It’s been a good few years since Huawei’s Mate series saw any action outside of China (not counting its foldables). That changed today with the global launch of the Mate 80 Pro. It’s been even longer since Huawei launched a smartwatch dedicated to runners — enter the new Watch GT Runner 2.
Huawei also had three other wrist-based devices on show at its global launch event in Madrid — the Band 11, Band 11 Pro, and the Watch Ultimate 2 in a new green colourway. The new MatePad Mini and Freebuds Pro 5 round out the Chinese company’s new offerings.
The track is that ‘wei
The Watch GT Runner 2 was the star of the show this time around. That’s not entirely surprising, considering the teaser video the company released earlier this week featuring two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge.
“From pre-race training plans and in-race pacing guidance to post-race achievement sharing, HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 acts as your professional on-wrist coach. Powered by expert data and intelligent algorithms, it delivers a comprehensive, one-stop marathon management experience, supporting users through every breakthrough,” said the company.
Huawei’s stuck a familiar 1.32in 466 x 466 AMOLED display up front, and there’s the customary rotating digital crown and action button on the right side. If you get tired of running, it also supports over 100 other sport tracking modes and 32 hours of battery life for continuous tracking or around a week under “typical” conditions.
While we’re confident the Watch GT Runner 2 will arrive in South Africa in April this year, we don’t yet know exactly when, or how much it will cost when it does. Expect that info later.
More Bands incoming
If you’re not quite as into running as Kipchoge, maybe one of the new Band 11 trackers will suit you better. The Band 11 and Band 11 Pro are less focused on running (although that’s still supported) and geared more towards the casual trainer.
There wasn’t much we didn’t already know about these. And now that they’ve officially launched in Madrid, we’re still waiting on local price and availability. They should be a whole lot less than the Runner 2, however.
If you’re less interested in sports tracking and more concerned with looking grand while playing golf or diving, the green version of the Watch Ultimate 2 might tickle your fancy. We’re less confident that this one will turn up in South Africa, but that shouldn’t stop you from hoping (or importing if you really want one).
The new Mate 80 Pro is (almost) here
After the Runner 2, the Mate 80 Pro launching outside of China was the next big deal of the event. Since the Mate 50 Pro launched in SA in 2022, we’ve only had foldables in the Mate series show up locally. The Mate 80 Pro is set to change that when it eventually arrives. But no telling when that will be just yet.
Huawei have focused on the display and camera hardware with this one. It sports a 6.75in 1,280 x 2,832px 120Hz LTPO OLED display and a Kirin 9030 Pro SoC inside — don’t expect this to support 5G, if the company’s previous global devices are anything to go by.
Its other notable specs are found on the back in the trio of camera sensors. The 50MP main camera features a variable aperture of f/1.4-f/4.0 and OIS, while 48MP periscope telephoto and 40MP ultra-wide sensors round things out.
MatePad Mini and Freebuds Pro 5
The MatePad Mini and Freebuds Pro 5 also saw some time in the spotlight at this event, although not to the same extent as the others. The former features an 8.8in 1,600 x 2,560px OLED screen, along with Huawei’s PaperMatte display technology to reduce eye strain. It also comes with Huawei’s M-Pencil and folio-style cover.
The Freebuds Pro 5 are the company’s latest flagship wireless in-ear headphones. They sport a premium design, a “dual-drive acoustic system”, and up to 38 hours of battery life includingthe case. They also use the latest version of the L2HC codec that supports a 24-bit/48kHz wireless signal for Hi-res streaming.
Whether either of these two will show up in South Africa remains to be seen. But if we were to hazard a guess, the MatePad Mini might, but the buds, probably not.
