Huawei isn’t letting the U.S. trade ban affect its global ambitions; the brand is steadily churning out one eye-catching device after another. The tri-folding Mate XT is the coolest phone I used, and while I was initially worried about its durability, that hasn’t proven to be an issue. Similarly, Huawei’s tablets are increasingly gaining momentum, and I thoroughly enjoyed using the MatePad 11.5 S and MatePad Pro 12.2.
But it’s with wearables and audio products where the brand has the most potential. While the inability to use Google’s services — including the Play Store — is a hindrance on phones and tablets, it isn’t anywhere as much of a limitation on a smartwatch. And with the Watch Ultimate 2, Huawei is proving that it can deliver a smartwatch that outmatches the best its rivals have to offer.
The Watch Ultimate 2 isn’t markedly different to its predecessor, with Huawei instead making useful tweaks around battery life and polishing the design. The smartwatch is going on sale alongside the Watch GT 6 and GT 6 Pro, and is coming to several global markets, including the U.K. The Watch Ultimate 2 is debuting at €999 ($1,175) for the blue model (which I’m using), and there’s a black model that costs €899 ($1,057) — similar to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and €200 more than the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025.
Design that’s built to stand out
We need to start with the design, because the Watch Ultimate 2 has a domineering presence; the massive 48.5mm watch case is designed to grab attention, and the smartwatch is available in two models: a black option, and a blue variant. The blue color has a dual-tone effect with white undertones, and it makes the watch stand out even more.
The Watch Ultimate 2 has a woven fluoroelastomer band (in blue and white) as standard, and Huawei also includes a metal band in the box if you need to switch it out. Either band is of a high quality, and feel great to use. Interestingly, there’s a bigger fluoroelastomer band bundled with the box that’s designed to be used while diving, and the oversized design is meant to go over a wetsuit.
The 48.5mm sizing dwarfs every other smartwatch, and even against the Garmin Fenix 8, the Watch Ultimate 2 looks outsized. I prefer wearing bigger watches, and the Watch Ultimate 2 definitely delivers on that front. The watch gets an octagonal design that’s an evolution from last year, with the chassis made out of an zirconium alloy and the bezel featuring ceramic.
The bezel includes the name of the watch quite prominently — there’s no mistaking that from the design anyway. There are three buttons, with one on the left and two to the right. The bottom button on the right serves as a shortcut, allowing you to pull up health data, make calls, or initiate a workout.
The button up top has a built-in crown, and is used for navigating the interface. There’s good feedback while navigating with the crown, and there’s no lag in general. The Watch Ultimate 2 has a 1.5-inch OLED panel that’s the same size as last year, and it gets LTPO 2 tech. It goes up to a maximum of 3,500 nits, which is a bit excessive. I didn’t see any issues using the Watch Ultimate 2 outdoors even under harsh sunlight.
The 466 x 466 resolution is decent enough, and the size of the panel means there are no issues viewing incoming notifications from the phone. There’s a good selection of watch faces, and while the inherent customizability isn’t as high as other Android smartwatches, you get a good mix of choices.
This smartwatch is built to last
As with other high-end smartwatches, the Watch Ultimate 2 is designed to be rugged; it works as a diving watch up to 150 meters thanks to 20 ATM water resistance. Interestingly, the techniques Huawei designed to make the watch resilient to the pressure at 150 meters allows it to withstand daily rigors much better, including soapy water and seawater ingress. Also, it has a sonar device that sends out audio pulses; obviously, I wasn’t about to go diving just to test the feature, but Huawei has an above-water testing mode that lets you use it, which is just plain cool.
Golf is a big part of the smartwatch’s differentiation, with Huawei providing useful guidance and course-related details. Huawei added a new antenna in the Watch Ultimate 2 with better signal strength and dual-band GPS, giving it better accuracy while on a trail or running outdoors.
Health monitoring is a core tenet of any smartwatch, and the Watch Ultimate 2 uses Huawei’s new TruSense system that consists of an ECG, PPG, and pressure sensors. It also has a sensor that measures SpO2 levels with greater accuracy than other products in this category.
The software has plenty of parallels to what you get on most Wear OS smartwatches, even though the Watch Ultimate 2 uses Huawei’s custom interface. The UI is fluid and easy to navigate, and there’s plenty of customizability. One issue is that you’ll need to sideload Huawei Health if you’re using a Pixel device like I am; it was a bit of a hassle to get the app installed on my Pixel 10 Pro XL. This isn’t a problem if you’re using a Samsung, Vivo, OPPO, or Xiaomi phone, as those devices have Huawei Health in their app stores.
The only other problem is that I wasn’t able to add my cards to the smartwatch, but that could just be down to me being in India. Otherwise, it has been enjoyable to use the Watch Ultimate 2, and it is better than the Galaxy Watch Ultra in daily use. I got better battery life as well, with the watch easily lasting over two days even with heavy use, extending to three days with medium use. That’s a huge uptick from most smartwatches I have on hand, and only the Fenix 8 lasts longer.
Overall, the Watch Ultimate 2 is a terrific choice if you need a high-end smartwatch that’s loaded with features. It has good activity and health monitoring, but that’s a given in any smartwatch in this category. The massive size makes it easily stand out, and the bright OLED panel along with fluid software and standout battery life gives it a distinct edge.