Huawei has launched the Huawei Watch 2 as it takes another stab at the smartwatch market with a focus on fitness, looking to steal users from the likes of Fitbit and Apple.
The device comes in two variants - the regular Huawei Watch 2 and a "classic" version - and was launched at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on Sunday.
Key features include:
- Ceramic bezel
- A space for a SIM card meaning the device does not have to be tethered to a phone to use cellular functions like phone calls
- Runs Android Wear 2.0
- The "Classic" version is stainless steel
Huawei emphasized the fitness aspects of the device with apps on the smartwatch to help guide your exercise and training sessions. The software can tell you if your heartrate is too high for example.
The 4G version of the Huawei Watch 2 can offer two days usage on a full charge. Without the cellular connectivity, the smartwatch can last 3 days with normal usage.
But the smartwatch market has been a tough one to crack for many vendors. In the third quarter of 2016, shipments of smartwatches declined nearly 52 percent year on year to 2.7 million units, according to IDC. Huawei does not feature in the top five vendors by market share. The Huawei Watch 2 is the company's second smartwatch, following on from the original Huawei Watch it launched at MWC last year.
But analysts aren't convinced by the need for smartwatches just yet.
"Huawei is having another roll of the dice with its latest Android Wear powered smartwatches and although they are an improvement over its first device the broader category still appears to be offering a solution for a problem that does not really exist," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC by email.
"Getting consumers interested remains an ever present challenge."
