Huawei’s next wearable might be called the ‘Mate Watch’ and may well be the first consumer product we see running the company’s own Harmony OS.
The Chinese tech giant has had a stake in the wearables game for quite some time. Between its fitness trackers and fully-fledged smartwatches, it’s a noteworthy competitor to companies like Huami, Xiaomi and Fossil.
It’s most recent smartwatches – which first launched alongside 2019’s Mate 30 series smartphones – is the Huawei Watch GT 2 line: consisting of the Watch GT 2, Watch GT 2 42mm and, most recently, the Watch GT 2e.
So where does the ‘Mate Watch’ name fit in? The term itself first cropped up back in May 2020 – as spotted by the likes of Slashleaks’ contributor RODENT950 (on Twitter).
Mate Mate X Mate Pad Mate Book Mate Pod Mate Watch Huawei Mate family is growing. pic.twitter.com/8zvd4vRGMp
— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) May 22, 2020
It was discovered as part of a patent application Huawei put forward on 6 May that included familiar product names like ‘Mate Pad’ and ‘Mate Book’, as well as other intriguing entries, like ‘Mate Pod’ – thought to be the follow-up to the company’s existing Freebuds headphones.
When does the Huawei Mate Watch launch?
Fast-forward to 24 June and RODENT950 once again pushed out a Mate Watch-related tweet, suggesting the wearable will be released alongside the Mate 40 series on “Chinese National Day.”
If Huawei’s schedule has kept up then the Mate Watch is the first HongMengOS powered smartwatch, will be released with the Mate 40 series. rumors say it would happen during Chinese National Day.🤷♂️ #HuaweiMate40Series #HuaweiMateWatch
— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) June 23, 2020
This year, the National Day of the People’s Republic of China falls on 1 October, meaning both the Mate 40 series and Mate Watch would make their debut a touch later than last year’s Mate and Watch GT products, which Huawei unveiled on 19 September 2019.
What features will the Huawei Mate Watch offer?
The other most important aspect of the above post has to do with the user experience the Mate Watch is cited as offering.
Huawei’s proprietary operating system – HarmonyOS (or HongMengOS in China) – was officially announced back in August last year, but despite its anticipated use as a replacement to Android on Huawei and Honor devices affected by the US government’s entity list, no such switch has yet been made.
Instead, it would seem that Huawei is planning on swapping out the Lite OS user experience currently found on wearables, like its Watch GT 2 line, with HarmonyOS. If so, this would render the Mate Watch the expected vessel for the platform’s grand arrival.
Beyond the user experience, it’s unclear what the Mate Watch will look like or what features it’ll offer, although in a bid to better establish its own user experience and product ecosystem, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume features like Celia – the digital assistant that debuted on the Huawei P40 series in Western markets – will also be available on the watch at launch.
How much will the Huawei Mate Watch cost?
The entry prices for the current Watch GT 2 line range from around £160 to £200. While Huawei might maintain this relatively competitive pricing, it’s possible that the company might instead increase the cost of its next smartwatch.
Huawei has been filling its ‘Mate’ name out into a fully-fledged product family; with premium touches forming part of the brand’s image, as seen in products like its recent MatePad Pro. The Mate Watch is likely to undergo similar treatment as a result.
Check back often as we uncover more surrounding the Huawei Mate Watch.
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