Subj : Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 review: A deep dive with the first ever s To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Nov 11 2025 16:30:08 Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 review: A deep dive with the first ever smartwatch to feature sonar communication Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:24:21 +0000 Description: The Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is the first smartwatch with sonar communication but that comes at a cost. FULL STORY ======================================================================Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: One-minute review (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) In recent years, Huawei has dedicated itself so aggressively to wearables that in 2025 they shipped more watches than any other brand including Apple. In the past year Ive reviewed a number of the best smartwatches from Huawei, including the GT5 , the D2 and the Fit 3 . I awarded all three an impressive 4.5 stars, which just goes to show what a good track record Huawei has created thus far. The Ultimate 2 represents Huaweis most advanced smartwatch to date and is perhaps the pinnacle of what is currently possible with smartwatch technology. Its packing sonar communications, a world first for a smartwatch, and an X-Tap feature for measuring blood flow through the finger. Huawei has aimed high, and as far as specs on paper go, theyve achieved exactly what they set out to do. Look out, Apple Watch Ultra 3 . This is not a smartwatch for the casual user but rather a dedicated device for professional athletes and serious recreational fitness enthusiasts. The primary focuses are diving and golfing, although Huawei promotes the watch as being ideal for a much broader range of activities. As youd expect, theres also a full set of health tracking capabilities. As well as rugged and premium materials, performance across the board is very strong, indeed. The display is super-bright, even when being used in direct sunlight. The interface is fast, responsive, and finely tuned for an optimum user experience. GPS tracking is quickly found and always accurate. Extreme waterproofing is engineered to perfection. The positives go on. I think if it could have been made slightly smaller and dealt with the pesky Huawei app side-loading issue, Huawei would have had the perfect package. Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Specifications Component Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 Price 899.99 (Blue) / 799.99 (Black) Dimensions 47.8 x 47.8 x 12.9 mm (Blue) / 48.5 x 48.5 x 12.9 mm (Black) Weight 80.5g without strap Caze/bezel Zirconium-based Liquid Metal (Amorphous Alloy) / Nanocrystal Ceramic Display 1.5 inch AMOLED (466 466 pixels) Operating System HarmonyOS GPS GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, and QZSS Battery life 4.5 days typical usage, 11 days in power saver mode Connection eSIM (for phone-free calls), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, and NFC Water resistance 20 ATM Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Price and Availability Blue: 899 / Black: 799 Not available in the US or AUS Its expensive, but very advanced Theres no getting away from it. The Ultimate 2 Blue, at 899, is one of the most expensive smartwatches on the market, only beaten by the likes of the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro , which retails for 1,119. If youd like the Black version, then that retails at 799. The most similar price is the Apple Watch Ultra 3 , which costs 749 and will always be a winner amongst Apple fans. If youre not concerned about sonar communication but want a premium rugged offering, then the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra for 599 is a great shout and works well with Android phones, being compatible with Googles Play Store. Value score: 4.5/5 Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Design (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) One of the largest smartwatches on the market Premium and rugged materials throughout Bright and high-resolution AMOLED display Its difficult to make any mention of the design without first stating that this is one of the largest smartwatches Ive ever worn. With a 47.8mm case diameter and a 12.9mm thickness, its in the realm of the chunky Garmin Epix Pro (although they range up to 51mm) and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. I get that this is a rugged smartwatch packed full of innovative hardware, but this size of watch wont be for everyone. I, for one, didnt like wearing it while exercising. You can see it in the photos, but even on my reasonably sized wrist, the watch looks and feels odd. Slender-wristed folks, youve been warned. That being said, everything else about the design of this watch is incredible. Beginning with a zirconium-based liquid metal case, the Ultimate 2 packs high-performance materials for a premium and rugged build. This metal is strong, hard, and allegedly more corrosion-resistant than stainless steel, which means users will have no problems exposing this watch to saltwater environments, even for long periods of time. The bezel (blue and white on mine) is nanocrystal ceramic (sometimes dual-color) which is smooth, durable, and most importantly, scratch-resistant. If I'm honest, I think it looks a little too much like a plastic finish, which detracts from the overall premium feel. The display is a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED screen made of sapphire glass. You'll be hard-pressed to find a harder or more scratch-resistant material when it comes to smartwatches. I experienced zero scratches or cracks during my few weeks of testing, and I do not expect to have any problems in the future either. The strap I've been testing is a durable fluoroelastomer strap with a blue/white color combo. It suits the overall watch aesthetic and is flexible enough to get a comfortable fit. Its ideal for adventuring and exercising, but if you'd prefer a more polished and professional look, then there's also a metal link strap in the box. Huawei also throws in a longer diving strap when you purchase the blue package. Design score: 4.5/5 Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Features (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Industry-leading waterproof rating New X-TAP for PPG and ECG No third-party apps One of my biggest bugbears with all Huawei watches is the copious number of legal agreements that have to be agreed to. Rather than providing a single agreement that users consent to before using the watch, Huawei has determined that it's better for users to provide specific consent at the point of using each individual feature. This is the only smartwatch company that seems to do this, and I think it significantly interrupts the user experience. The diving and water-related features are by far the biggest selling points of the Ultimate 2, and the 20ATM waterproof rating means it can be subjected to rain, swimming, diving, snorkeling, and high-speed watersports. It also boasts a diving certification of 150m. Despite not being able to test the more extreme parts of these claims, I can confirm that I had no performance issues after submerging it for several minutes. By way of comparison, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 tops out at a waterproof rating of 10ATM, which makes the Ultimate 2 the industry leader at the time of writing. The Ultimate 2 is also the first smartwatch to feature a sonar-based underwater communication feature, which lets two Ultimate 2s exchange messages up to 30 metres apart. You can say goodbye to traditional forms of underwater communication, although the requirement for both users to need the exact same Huawei watch is limiting. It'll be interesting to see whether the diving industry begins to adopt this technology or whether Huawei has gone more niche than they needed to. Aside from these groundbreaking features, the Ultimate 2 includes top-level health tracking. It centers around a Distributed Super-Sensing Module that is paired with Huaweis TruSense system. This combines multiple sensor types (optical, electrical, acoustic, and mechanical) to improve health tracking accuracy. Huawei has integrated a sensor, named X-TAP, on the side of the watch which measures blood flow through the finger, making it capable of taking ECG and PPG readings. Taking health readings from the wrist has always been notoriously inaccurate, so a feature like this that uses more reputable sensor technology is very welcome indeed. Features score: 4.5/5 Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Performance (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Accurate metrics Between three and eight days of use Too bulky We've recently seen a rise in silicon-carbon battery technology that adds silicon to the graphite anode and thereby increases the capacity of the battery. Huawei has brought this new tech to their Ultimate 2 smartwatch, although it's labeled the battery technology 'high-silicon'. As a result, we're looking at an 867mAh battery rather than the 510mAh battery that was found in the first version of this watch. That's quite the upgrade considering the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra sit just below 600mAh batteries. While testing the watch, I achieved between three and eight days of use depending on how intensely I was using it and whether I was using GPS on a regular basis. Having always-on-display activated significantly reduced the battery life, but there are no surprises there. My normal smartwatch habit involves performing daily GPS tracking for around 30 minutes, tracking health metrics regularly, and actioning dozens of notifications each day. Doing this drained the battery in just under five days. The specs state that normal use will result in 3.5 days of use on iOS and 4.5 days on Android. The additional life on Android is on account of having to perform less frequent refreshes to maintain the connection. Either way, having a smartwatch that can last several days between charges is fine by me, especially given the rich feature set. After comparing it to other Huawei smartwatches and my Suunto Race S during activity tracking, I have to say I was very impressed with both the responsiveness and the accuracy while tracking metrics, including heart rate, SpO2, and ECG. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Huawei has upgraded its Sunflower GPS technology. I tested its GPS capabilities in built-up urban areas as well as in dense woods, and it was capable of finding a signal quickly, with and without fuss. There was absolutely no inaccuracy or drift while tracking my runs and bike rides. If you need GPS that you can rely on, then there are very few watches on the market that will match it. As accurate as the Ultimate 2 is in terms of tracking exercise, I actually think the watch is just too bulky to make it comfortable for most types of exercise. You certainly wouldn't want to wear it for long periods of time while running, swimming, or when in the gym. As a result, I'm not quite sure who this watch is designed for. If Huawei could reduce it by a few grams and slim it down a little, I'd be giving it a five-star rating without reservations. If you can cope with the size, you'll be pleased with the user experience. The software, HarmonyOS, is fast and well laid out and integrates surprisingly well with Apple and Android phones. I especially like the addition of text labels to icons, which significantly helped me find features quickly and efficiently. Interaction with calls, texts, and other types of notifications was equally seamless. Performance score: 4.5/5 Scorecard Category Comment Score Value An expensive smartwatch but the technology is very advanced. 4.5/5 Design It's large but there are premium and rugged materials throughout 4.5/5 Features A range of innovative features set it apart, including sonar communications. 4.5/5 Performance Accurate health metrics and solid fitness tracking alongside a reasonable battery life. 4.5/5 Huawei Watch Ultimate 2: Should I buy? (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Buy it if... Youre a serious diver that needs the tech to back you up With a range of diving-specific features, including sonar communication, the Ultimate 2 is hands down the go-to product for divers. You want finger-based health measurements The sensor on the side of the watch is capable of measuring blood flow through the finger, a type of measurement that is regarded as more accurate than through the wrist. Don't buy it if... You have a slender wrist Its big, chunky, and not always that comfortable. This is a watch for larger wrists or medium-sized wrists at a push. Youre not into diving With cheaper and more lightweight alternatives, the Ultimate 2 is not ideal for runners and gym enthusiasts. Also consider (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Component Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 Apple Watch Ultra 2 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Price 899.99 (Blue) / 799.99 (Black) $799 / 799 / AU$1,399 $649 / 599 / AU$1,299 Dimensions 47.8 x 47.8 x 12.9 mm (Blue) / 48.5 x 48.5 x 12.9 mm (Black) 49 x 41 x 14 (mm) 47.4 x 47.4 x 12.1mm Weight 80.5g without strap 61g 60.5g Caze/bezel Zirconium-based Liquid Metal (Amorphous Alloy) / Nanocrystal Ceramic Titanium Titanium Display 1.5 inch AMOLED (466 466 pixels) 49mm poly-silicon always-on OLED Retina Display 480 x 480 full-color AMOLED Operating System HarmonyOS watchOS Wear OS GPS GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, and QZSS Dual-frequency (unspecified) Dual-frequency GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo Battery life 4.5 days typical usage, 11 days in power saver mode 36 hours 590mAh, up to 100 hours Connection eSIM (for phone-free calls), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, and NFC Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi Water resistance 20 ATM Yes, WR100 (diveproof) 10ATM + IP68 Apple Watch Ultra 2 The best all-rounder running smartwatch for iPhone users. Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra As above, but for Samsung and Android phone users. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review How we tested I tested the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 in much the same way as we test all smartwatches here at TechRadar. Over the period of several weeks I wore and interacted with the watch on a daily basis. This included daily activity tracking using the built-in GPS and regular health metrics monitoring, as well as responding to dozens of notifications each day. In addition to this, I also ran tests on numerous other features found in the watch, including listening to music and playing games. One of the biggest selling points is the set of diving features, including tech that allows for diving down to 150 meters. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to verify Huaweis claims that the watch can cope with the pressure at this depth, but I did test its ability to cope with water submersion. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/huawei-watch-ultimate-2- review-a-deep-dive-with-the-first-ever-smartwatch-to-feature-sonar-communicati on --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .