The Watch Ultimate arrived with the claim of being the best Huawei wearable yet. Comes with 100 meter water rating, Exploration Mode for the outdoor types and an incredibly durable build.
We got to spend almost a month with a unit and test all its features, and here go our findings.
The Watch Ultimate comes in just one size – 1.5″ or 48.5mm in diagonal. It’s priced close to the Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro, but its user experience is different from those two, so it will provided a different audience.
Design and build
Our unit came in Voyage Blue color with a titanium band. The body is made of a zirconium-based liquid metal case and a ceramic bezel, and the screen has sapphire glass protection. We also got two hydrogenated nitrile rubber bands in our box (one regular and another that allows for different wear modes). The material is designed to be durable and more comfortable than the fluoroelastomer bands on other smartwatches.
The titanium band is definitely a vivid and much more stylish, but the rubber is obviously much better suited for our outdoor activities and workouts.
The Watch Ultimate is an automatic eye-catcher – firstly because of its massive size; and second, it looks great and blurs the lines between a stylish classic watch and a smart wearable. We did our best to test its durability in all elements – rain, mud, fast rivers, bright sun and lots of sweat – it took the beating and never showed any signs of wear.
Huawei has put an LTPO AMOLED on the Ultimate for the first time – this enables different refresh rates, which are said to drop to 1Hz in specific scenarios such as AOD. Another first was the third button on the top left, which allows even faster access to certain functionality.
The top right button is a classic crown that rotates and scrolls; the bottom serves as a preset feature shortcut and is also conductive to the ECG functionality. The sensors on the back track the heart rate and SpO2 levels, allowing for more accurate workout registration and sleep tracking.
Unfortunately, the Watch Ultrimate has no cellular connection option, which we regret, as it limits your options for leaving your phone at home when you go for a run. The watch only supports Bluetooth connectivity, but at least it has GPS and can save its records until the phone is in range.
Huawei designed the Watch Ultimate body to enhance the antenna signal to work in denser forests, more challenging mountain geography and urban environments, supporting L1 and L5 satellites.
Software
Huawei launched the Watch Ultimate with HarmonyOS 3.0. We loved that we could download some apps from AppGallery to the Huawei Health app and then send them to the wearable.
We also got to test the new exploration mode. The top left button is an automatic shortcut to the feature that lets you get lost and find your way back only with the markers set.
As we mentioned, Huawei claims excellent accuracy with global positioning systems, and we had no problem coming back for lunch just to the markers we set.
That said, we truly believe that the Watch Ultimate shouldn’t be the only device to experience the wilderness – always take a charged smartphone with you, plenty of water and food, and tell a friend where you’re going before you do .
Another essential feature is diving. The Watch GT 3 Pro was the first watch advertised with such capabilities, but was limited to freediving, primarily done in 10 meters depth at around 1 ATM. The Huawei Watch Ultimate goes much further and is the first smart wearable device certified for 10 ATM or 100 meters depth. This is the organized scuba diving with neoprene diving suits, flippers, air tanks on the back, etc.
The touch screen doesn’t work underwater, meaning all three buttons have a designated task when dive mode is engaged – mark a time stamp, change the display or bring up advanced settings such as setting air bottle capacity.
Battery life
The Watch Ultimate, Huawei’s largest wearable device ever, naturally comes with a generous battery. The cell capacity is 530mAh, and we were promised 14 days of battery life with typical use and 8 days with heavy use.
First, we tried to go the cold route – no notifications, no stress or blood oxygen tests, just a fancy band that tells the time and looks nice. We managed to get our two weeks, and we have to say we were pretty impressed with it. Then we charged the wearable – Huawei promised 60 minutes from 0 to 100%, and we achieved it in 63 minutes, which isn’t bad at all.
Then we went into it with the heavy use – meaning one hour workout daily, notifications turned on, all the sensors turned on. We couldn’t get it through the week – we had to put the Watch Ultimate on the magnetic puck on Day 6 to charge it. We got 64 minutes from 0 to 100% this time.
Trying all these things with AOD should have meant that we get more than half the period as other Huawei Watch wearables – after all, the screen was supposed to be less refreshing, thus saving the battery. The real-world AOD scenarios showed seven days of battery life with regular use and four days with active use. We recharged the device one last time, and again we got a full charge in just over 63 minutes.
Pronunciation
The Huawei Watch Ultimate is indeed the best wearable the company has ever produced, and that shouldn’t even be a discussion. Yes, the Exploration Mode and the Scuba Diving features are cool, but the build and the battery life make the device stand out.
We already mentioned a few competitors at the beginning of this article, but each one tries to appeal to a different crowd. The Apple Watch Ultra is a wearable for Apple users – its battery life is laughable at best, so it shouldn’t be in the same discussion as any Huawei Watch.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is hardly an upgrade over its 2021 siblings. This is a watch for people who want a more minimalist look; Huawei designed the Watch Ultimate to be much more impressive.
There are also more professionally oriented watches from brands such as Suunto, Coros and Garmin. Still, they cater to specific sports, and it wouldn’t be fair to pit them against the Huawei device for enthusiasts and amateurs (like our resident runner).
Let’s talk pricing now that we know who this device is for and who it isn’t. The Chinese launch at the end of March had astronomical prices between $900 and $1,000. In Europe, Huawei has priced the Voyager Blue at €800 and the Expedition Black at €750.
Yes, it is expensive, but offers a unique feature set and endurance, so the price is somewhat justified. Again, Huawei has a lot of cheaper wearables in its portfolio, so it’s a matter of wallet size.
If you have a lot of cash to spend on a wearable, the Huawei Watch Ultimate isn’t a purchase you’re likely to regret. Plus, the company throws in lots of gifts with every purchase. For example, the watch in Germany, France or Italy is bundled with free Freebuds 2 Pro which costs €170 alone, which helps soften the blow.
Source: GSMArena