Launched alongside the Mate 20 series in October 2018, the Huawei Watch GT was the first wearable from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer to sport a homegrown operating system (LiteOS).
If leaked images posted on German publication WinFuture are anything to go by, it looks like history is about to repeat itself, with Huawei possibly debuting an updated version of the smartwatch later this month.
From the renders it's clear that the upcoming smartwatch will resemble the original Watch GT, but the display seems to be marginally larger, with slimmer bezels and a thinner body. Otherwise the design maintains the round face, two-button look of the original.
Minor upgrades
According to WinFuture, the upcoming Watch GT 2 will get a 445mAh battery – a step up from the 420mAh option in the predecessor which gave it up to 14 days of use.
Other new features in the Watch GT 2 are said to be a mic and speaker which the original lacked, suggesting users will be able to make and take calls right from their wrist, but whether an LTE model could be incoming is unclear.
The leaked renders show off two different models – one ‘sports’ option while the other has a more classic look with a leather strap. The smartwatch is said to have a heavy focus on fitness, with the heart rate monitor from the first iteration making a comeback, alongside support for tracking multiple activities, including hiking, swimming, cycling and running.
Will it harmonize?
The original Watch GT was the first Huawei wearable to step away from Google's Wear OS – being powered by LiteOS. And it seems likely that the trend will continue, with the Watch GT 2 sporting an updated version of LiteOS.
However, TechRadar recently learnt that Huawei has used elements of LiteOS during the early stages of creating HarmonyOS – the Chinese manufacturer’s new alternative to the Android mobile operating system – and was designed to be used on devices already available on the market, like the Watch GT.
If Huawei does use HarmonyOS in the upcoming wearable, it will limit the number of apps users have access to, as was the case with its predecessor.
We’re expecting the Watch GT 2 to launch alongside the Mate 30 series on September 19, but speculation is rife that Huawei may choose to release the wearable earlier – perhaps during IFA 2019 – as it isn’t dependent on any software from Google.
