Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 review: a premium smartwatch that almost perfects the formula
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After years with the original Watch Ultimate, Huawei’s new version delivers familiar strengths, subtle upgrades and a few surprises
I've been living with the Huawei Watch Ultimate for several years now, as my main smartwatch. And it's genuinely one of my favourite things.
It has week-long battery life, a gorgeous display, superb accuracy, and it's one of the most attractive smartwatches out there thanks to the premium materials it's made from.
So of course I was happy to take Huawei up on their offer to test the new version, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2.
On first impressions, I have to confess, I was a little underwhelmed. The first-generation watch had a beautifully clean and elegant aesthetic, but the new version looks less of a premium product somehow.
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The more expensive £899 variant, the blue version, has a silicon strap and two colour shades on the bezel. It's still got some wow factor, largely because of its size, but I'm not sure it has the same wide appeal somehow.
The black version, which is £100 cheaper at £799, is certainly more understated, but the red accents on the bezel do it no favours, and the silicon strap feels out of place. A metal strap would have suited it better.
That said, the moment you put it on your wrist, you can feel the quality. I test a lot of watches, and I've spent time with everything from Apple watches to top-end Garmins, and this has a premium feel that you'd normally expect from an expensive jewellery watch. It is exquisitely made, and you'd hope so at this price point.
It's rugged, too. It has a zirconium-based case and sapphire glass. My older version has never shown any marks or scratches despite daily wear, and I expect this one to stand up well too.
The display is also a major highlight. It's a gorgeous AMOLED display, which is bright, crisp, and easily visible in both harsh daylight and dusky evenings.
And then there's the health and fitness tracking. Huawei’s sensors have historically punched above their weight, and this model continues that trend.
The heart rate monitoring feels responsive, the GPS locks on quickly, and the range of workout modes is generous - it’s not just the usual running/biking bits, it feels genuinely geared toward people who like variety in their training.
Sleep tracking is solid too; it doesn’t just dump a boring graph on you, it actually gives context and insights that make you think about how you live, not just how you move. To be honest, it's a little harsh sometimes, and you start to feel like you're living with your parents again, but I guess we all need motivation.
Battery life is also predictably strong. A week of enthusiastic use isn't a problem between charges, and it recharges quickly with a magnetic charger.
As for the software, Huawei’s OS has a lot of personality and some features you’ll actually use — and the animations and transitions feel fluid, not laggy.
It’s not quite as rich an ecosystem as Apple’s or even certain Wear OS watches, but it's far simpler to grasp than Garmin's convoluted system, and Huawei's app is superb. It's not the most expansive, but it does the key things very well.
We haven't got to its killer feature yet. It has a sonar communication system. This sounds extremely James Bond to me, and I must be honest, I haven't been diving in it because it's the winter, I live in the middle of the country, and I haven't met anyone with another Watch Ultimate to connect with, but it's designed to let two watches exchange short messages and SOS signals up to 30 metres apart.
Is it impressive? Of course it is. Is it a bit niche? Definitely. Either way it's a showcase of just how clever Huawei is getting.
Fundamentally, Huawei has created a slightly better version of what was, honestly, one of the best smart watches out there. Sure, it's expensive, but it's genuinely show-stopping in its looks, it feels like it's worth every penny, and it has one of the best tracking systems in terms of simplicity and dependability.
Yes, it's expensive, but premium Apple Watches aren't cheap, and let's not talk about the high-end Garmin watches.
If you're considering a premium smartwatch with a fuss-free interface and plenty of high-end features, this deserves a place at the top of your list.