New tablets and wearables from Huawei on the way

Huawei presents new wearables and tablets in Barcelona. The Chinese manufacturer is offering its Watch GT5 Pro and Watch GT5 in different sizes and designs, which also differ in price.

Depending on the model, the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro has a steel, titanium or ceramic case. The OLED displays of the watch show 466 x 466 pixels and automatically adjust the brightness to the surroundings. In addition to the touchscreen, the watches are operated via a rotatable and pressable crown and an additional button. With the built-in sensors, they record health parameters such as heart rate or blood oxygen levels, provide information on sleep quality and calculate individual stress levels. The watch can also generate an ECG. Connected via Bluetooth, the watch can also be used to make phone calls and has a built-in microphone and loudspeaker. The watch, whose housing is protected to IP68 and up to 5ATM water pressure, does not support WLAN.

With a battery charge of 524 mAh, Huawei promises a battery life of ten to 14 days, which is extremely long for a smartwatch. On a first training lap, the charge level only dropped by five percent after an hour of running with active GPS and heart rate monitor, which is a very good value. Charging takes place via a magnetic shell, which could do with docking a little more firmly to the Watch GT5 Pro.

The GT5 Pro 42 millimeter in ceramic costs 599 euros, the metal version with leather strap costs 449 euros. The 46 millimeter GT5 Pro is available in titanium for 499 euros or in steel and with a black rubber strap for 379 euros.

Watch GT5 without ECG

The technical specifications of the Watch GT5 hardly differ from the Pro version; it is also protected against the elements and has the same sensors and display. The battery and the specified running times are also the same. The only functional adjustment is that only the Pro model supports ECG. The GT5 is only available in metal, but in more color variants: black, brown, blue, white and gold. At 41 millimetres, the small version is slightly more compact than the Pro at 42 millimetres.

The GT5 in 41 millimeters costs between 249 and 299 euros, depending on the variant. The larger version with a diameter of 46 millimetres costs between 249 and 269 euros.

With the Watch D2, Huawei is also relaunching its smartwatch with blood pressure measurement. A thin cushion is integrated on the inside of the wristband, which is filled with air by a small pump for the measurement. The Watch D2 has a rectangular OLED display with a resolution of 480 x 408 pixels and a diagonal of 1.5 inches. The battery has a capacity of 524 mAh. Like the other new watches, the D2 is compatible with Android from 8.0 and iOS from 13.0 and is IP68-protected against the ingress of water and dust. The price is 399 euros at launch.

Two new Huawei tablets

With the MatePad 12X and the MatePad 12.2, two new tablets from Huawei will also go on sale in October. The MatePad 12X has an OLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1840 pixels and 144 Hertz refresh rate in a 3:2 aspect ratio, with a maximum brightness of 2000 cd/m² according to the manufacturer. The surface of the glass is matt, which should keep 99% of reflections away. In combination with the Huawei M Pencil, Huawei promises a writing experience like on paper.

The battery of the MatePad 12X has a capacity of 10,000 mAh and can be charged with up to 100 watts of power. The total weight of the tablet is 508 grams.

The MatePad 12.2 is similar in size to the 12X, but has the usual glossy screen. Huawei offers a keyboard for the 12.2 as well as for the 12X to make the tablets usable as work devices.

Both Huawei tablets run the Harmony OS operating system, which is based on AOSP. Google services are not officially supported, but can be installed with helpers such as MicroG. Huawei has not yet announced prices for the two new tablets.

(sht)