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Huawei now offers an extensive range of smartwatches, from the more accessible Fit models to the more sophisticated Huawei Watch models. However, the pinnacle of the Chinese brand’s expertise lies in its Huawei Watch Ultimate series.
Following an initial model launched in 2023, the brand has repeated the ultra-premium watch experience with its new Huawei Watch Ultimate 2, launched at the end of 2025. Here is its complete review.
Huawei Watch Ultimate 2Technical Specifications
| Model | Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 48.5 mm x 48.5 mm x 12.9 mm |
| Technology | Li-Ion |
| Wifi Standard | Wi-Fi 6 (ax) |
| Screen Resolution | 466 x 466 pixels |
| Panel | AMOLED |
| Weight | 80.5 g |
| Accelerometer and Electronic Compass | Yes |
| Sleep Analysis | Yes |
| Ambient Light Sensor | Yes |
| Protection Rating | IP68, IP69, 20 ATM |
| Product Sheet |
This watch for the review was provided by the manufacturer.
Huawei Watch Ultimate 2A Bulky yet Exquisitely Finished Watch
While talking about Huawei becoming a heavyweight in the smartwatch market, it isn’t meant to be taken literally. Yet, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is indeed a substantial piece.
Not only does the timepiece display significant dimensions of 47.8 x 47.8 x 12.9 mm (48.5 x 48.5 x 12.9 mm for the black version), but it also weighs over 80 g on the scale, not even counting the strap. This is in line with the first Huawei Watch Ultimate, which weighed 76 g, but it’s well above the premium watches from competitors like Garmin, Apple, or Samsung:
| Weight | |
| Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 | 80.5 grams |
| Garmin Fenix 8 Pro 47 mm | 56 grams |
| Apple Watch Ultra 3 | 61.8 grams |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra | 60.5 grams |
The substantial weight is easily explained by the materials used, and it’s clear that Huawei has not skimped on durability.
This watch features a casing made from liquid zirconium, a particularly dense metal, just like the first Huawei Watch Ultimate. Additionally, Huawei has added a bezel in black ceramic (for the black version) or white and blue ceramic (for the two-tone version). To protect the screen, sapphire glass is used to minimize the risk of scratches.
When worn, the 80 g weight is noticeable on the wrist. It’s not that it feels heavy, but during movements, the watch tends to shift. To secure it properly on the wrist—especially for accurate heart rate analysis—it’s better to tighten the strap an extra notch.
Beyond the materials, the finishes of the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 are flawless. It retains the octagonal lines of the brand’s previous models and boasts a display that seamlessly extends from the bezel. While this might be riskier in the event of impacts, it does enhance the aesthetic appeal.
It’s also worth noting the presence of no fewer than three buttons around the casing, including a rotating crown positioned at two o’clock, a first shortcut button at four o’clock, and a second shortcut button at ten o’clock.
While we are dealing with a rather bulky casing with its wide ceramic bezel, the 1.5-inch screen of the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 still occupies a significant portion of the casing surface, about 63.5%. This is a good ratio for a smartwatch.
Regarding the strap, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is supplied, for its black version, with a model in black fluoroelastomer and, for the two-tone version, with a model in white and blue fluoroelastomer and a titanium strap. However, it is relatively easy to replace the provided strap with another standard strap since the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 uses a horn system suitable for straps with a quick-release pump 22 mm wide.
Finally, in terms of resistance and watertightness, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 scores highly. It is certified 20 ATM, IP68, IP69 and can be worn for scuba diving up to 150 m deep as it meets ISO 22810 and EN 13319 standards.
Huawei Watch Ultimate 2A Large and Exceptionally Bright Display
As we’ve seen, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 features a large 1.5-inch screen. It uses an AMOLED panel with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 310 pixels per inch. This is slightly less than the so-called “Retina Display” resolution of the Apple Watches, but it’s sufficient for daily use, allowing comfortable viewing of the watch display without discerning each individual pixel. Here, we have a display that remains smooth enough to be visually pleasing.
But beyond the resolution of the panel, it’s the brightness that sets the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 apart from competing watches.
While the industry standard for “Ultra” watches now seems to be at 3000 cd/m² (Google Pixel Watch 4, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra), the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 boasts a peak brightness of 3500 cd/m². On this feature, it is only surpassed by the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro microLED, which, as its name suggests, uses a different panel technology to reach 4500 cd/m².
Practically, this peak brightness will be especially useful in cases of strong external lighting, for instance, if you want to check your data during a run when the sun is at its zenith in the middle of summer. Unfortunately, the lighting conditions at the beginning of January did not allow full advantage of this feature. However, in absolute terms, the screen of the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 seemed indeed very readable to me, and in practice, I never had to struggle with too visible reflections on the watch’s screen.
It’s also worth noting that the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 includes an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the screen lighting to the surrounding brightness. This allows for increasing the brightness of the panel for a daytime run and reducing it if you go to the bathroom at night.
The watch from Huawei also features an always-on display mode, here called “standby dial,” which has become more than standard on this type of watch. This mode can be set—thanks to the sleep mode—to activate only at certain times, just like the “lift to wake” function. A good way to ensure that the always-on mode only lights up during the day and that the screen remains off at night.
Finally, regarding the watch faces, there are twelve models preloaded on the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2, several of which are particularly suited to the black or two-tone design of the timepiece. Most of them are also customizable both in terms of colors and complications. Especially, many more can be downloaded from the Huawei Health app on a smartphone.
Huawei Watch Ultimate 2A Simple and Customizable Interface
Like all the manufacturer’s watches, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is compatible with both Android smartphones and iPhones.
To pair it with your phone, you just need to download the Huawei Health app—note, this installs with the QR Code provided on the box and not on the Google Play Store or on Android smartphones.
HUAWEI Health
We’ve seen that navigation within the watch interface is facilitated by three buttons located all around the casing. There’s also a touchscreen. Here are the default controls:
- Swipe down: quick settings;
- Swipe up: notifications;
- Swipe right: weather, calendar, and music;
- Swipe left: customizable cards/widgets;
- Single press on the crown: list of applications / return to dial;
- Double press on the crown: multitasking;
- Long press on the crown: power off;
- Single press on the lower right button: customizable shortcuts (default: exercise, phone, and health overview);
- Double press on the lower right button: Huawei Wallet.
- Single press on the upper left button: customizable shortcut (default: golf);
Here we have comprehensive controls that have little to envy the navigation offered on a Wear OS smartwatch. In addition, the three shortcuts provided by Huawei are customizable, and a single press on the lower right button allows quick access to three applications of choice—or even to certain exercises. In short, you can set up the watch as you like. It should be noted, however, as a downside, the impossibility of creating a shortcut for a voice assistant and it’s logical: the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 does not integrate any.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 also offers gesture controls, such as sliding the thumb over the index finger to change the menu and double pinching to validate an option. These gestures are quite similar to those offered by Apple on its Apple Watches for several years now.
Moreover, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is configured by default with a specific theme for the icons—rocky red or white and blue. However, you can also switch to a “classic” theme for more readability, with colorful icons in the application list, for example.
Like all Huawei watches, the Watch Ultimate 2 only allows installing a handful of third-party applications. You can indeed find some apps developed by other developers in the Huawei Health app, but overall, you’ll have to make do with those pre-installed on the watch. Thus, official apps like Spotify, Citymapper, Bring, WhatsApp, or Strava, which can be found natively on the Apple Watch or models under Wear OS, are out of the question.
It’s also worth noting that the watch will allow you to make phone calls thanks to the built-in microphone and speaker, including without a nearby smartphone, thanks to eSIM compatibility—we’ll talk about that later. The watch’s NFC chip is also supposed to enable contactless payment, but when I tried to scan the QR Code displayed on the watch’s screen to activate the function, an error message told us that the feature was not offered.
Finally, let’s mention that the timepiece integrates two main power modes, as was already the case on the Huawei Watch 5. The classic mode will allow you to enjoy all the functions while the power saving mode will limit the possibilities, essentially turning the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 into a Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro. Thus, you will no longer have access to the X-Tap sensor, gesture detection, or 4G connectivity, but you will still keep all the essential functions of a smartwatch—including the always-on display.
Huawei Watch Ultimate 2Advanced Features for Sports and Health
As the flagship of Huawei’s watch range, the Watch Ultimate 2 naturally incorporates all the brand’s health sensors and functions.
Thus, you’ll find not one, but two optical heart rate sensors, a dual-frequency GPS chip, an SpO2 sensor, an electrocardiogram, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a compass, a barometric altimeter, a depth gauge, and a body temperature sensor.
GPS Accuracy of the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2
For the GPS tracking of its watch, Huawei has integrated a dual-frequency GNSS chip compatible with the five main GNSS constellations: American GPS, European Galileo, Chinese Beidou, Russian Glonass, and Japanese QZSS.
To assess the GPS accuracy of the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2, I wore it during several running sessions, both in the city and on a track or in an open park.
I then compared the measurements to those of a high-end sports watch also compatible with multi-GNSS dual-frequency, the Garmin Fenix 8.
| Runs | Garmin Fenix 8 | Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 (city) | 8.199 km | 8.110 km | -1.09% |
| Run 2 (city) | 5.438 km | 5.520 km | +1.51% |
| Run 3 (track) | 11.081 km | 11.110 km | +0.26% |
| Run 4 (city) | 3.988 km | 4.000 km | +
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 Maya Singh is a senior editor covering tablets and hybrid devices. Her work explores how these tools reshape digital productivity and learning. She also contributes to feature editorials on emerging tech.
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