Huawei Watch Ultimate is the best smartwatch you’ve never heard of

Huawei has a long and storied history of making great wearables, and its latest (and most expensive) model is the Huawei Watch Ultimate. In short, this may be the best smartwatch you can overlook.

I’ve been wearing it for a few days and I’m delighted with its unique style and ease of use.

Huawei Watch Ultimate is a bomb

In an attempt to get you to part with 750 British pounds (about $983) for a smartwatch, Huawei has moved away from the overtly adventurous designs of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and gone for the appeal of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. luxury traditional watch. The size, shape and design won’t be for everyone, but if you want a smartwatch built with the right materials and a look that laughs at subtleties, this will be for you.

I’m not a fan of the Huawei Watch Ultimate inscription on the frame or the strange golf ball design on the ears, but the rest of the watch effectively distinguishes itself from other expensive smartwatches. This truly massive case is characterized by solidity forged from a solid block, and if weight is synonymous with luxury for you, this is at the very top. It’s made of fancy zirconium-based liquid metal and feels very high quality, as do the three buttons on the case. Button presses are perfectly damped and the feel is top-notch with the Tag Heuer Connected Caliber E4, which is highly praised.

The ceramic frame glows in the light but does not rotate. The back of the case is also made of ceramic, and the rubber strap on the model I’m wearing is flexible and comfortable, although it doesn’t look particularly expensive. Don’t worry though, as Huawei includes a titanium metal bracelet in the box.

The overarching design aspect is the size of the Watch Ultimate. It’s gigantic, even for someone who regularly wears Casio G-Shock watches. The 48mm case and integrated lugs mean it spans the entire length of my 6.5-inch wrist, and since it’s 13mm thick, it’s not easy to slide it under the cuff. This is a bold and audacious work, not for the timid.

Smooth startup

This isn’t the first Huawei smartwatch I’ve used, but I’m pleased to note how much smoother the installation and registration process has become since I last used it. You need the Huawei Health app, which can be downloaded from the iOS App Store, Samsung Galaxy App Store, and Huawei AppGallery. Please note that Google Play is not included. This means that if you have an Android phone, you will need to download Huawei Health via AppGallery, which means you will need to download it first.

Using the Huawei website in Chrome took only a moment and I didn’t have to create an account or log in to get the Health app, which really cut down on the time and effort involved. Connecting the Watch Ultimate was easy and only required scanning a QR code, but it took about 30 minutes to install the software update before I could use the watch. The watch then needed access to notifications and location to work, and everything was done. I connected it to Google Pixel 9 Pro and it worked flawlessly.

Streamlining the onboarding process makes a huge difference compared to the initial owner experience, which has become complex and frustrating over the years. It’s great to see how Huawei has made it all so simple. I also noticed that notification handling on Android has been dramatically improved, with all messages arriving instantly on the watch. Just don’t expect to interact with notifications unless you’re using a Huawei phone. Other than that, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is a pleasure to use right from the moment you take it out of the box.

Golf and adventure

There are bound to be some keen golfers out there who will be laughing at the terrible weather conditions that have been affecting the UK lately and I hit the greens anyway. I am NO this golfer, so I haven’t had a chance to try out the golf features on Huawei Watch Ultimate yet. This is an extensive list with a dedicated tracking app both courses and range, along with AI Caddy mode, shot distance data, and GPS-based course and green recognition.

I also didn’t go on any expeditions, which is another standout feature of the Watch Ultimate. It can be accessed via the button at 10 o’clock and includes waypoint markings and a guidance system so you don’t get lost on longer hikes. However, I have used the Watch Ultimate to track a few walks, and the activity tracking is quick and easy to use. In addition, it finds the GPS signal exceptionally quickly.

Huawei still insists that voice guidance is turned on by default and at maximum volume, so it shouts out information like “training has started” and heart rate data while you exercise. It’s embarrassing and unnecessary, although I can see how it would come in handy if you’re cycling and can’t easily look at your wrist. However, in all other cases it is a hateful interruption. You need to look for the volume knob, which can only be found after pressing the button at 2 o’clock. It also pauses the training.

Screen, software and watch faces

The large 1.5-inch AMOLED screen of the Huawei Watch Ultimate is really bright and easily visible outdoors, has a sharp resolution of 466 x 466 pixels and is covered with sapphire crystal. The smartwatch software has been improved to the point that it can be quickly learned and used logically. One suggestion is that it’s wise to switch the default watchOS-like app grid to list view, which makes it much easier to find apps quickly. Like most other smartwatches, you swipe across the screen to see tiles containing data such as weather, step count, and exercise quick start icons. Swipe up shows notifications.

There is a wide range of well-made watch faces available, most of which have customizable complications and various ways to personalize the look, from color to the type of hands they show. Each face has an ambient mode, so the screen is never just blank, and the wake-up feature is very fast and responsive. This means the watch is never frustrating, usually shows you exactly what you want, and you’re rarely stuck searching for functions in a multitude of confusing menus.

I’ve been using it for three days now, with all health tracking features enabled and the active screen always on. I also observed two short walks and the battery level is 79%. I didn’t track my sleep because while the Watch Ultimate is comfortable to wear, it feels uncomfortably large at night. Huawei claims that with these settings the battery will last between four and eight days on a single charge, which seems achievable, or up to 14 days with light use.

Don’t miss Watch Ultimate

Let’s summarize. Huawei Watch Ultimate is made of high-quality materials and has a unique, stylish design, sensible and easy-to-use software, various unique features and a battery that lasts for a week between charges (depending on usage). It even works with Android and iOS. Two of the best smartwatches available today – the Apple Watch Series 10 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 – have been effectively separated from the rest, so it’s great to see a third, desirable option that works with everything.

The Huawei Watch Ultimate is at the extreme, expensive end of Huawei’s extensive smartwatch collection, and not everyone will appreciate its many charms. I haven’t tried the latest Huawei Watch GT 5 and GT 5 Pro smartwatches yet, but they seem to offer most of what makes the Ultimate so good, at a lower price and in several different styles and sizes, so take a look at them if the Ultimate’s design appeals to you discouraging.

But for those who haven’t seen the Huawei Watch Ultimate yet and are intrigued by a luxury-inspired smartwatch with strong golf and outdoor features, I think you’ve just discovered what could be this year’s big below-the-radar smartwatch hit.