Apple Watch Vs Huawei Watch - The SmartWatch Showdown

There was very little competition for the Apple Watch when it was released early 2015. When it came to hardware quality, interface and performance, the Apple Watch had no equal in terms of competition.

Since then however, Android Wear watches have improved in hardware performance, specifications, design. With the launch of the Huawei Watch on to the market, the "heavyweight champion of the smartwatches" is up for grabs.

The year 2015 was dubbed as the year to "make or break" wearable technology and with the smartwatches playing a major role in this landscape, it is interesting to notice that they both have two things in common; The glamour is prioritised over the technology and both have gone for the minimalist naming system, "Watch".

DESIGN, SHAPE AND SIZE

While the Apple Watch has a curvy feel about it, the Huawei Watch has a traditional design, "swiss inspired". The Apple Watch uses a digital crown dial and touch display to navigate the interface, while the Huawei Watch gets around with smart crown located at 2o'clock and also a touch display.

There is no doubt that the Huawei Watch looks at lot more like a real watch. Great classic, round design with the option to change the straps as you like. It gives a sense of fashion and class.

FASHION CHOICES, MATCHING OPTION

Fashion speaks volumes. The Huawei Watch comes in three casing colours; Gold, Silver and Black. In addition to that are the available straps as mixing options i.e. 8 official variations - leather, metal links, milanese chain and pretty much any strap on the market be it yellow, pink, blue, crocodile or antelope leather, they have it all.

The Apple Watch has only 38 different combinations of body straps and that is thanks to the two available sizes (38mm and 42mm).

With the Huawei Watch, the body choices are just colours rather than a reflection of the material they are made from, in comparison to the Apple Watch where the gold one is made of gold. Apparently the 18K gold is twice harder than the standard gold. The Apple Watch is 50 grams in comparison to the Huawei Watch that is 55 grams.

In this regard, Apple Watch scores "a punch" by giving an extra option for the material used for the body and Huawei Watch score a point for the endless straps options. The weight fluctuates based on the straps attached to both watches.

The Screens:

Apple Watch's display size is smaller but its resolution is still pixel-dense enough to earn that "Retina" marketing label. The Apple Watch is pressure sensitive, a technology the company calls "Force Touch".

This simply means the flexible screen can cause sense differences between light taps and deep presses, which solves complex User Interface commands sans Multitouch. Despite having a better screen resolution, Huawei has a lesser pixel density.

Battery Life:

Both devices require a proprietary charging cradle. The Apple Watch is advertised as 18 hours on one charge but it can be confirmed that it has to be put on charge every evening or else the next day in the morning it will be completely flat.

The Huawei Watch battery has 30% bigger capacity, new technology and it is supposed to last two full days on one charge alone.

Ingress Protection:

The IP number is composed of two numbers, the first referring to the protection against solid objects and the second against liquids. The higher the numbers, the better the protection.

Apple Watches and Android Wear smartwatches are not waterproof but water resistant. Apple Watch's IPX7 rating makes it waterproof up to 1 metre (3 feet) under water for 30 minutes, according to Apple. That makes it fit for the shower or a sweat filled workout where the Huawei Watch has an IP of 67, offering dust protection too.

Connectivity:

Besides battery life, another problem Smartwatches have is that they are "Smartphone dependent" and need to be connected to a Smartphone in order to work.

If you go for a run without your smartphone, you smartwatch stops getting notifications. Apple Watch works over Wi-Fi if your iPhone is not in close proximity but the two must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network in order to work.

Huawei Watch is slightly better in this regard as it can get alerts and notifications over Wi-Fi even when your phone is not within range. Unlike the Apple Watch, the Huawei Watch can connect to any Wi-Fi network, meaning your smartphone can be at home and your watch at work will still receive alerts.

Therefore, the higher pixel density per inch scores for the Apple Watch but the bigger battery, better IP protection and all compatible Wi-Fi connectivity for the Huawei Watch decides the Huawei has excelled.

Software comparison - Operating System and Apps:

For software quality, performance and apps, the Huawei Watch matches the Apple Watch. It is fast and responsive, the navigation is easy, simple and intuitive. There is a large selection of third party apps for both devices all running extremely well.

It is worth noting that the Apple Watches OS is at its first version whereas the Android Wear (Huawei Watch) has reached a mature version of 5.1.1. Googles latest version of Android Wear makes it easier to get to apps, improves notification handling, wrist gesture controls, hand-drawn emojis, always-on apps, custom watch faces and pattern lock screen.

These are features do not exist on the Apple Watch; still tougher to get your head around and a little chaotic and unintuitive. It is very much a first generation product. Therefore, the Apple Watch OS has a lot to catch up.

The two operating systems on these smartwatches are completely different, making what you choose a matter of taste.

Watch Controls:

 You can talk, swipe and tap to interact with your Huawei Watch. Voice commands are essential and perform well. If you say the words "Okay, Google", your Huawei Watch will be ready for your question: How far is the closest cinema or how many albums "One Direction" released.

Just like Huawei, the Apple Watch has its own gestures and has "Siri" support built-in for voice control. You can swipe to navigate and tap to launch apps, while raising your wrist will let you view notifications.

"The Glances" feature lets you swipe from the bottom of the screen to see a stream of widgets pulled in from your Watch apps and Siri enables you to quickly reply to texts. Force touch allows you to customise watch faces, while there is also a physical button for contacts.

Where the Apple Watch and Huawei Watch differ is the crown. This is the physical dial/button on the right side of the watch. Apple calls the crown a "Digital Crown" as it lets you zoom, scroll, head to the home screen or fire up Siri and handy because it allows you to see the entire screen while you use it. Huawei's crown pales in comparison to Apple's.

There is also a "Taptic Engine" that provides a subtle vibration for notifications, which is also used when making purchases through Apple Pay. 

Smartphone Compatibility:

There is one more plus for the Huawei Watch and that is smartphone compatibility. The Apple Watch works only with the iPhone: iPhone 5S upwards to be more precise. The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C are are not compatible.

On the other hand, the Huawei Watch works with all Android smartphones running Android 4.4 or higher and it is also iPhone compatible too.

In conclusion, leaving aside the hardware specs, the Huawei Watch vs Apple Watch is a comparison between and an Apple device and an Android device which it always boils down to :

Design - The Huawei Watch wins because it is closer to a real watch and has endless customising options.

Ecosystem(Software, apps) - This is a draw because it is a matter of preference

Compatibility - The Huawei Watch wins because it is compatible with all Android devices and iPhone mobiles too.

Pricing - The Huawei watch wins on pricing because it is cheaper than the Apple Watch.

Choice is what the world of Technology and Smart Watches are giving us. What you go for is all a matter of choice and preference. The practicality and functionality also has to be considered. We all have individual choices that fulfil our desires and practical needs in this regard that fit in with our everydayliving.