At the Mobile World Congress, one wearable stole the show: Huawei’s first Android Wear smartwatch. The simply titled Huawei Watch was lauded for its fashionable aesthetic, its full circle display and elegant strap. The Watch was originally scheduled to be released in the summer, but now it seems that it’ll be released much later than that. According to sources at Huawei, the Watch will be delayed until September at the earliest – and it could be months later.
That’s an unfortunate circumstance for Huawei, who are said to be facing manufacturing difficulties with the audacious design. Another issue has been creating an Android Wear device that is suitable both for China – which blocks many Google services – and the rest of the world. Normally Huawei would replace any Google services with its own versions, but the Android Wear OS is much more locked down than vanilla Android for smartphones and tablets. It’s not clear if Huawei will persist in creating one version for both markets, or whether they will create regional models.
All three variations of the Huawei Watch are affected by the news, which are now expected by Mobile Fun to arrive in the autumn. For the latest pricing and availability information, please visit the product pages linked below. You can also sign up for email notifications of stock availability.
- Huawei Watch for Android Wear smartphones – Gold
- Huawei Watch for Android Wear smartphones – Silver
- Huawei Watch for Android Wear smartphones – Black
Of course, Huawei is not the only manufacturer working to release a new Android Wear device. Samsung and Motorola are among the competitors working on new watches, and it now seems likely that we’ll see a new version of the Moto 360 (and Samsung’s rumoured round wearable) before we see a retail release of the Huawei Watch.
What do you make of the news? Let us know in the comments below.