HUAWEI Watch Ultimate Smartwatch Review: Dive in / Wearable Electronics

⇡#Design and construction

Outwardly, HUAWEI Watch Ultimate stands out right away – you don’t need to look closely to understand that this is a special, flagship model with a “professional” flair. A large, brutal bezel, a thicker case and, most importantly, three large buttons at once, while the HUAWEI Watch 3 or GT 3/GT 3 Pro has always used a combination of one large rotating crown and one button recessed into the case.

The two buttons eventually perform the same functions – the first, rotating, helps with menu navigation (including scrolling through the parameters when rotating), and the second switches to the training mode and acts as a sensor when measuring the ECG. The third is unique – with its help, the “Expedition” mode is activated, which I will discuss below.

The materials are also special here, though it is impossible to “see” or even feel them. The case, as I said, is made of zirconium alloy, ceramics and sapphire glass, which covers the screen. Tactile sensations from this combination and from stainless steel or aluminum do not differ, rather the fact itself is important. A little different than the Watch GT 3 Pro (and this is, in fact, the closest relative of Watch Ultimate), the case itself is executed – in particular, the HUAWEI Watch Ultimate glass is not convex, which makes it less likely to scratch it somewhere in the cave by hitting the wall. And in general, the design makes a more monumental impression.

This is logical: not only the impression is monumental, but also the degree of protection. The watch has dust and moisture protection, but at a new level. Nothing is said about dust (apparently, there are simply no restrictions), but something unique about moisture. The watch can withstand pressure up to 10 atmospheres, which corresponds to a depth of about 100 meters. That is, it is assumed that HUAWEI Watch Ultimate can be used even by deep-sea divers.

Otherwise, we are dealing with fairly standard high-end smartwatches. On the back side there is a wireless charging pad with a magnetic mount, on the sides there is a microphone and a speaker. The size of the eyelets for fastening the straps is standard – 22 mm, that is, third-party straps are also suitable.

By the way, the HUAWEI Watch Ultimate comes with two rubber straps of different lengths: for standard use and for divers who need to wear the watch over a special suit. I note that the complete straps are very convenient and quickly removed / put on – the switch is large and does not require increased effort.

The watch received a display with a diagonal of 1.5 inches and a resolution of 466 × 466 (pixel density – 311 ppi). Matrix – LTPO AMOLED, dynamically changing the refresh rate, which helps save battery.

There are no “female” or “male” versions of HUAWEI Watch Ultimate – the watch is produced in only one, brutal and rather large version of the case. But there are two color variations: “Silver Ocean” (blue with silver elements) and “Black Rocks” (black and gray, as in our case). Several special dials are drawn for the watch, but you can use any of the extensive base provided in the proprietary application.

⇡#Functionality

In terms of functionality, HUAWEI Watch Ultimate for the most part repeats the HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro, absorbing everything that this watch offers, but with the addition of some of its own features.

To work with the watch, it is necessary to install the HUAWEI Health application on your smartphone, through which synchronization with the accessory is carried out (via Bluetooth – the watch has a version 5.2 module), and control over the basic data received with its help, and the already mentioned change of dials , And all the rest. In this case, synchronization was fast and stable – the watch was quickly found in the list and did not “fall off” during testing, as is sometimes the case with other HUAWEI wearable devices. Unless some parameters like weather information sometimes had to be “reconnected” again. It was worth either the phone, or the clock being discharged, or for some other reason losing connection – and some of the functions were not available. At the same time, it was not necessary to re-pair, the watch and the smartphone found each other again without problems.

The application itself is successful: a user-friendly interface, good Russification, a lot of available information, a Healthy Living section with an individual goal plan that you can set yourself, and then the clock will remind you of their implementation.

The basic functionality of the HUAWEI Watch Ultimate is to be expected for a serious smartwatch. Using the device, you can control the player on your smartphone, receive notifications (and partially read directly on the screen – expanded posts will not fit, but most of the tweets can be seen in full), set up a smart alarm clock, use them to release the shutter of a mobile camera, and so on. . There is also a microphone and a speaker – you can turn on the music during your workout (the watch has a small built-in storage), and answer the call without taking out your smartphone. The sound is loud enough – the watch does not have to be brought to the ear to hear the interlocutor. On the other end, I was also heard without problems.

An NFC module is built into the watch – since HUAWEI smartphones support some contactless payment systems, and they can be added to the watch through the same Health app, HUAWEI Watch Ultimate can be used to pay at terminals. But eSIM is not supported here – this feature has remained exclusive to the “numbered” series. There is also no way to install applications beyond the default set.

All applications are available in the general menu with a matrix of icons, using the wheel to change its scale. You can go to this menu by pressing the button with a wheel, return to the main screen – with its help.

A set of sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, optical heart rate monitor, light sensor, barometer, skin temperature sensor, depth sensor. As you can see, a depth sensor has been added to the standard set typical for HUAWEI smartwatches. Also, the watch can determine the current altitude, although the altimeter is not listed. The watch can count steps and pulse (very accurately), recommend moving if you are too long, can determine the level of oxygen in the blood, evaluate sleep, and also measure skin temperature (do not confuse with body temperature and do not be afraid of huge drops and too low relative to 36, 6 degrees indicators). The watch also shows the exact time of sunrise and sunset, the time of low tide and high tide, the phases of the moon, and can also warn of impending bad weather.

Another opportunity has moved here with HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro – the watch can take an electrocardiogram without connecting additional sensors. You just need to put your finger on the bottom key on the case, activating the corresponding parameter in the settings. Yes, the result cannot be used for clinical purposes – the accuracy is not the same. But, according to the manufacturer, the graphics that the smartwatch gives out will allow you to recognize potential problems at an early stage. The watch gives recommendations – whether there is something disturbing in the work of your heart or not. There is also a new opportunity associated with the measurement of ECG – the diagnosis of arterial stiffness. It allows – again with a certain degree of error – to determine the state of your vessels. Not a redundant feature at all.

The set of available workouts has not changed much – diving and, suddenly, golf (the mode is called “driving range” – not ask, I have no idea why). In the “diving” mode, which in this case is of the greatest interest, you can set the type of water (sea / fresh), and even pressure, and manually. The watch shows direction (built-in compass), depth, dive / ascent time, skin temperature, tells you when to pause when ascending (including with the help of vibration – but there are different types of reminders). This mode disables the touch screen to prevent accidental clicks. This is a very serious tool, including for freedivers who prefer extreme sports.

Another new mode is “Expedition”, which is designed to be used while traveling (on foot, kayak, jeep – it doesn’t really matter). This mode displays data such as battery level, date, mode duration, heart rate and distance to help users gauge their progress. Here I would say that in this mode the battery power is especially weak, but given the active use of GPS while traveling, this would be a mistake. Although unnecessary processes are really taken out of the equation, also thanks to the new night mode, which changes the screen color to orange to display information more clearly and protect your eyes in low light. The watch, by the way, supports GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou and QZSS navigation systems.

You can also set yourself one of three power consumption modes: standard mode, high performance mode and power saving mode, as well as adjust the battery consumption yourself.

The battery capacity of HUAWEI Watch Ultimate is 530mAh, same as HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro. The manufacturer promises up to two weeks of battery life with daily short-term use of GPS and always-on heart rate, sleep and notifications. Even without GPS, my watch sat down noticeably faster, but for a week (subject to a couple of workouts, constantly on measurement of blood oxygen saturation, stress level), the watch kept the charge stable. But HUAWEI Watch Ultimate does not break records here – this is a fairly standard level for brand watches.

⇡#Conclusion

HUAWEI Watch Ultimate is one of the most serious smartwatches on the market in terms of characteristics: NFC (with support for contactless payment methods that actually work in the Russian Federation), GPS, ECG sensor, severe moisture protection, cool modes for diving and hiking, high-quality case with interesting materials. But for the flagship model, named Ultimate, there are several strange limitations compared to the same HUAWEI Watch 3, which cost more than half as much: we are talking about the absence of an eSIM and the inability to install additional applications from the AppGallery store. In fact, we are dealing with “puffed up” HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro, which are designed for a fairly small niche – primarily for serious athletes and travelers.