Huawei Watch review

Update: The Huawei Watch is still available and it's nowhere near as expensive as it once was. However, there's also now more competition, including the Huawei Watch 2. Our review has been updated to reflect this.

The Huawei Watch was a hotly anticipated premium Android Wear device, it has a fully circular screen, it's made from expensive materials, and the battery life is actually half decent.

Released after the Apple Watch, the Huawei Watch is part of the third generation of Android Wear devices. It's got a few new tricks that have been picked up from its Apple counterpart, but in truth Google's wearable OS has plenty of its own ideas up its sleeve.

It's also since been replaced by the Huawei Watch 2, so you'll need to be looking for this as a real bargain way to get into Android Wear.

At launch prices started at around £299 (US$349.99, AU$549), making it one of the more expensive Android Wear watches, though it's since dropped substantially and can be found for around £175 in the UK. Prices don't seem to have dropped as much in the US, but you can still often pick it up for well under $300.

But it's still not the cheapest wearable around, and it's getting on a bit, so is the Huawei Watch worth the cash, or is your money better spent on a cheaper Android Wear device such as the uncannily similar looking Motorola Moto 360? Or something newer like the Huawei Watch 2?

• Check out techradar's list of the best smartwatches here

Google doesn't let device manufacturers customise its wearable UI, so in terms of functionality it's identical to most other Android Wear smartwatches.

As with all Android Wear devices, the Huawei Watch will work with any Android handset running Android 4.3 or above - and it'll work with iOS devices running iOS 9 or higher.

In terms of specifications, the Huawei Watch is reasonably well equipped with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 300mAh battery. That's on par with more recent Android Wear smartwatches.

Display

• Sharp, fully circular screen
• Bright and vibrant

The Huawei Watch features a fully circular AMOLED display measuring 1.4-inches in diameter. That makes it slightly larger than the LG G Watch Urbane, larger than the 42mm Moto 360, but smaller than the 46mm Moto 360.

The device impresses with a high resolution of 400 x 400 pixels. That gives a pixel density of 286ppi, which is on par with the Apple Watch's retina display (290ppi or 302ppi for the 42mm watch).

The extra pixels really stand out when putting the Huawei Watch next to other circular Android Wear watches from the same sort of period, including the Moto 360 and LG G Watch Urbane. It's visibly much sharper, and clearer as a result.

However, more recent Android Wear watches such as the Huawei Watch 2 and LG Watch Sport have it beat.

It's our opinion that circular displays are more aesthetically appealing than the square displays of the likes of the Apple Watch and Sony Smartwatch 3. It looks more like a traditional, analogue watch, but we understand some people prefer square watches.

One advantage of having a completely circular screen (as opposed to the Moto 360, with its flat tyre), is the ability to use white watch faces without ruining the design.

During my time with the watch I had the brightness setting on level 3 (out of 5), I never had an issue with the screen in direct sunlight, but the brightness can be boosted temporarily with 'Brightness Boost' if you are having problems.

The colours are vibrant, and really pop from the screen.

With ambient mode on, after several seconds of inactivity the screen will dim, however, the time will still be displayed with a reduced interface. It's a useful feature that allows you to view the time without needing to raise your arm and flick your wrist to wake the screen (like with the Apple Watch).