Huawei Watch W1 review: The Original Huawei wearable withstands the test of time

Of course, much like every other Android Wear watch, the Huawei Watch can display notifications from your phone in addition to telling the time, and, since it’s running the latest version of Google’s smartwatch OS, it works with both Android and iOS devices. It pairs with your phone over Bluetooth, and there’s also Wi-Fi support so you can still pick up notifications when you’re out of Bluetooth range from your phone. 

With 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage on board, Android Wear feels very smooth and responsive, and apps such as Google Maps only took a few seconds to load. This is great when you don’t want to fish out your phone on the way to a restaurant or meeting, and other apps such as CityMapper even give you a screen by screen breakdown of how to get home or go to work.

However, other non-Google apps can be a bit hit and miss, in terms of how practical they are when viewed on your wrist. Outlook notifications, for example, only show the sender and one or two words from the subject line of the email, which you can then archive, reply to (despite having no way of knowing what’s inside the email before opening a reply window on your phone) or simply open like normal on your phone by swiping through the different card options. Gmail, on the other hand, gives you a small preview of the email in question and adds the option to delete it as well, making it much more practical than Outlook. Admittedly, this is more an issue with Android Wear than the watch, but if you rely on non-Google services it’s worth checking how well they work before buying.

Conclusion

Android Wear isn’t perfect then, but if you want a smartwatch and use an Android handset then it’s still the logical choice. The Huawei Watch certainly has the looks and the battery life to give it an edge over its Wear-based rivals. However, with prices starting at £289, the Huawei Watch is at least £60 more than the 2nd Gen Moto 360. This might be worth it if you’re after a day’s more battery life, but those looking to save some money are better off choosing the 2nd Gen Moto 360.