 Classic runs the latest version of Wear OS, and has built-in GPS, NFC for Google Pay, a customizable shortcut button, and a heart-rate monitor. There's also a 'Watch Mode' that extends battery life to approximately three weeks by disabling most functionality. The Watch 2 Classic does not include LTE connectivity - that's only available on the Sport model.You can buy the Watch 2 Classic from the source links below.Source: Amazon, Best Buy, eBay
Over the last year, we've seen a tangible shift in Android Wear's — now Wear OS — direction. Previously geared toward the demanding techie crowd that was tough to win over, Google's smartwatch platform found a sort of reprieve in more niche markets. We've seen Wear watches made for extreme sports, outdoors, running, and a slew of fashion-forward models from recognized brands like Michael Kors, Diesel, GUESS, Fossil, Kate Spade, Emporio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, and more. The latter all come from the Fossil group, a company that I think should be credited for Wear's second lease of life — and likely its rebrand to Wear OS to attract iPhone users.The Skagen Falster falls under the Fossil umbrella and, ever since its announcement at CES, has been regarded as one of the sleekest Wear watches to date. In person, it's really striking with its minimal design, shiny steel, and black case. However, like many of Fossil's other watches, it suffers from a severe lack of hardware features, the most crucial being a terrible battery life. If looks are your first and foremost requirement, the Falster will not falter, but if you need a bit more substance behind your smartwatch, this is clearly not meant for you. As for me, I'm pretty much smitten every day... until the battery runs dry at 8pm and then I'm furious.
The original Huawei Watch was one of the best Android Wear devices you could buy in 2015, and it's still a popular watch to this day (mostly for lack of better options). Its successor came out a year ago, but it was a disappointment in almost every regard. The bulkier frame, uninspired sporty design, and small screen made it a downgrade from the original in many respects.
The Huawei Watch was perhaps the best of the first-generation Android Wear devices. Aside from it being the most watch-looking watch (compared to the postage stamp glued to a piece of leather styling of the original ZenWatch), the original Huawei Watch was a solid performer, particularly compared to the second generation. Amazon has slashed the price of the premium gold-plated stainless steel watch with matching band to a third of MSRP.At $252.52, the watch has reached a new price low. Last December, Amazon was selling it for $379.99. It's a solid deal if gold is your thing. As smartwatches go, it is decently powerful, with a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. That said, the first generation Huawei Watch has been left on Android Wear 2.0, and will not receive further updates. It also will not get Android Pay support.As of yet, Android Wear has not added support for identifying Yo-kai.Source: Amazon
Huawei is one of the last tech companies still interested in Android Wear. The Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic were released earlier this year, and the Watch 2 Classic even earned a spot in our Most Wanted list for wearables. Both of the watches are now on sale at Best Buy - $179 ($120 off) for the Watch 2 and $219 ($148 off) for the Watch 2 Classic. These are the same discounts that were live on Black Friday.
If you (or a friend/family member) wants a smartwatch or other wearable this holiday season, it can be hard to pick out the right one. Dozens of smartwatches have been released this year, and there are at least a handful of excellent fitness trackers on the market right now. To give you an idea of the market, just from January to May of this year, twenty Android Wear watches were released.
There aren't as many big players making Android Wear watches right now, but Huawei is one of them. The second-gen Huawei Watch came out earlier this year, and the price has remained pretty close to the MSRP. However, both versions of the watch are on sale today for more than $100 off MSRP.Internally, both the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic are the same piece of hardware. They've got 4GB of storage, a Snapdragon 2100, GPS, and NFC. On the outside, the Huawei Watch 2 is a sporty device with an integrated silicone band. The Classic is a bit more conventional with a hybrid leather/rubber band you can easily swap.The Huawei Watch 2 has been bouncing around between $300 and $250 in recent months, but now it's $179 on Amazon. The Watch 2 Classic has been consistently close to $350, but now it's $219. These are solid deals if you're looking for a high-end Android Wear watch.Source: Huawei Watch 2, Huawei Watch 2 Classic
We weren't big fans of the Huawei Watch 2, especially considering how good the first-gen Huatch was, and its $299.99 price tag didn't help it out. But at a hair over $180, the Watch 2 Sport becomes a much more enticing purchase, as does the Classic at $286.75. These are both the lowest prices we've seen on Amazon.The Watch 2 Sport's specs consist of a 1.2" 390p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon Wear 2100, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 420mAh battery, and IP68 water resistance, as well as GPS, NFC, and an ambient light sensor. The Watch 2 Classic sports the same hardware, but in a more premium body.As mentioned previously, both the $181.91 price for the Sport in Carbon Black and the $286.75 for the Classic are the best deals we've seen. The Concrete Gray Sport is also discounted, but it's $194.99 and has that weird speckled effect. You'll have to wait until September 9th for the Carbon Black Sport to be in stock, but the Concrete Gray Sport and Classic are both available now. Same-day shipping is even included with the Classic if you're a Prime member.Source: Amazon (Sport), (Classic)
Earlier this week, we posted about a deal on the original Huawei Watch in its black stainless steel finish. But if you have to have the latest, most stylish tech on you, the Watch 2 Classic is just $319.99, with its more affordable Sport sibling only $239.99, on Amazon. That's $50 off the Classic, making it the lowest price we've seen on Amazon for it, and $60 off the Sport.The Watch 2 Classic is essentially a re-bodied Watch 2 Sport. It sports (ha, get it?) a 1.2" 390p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon Wear 2100, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 420mAh battery, and IP68 water resistance, as well as GPS, NFC, and an ambient light sensor.You can actually get a new Watch 2 Sport in the speckled Concrete Gray for $242.10 on Amazon right now, but it's being sold by a third-party seller, and there are only a few left in stock. The Carbon Black-colored Sport is actually less expensive at $239.99, and the Titanium Grey Classic is only $319.99 - both roughly $50 off of their MSRPs.And for those of you who think the Classic is expensive, take a look at the Porsche Design model. The Classic will look like a downright bargain.Source: Amazon
2015's Huawei Watch is no longer the most recent smartwatch from the Chinese tech company, but in our eyes, it's still the best. Amazon and B&H are currently running a deal on the Huawei Watch in the very stealthy-looking black stainless steel finish with stainless steel link band for just $199.99, a full $200 off its MSRP.The original Huatch's specifications remain pretty up-to-date, as Android Wear hasn't progressed in this regard. For your $199.99, you'll get a sapphire-topped 1.4" 400p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 400, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 300mAh battery, and IP67 water resistance. It's also updatable to Android Wear 2.0.Last time we posted a deal about this particular Watch, it was $199.99 open-box and $219.99 new. Now, it's just $199.99 for a brand-new unit from either Amazon or B&H. Shipping is free from both retailers, and B&H only charges tax if you're in NY or NJ. We're not sure how long this deal will last, so don't snooze if you really want one.Source: Amazon, B&H
The Huawei Watch 2 Classic's regular price of $369.99 puts it at the higher end of the Android Wear market. However, its price is somewhat justifiable - it looks good, has a high-resolution AMOLED display, the latest Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, more RAM than its competitors, a large battery, GPS, and NFC. It's expensive because it has high-quality components. So what does the Porsche Design Huawei Watch 2 bring to the table for the extra $555?
In the market for a new Android Wear watch? Did the Fossil discounts from earlier not tickle your fancy? Well, we've got another smartwatch deal for you - the new Huawei Watch 2 Sport is down to $219.99 at both Amazon and Best Buy from its original price of $299.99.This isn't the first time we've seen this watch discounted, but it's better than that deal by quite a bit. This model, the Sport, features a 1.2" 390p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon Wear 2100, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 420mAh battery, and IP68 water resistance. Other niceties include GPS, NFC, and an ambient light sensor.