Huawei Watch VS Apple Watch
Apple's iWatch is about to go on sale, but Huawei's Watch was the talk of MWC. We see how they compare
2015 is dubbed as the year to make or break smartwatches and Apple and Huawei have both gone for the minimalist naming system. Find out how these two wearables differ in our Apple Watch vs Huawei Watch comparison preview.
Huawei has unveiled its Watch, but it hasn't confirmed pricing or release date information. However, Mobile Fun is taking pre-orders for the Huawei Watch at £300 for the black or silver models and £350 for the gold.
At the cheaper price it matches the Apple Watch Sport edition, which will set you back £299. Apple's cheapest model is bound to be the most popular, but you can spend more by opting for the Apple Watch, which starts at £479, or the Apple Watch Edition which starts at £8,000. The most expensive Apple Watch is £13,500. It goes on sale on 24 April.
Design
Since the initial introduction of the Apple Watch last year, we've seen a number of rival manufacturer's bring more luxury designs to their smartwatch lineup including the LG Watch Urbane.
The Huawei Watch is round like LG's latest models, the Motorola Moto 360 and some others while Apple has opted for a square shape. We prefer the round option when it comes to smartwatch screens but each to their own.
There are three colours of the Huawei Watch: silver, black and gold plus the choice of either leather or stainless steel straps. The body choices are just colours rather than a reflection of the material they are made from, though.
That's not bad and there should be at least one you like the look of but pales into insignificance compare to Apple's whopping choice of 38 different combinations of body and strap.
It's partly because the Apple Watch is available in two sizes (38- and 42mm height) to fit different size wrists – a clever move for anyone who doesn't fancy a giant smartwatch on their arm. The Huawei Watch is coincidentally 42mm in diameter and is a little chunky at 11.3mm. The Apple Watch is a little thinner at 10.5mm and varies on weight depending on the model but the smaller model is 40-55g while the bigger case is 50- to 69g.
Both Apple and Huawei use premium materials including stainless steel and sapphire crystal glass but you'll have to pay serious cash if you want Apple's 18-carat rose and yellow gold models.
Apart from touchscreens you can interact with the Apple Watch using the digital crown which sits on the right side of the device. Huawei just uses a simpler on/off button which is also on the right but at the 2 o'clock position to make it easier to press.
Hardware and specs
On hardware, the Huawei Watch fits in with other Android Wear devices meaning it has the usual array of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.1.
Meanwhile, Apple uses its own S1 chip and has double the amount of storage at 8GB. However, as it stands you can only use 2GB for music and just 75MB for photos. Apple doesn't quote RAM.
Both watches have a heart-rate monitor on the back and sensors such as an accelerometer to track activity. Each uses Bluetooth to connect to a phone, but the Apple Watch also has Wi-Fi onboard.
The screens are very different with either round or square on offer. Specs aside this will probably have a big impact on which you choose. Apple's is quoted as Retina while Huawei's is 400x400 pixels.
In terms of battery life, Apple touts up to 18 hours of varied use which drops to 6.5 for audio playback and just 3 for phone calls. The Huawei Watch will last longer, according to the firm, with one and a half to two days usage.
Software
Software is a big difference between the two smartwatches. For starters the Apple Watch will only work with iPhones and the Huawei Watch will only be compatible with Android since it runs Google's Android Wear (although Google is reportedly working towards adding iOS support).
The functionality of each is very similar but the information is presented in a different way. Android Wear uses a card style system to provide notifications and various bits of data like weather and number of steps. You can also interact with it with voice to send messages or ask questions. You can also control music playback on the connected smartphone and the camera shutter.
Something which they share is the ability to install apps like you would on a smartphone or tablet. There are many for Android Wear and while there may be less for the newer Apple Watch system it will quickly go up after launch.
The Apple Watch can do what Android Wear does, providing notifications to the device over Bluetooth and built-in apps include Messages, Phone, Mail, Calendar, Activity, Workout, Maps, Passbook, Siri, Weather and Photos. You can also use the Apple Watch to make payment and with certain partners check into flights, hotel rooms and the like.
It's early days for the Apple Watch in terms of software so there's no way of coming to a conclusion yet compared to Android Wear. The main thing is whether you want to use a smartwatch with iOS or Android.
Verdict
There's no doubt the Apple Watch and Huawei Watch are both desirable smartwatches. It's early days, but the key differences are the choice between round and square designs and either iOS or Android compatibility.