Huawei is currently developing two new smartwatches that will run the company’s operating system. The wearables, which Huawei will launch as part of the Huawei Watch GT series, will feature Lite OS, instead of Google’s Wear OS found in other wearables from the Chinese tech giant like the Huawei Watch and Watch 2.
According to recent reports, Huawei will brand the two upcoming wearables as the Huawei Watch GT Active and Watch GT Elegant. While there is little information available about the specifications of the two devices, the latest leaks mention that the two wearables may sport a 1.39-inch OLED display, and it will reportedly use a lithium-polymer battery, rather than lithium-ion batteries found in Huawei’s previous smartwatches. Furthermore, images included with the recent leaks show that Huawei redesigned the buttons of the wearables and that there will be two color options for the devices, namely Dark Green and Orange.
Latest leaks claim that Huawei will price the Watch GT Active with a price tag of €249, which translates to $280 at the current exchange rate. Meanwhile, the Watch GT Elegant will cost customers €229 ($257).
Huawei already deployed its in-house operating system for wearables, Lite OS, in some of its recent devices, including the Huawei Watch GT which launched back in the fourth quarter of 2018. The Chinese tech giant chose not to use Google’s Wear OS in some of its latest smartwatches for several reasons, which include the ability of Huawei’s in-house wearable OS to offer better battery life than Google’s software.
The Chinese tech firm claims that the Huawei Watch GT, which runs Lite OS, can last up to a month before it has to be recharged by the user. In contrast, other smartwatches tend to last only up to a day and a half on a single charge.
Another advantage of using Lite OS, according to Huawei, is that it allows the Chinese tech firm to incorporate artificial intelligence algorithms to improve the features offered by its smartwatches. For example, the Huawei Watch GT uses AI algorithms to improve the accuracy of its heart rate sensor.
Google currently does not allow manufacturers to modify portions of Wear OS, which limits the extent of proprietary features that partners may include for its devices. Last, but not least, Lite OS also enables Huawei to use its chipsets for its wearables. By developing its processors, Huawei could design both its hardware and software for optimal performance and battery life of its smartwatches. However, a recent report noted that the Watch GT, which features Lite OS, does not run as smoothly as expected.
When Huawei launched the Watch GT late last year, the company claims that it does not intend to entirely replace Wear OS in its devices, although the Chinese tech giant did not provide any concrete statement on whether it is developing a new smartwatch that runs Google’s software for wearables. However, latest leaks show that Huawei seems to be focusing on developing Lite OS-powered smartwatches in the time being, and the company’s in-house operating system could eventually replace Google’s OS in the long run.