Huawei via its official Facebook page has announced that its first ever smartwatch with integrated earbuds, aptly known as the Watch Buds, will be arriving in Malaysia on 11 May 2023. As you may recall, the wearable has already been listed in the SIRIM database as early as February this year, indicating its imminent arrival for the local market.
To recap, the smartwatch half of the Huawei Watch Buds measures at 47 x 47.5 x 14.99 mm, and features a circular 1.43-inch AMOLED colour touchscreen with 466 x 466 pixel resolution. Attached to the display is a stainless steel case, and 22 mm leather straps that are available in Black or Khaki colour options though based on its listing on Huawei’s official website, it appears that the latter option is available at this time. Additionally, also onboard are numerous sensors including for heart rate, bone conduction and more, which are used for its built-in health and sports tracking features.
Next up are the integrated earbuds, which are nicely stored within the hidden compartment underneath the wearable’s display. This design differs from similar devices such as the AiPower Wearbuds which stores its audio devices on either side, therefore giving the Huawei Watch Buds a more traditional and less bulky smartwatch form factor. The buds themselves are magnetically attached underneath the display, where it will be charged when not in use. To free them, pressing the button on the right of the wearable will flip open the upper half of its case.
The Watch Buds’ audio half sports a bullet-like design for both sides, featuring full-range planar diaphragm units as well as touch controls that lets you manage playback and so on by tapping either the earbuds, or even on your ears’ front or auricles. It also comes with active noise cancelling (ANC) technology, and three different ear tip sizes which are included in the box. Huawei notes that only the earbuds are rated at IP54, while the watch itself lacks any water resistance.
As for battery, the company says the wearable half of the Watch Buds is only capable of lasting up to three days when used regularly. Meanwhile, its earbuds are said to be able to last up to four hours of playback with ANC off, and up to three hours with the feature activated.
According to the listing on Huawei’s official store on Lazada, the Watch Buds are set to retail for RM 2,199. As a special promotion for the device’s launch, the company is offering early birds with vouchers (RM 100 via the official Huawei online store, and RM 200 via Lazada) to pre-order the earbuds-smartwatch combo for an even cheaper price tag until 11 May 2023.
