Mwc 23, in a smartwatch with headphones inside there is Huawei’s drive for innovation

Huawei proves that it still knows how to innovate, and that it can do it in any field. After changing the world of smartphones – it was the Shenzhen company that was the first to launch a foldable, the Mate X – here is a very particular product that is making its way among smartwatches: let’s talk about the Watch Buds, available from today also in Italy.

We have seen and tried it at Mobile World Congress in Barcelonawhere the Chinese company does not retreat an inch, indeed this year it has added a good 20% of space to its already immense stand which encompasses products and innovation concerning networks. Appearance isn’t sold, of course, but it’s a not indifferent business card in a fair that attracts thousands of insiders and journalists from all over the world every year. A fair to which many access, we remember, paying hundreds of euros for a pass.

In short, Huawei continues to invest, and although in the past it has accustomed us to many other announcements, in the Catalan city, the new Watch Buds is one of those products that push the boundaries of innovation further: it is a watch that contains a pair of earphones inside, a 2 in 1 that seems to have come out of the imagination of a secret agent.

It is true that just search on Amazon to find other similar watches, but all of obscure brands. Huawei is the first giant to focus on such a solutionand this changes everything: the Chinese company has the technological background, skills and attention to design that can certainly make the difference in terms of product performance and longevity.

The Watch Buds follow the shape and size of the Watch 3, and in just over 12 millimeters of thickness of its case it incredibly encloses two earphones. Very small, it is true, but equipped with good noise cancellation and an interesting technology that allows the user to perform certain actions – answer a call for example, or pause a song – tapping anywhere on the auricle. You got it right: there is no need to center the earpiece with your finger.

The smartwatch is light, if compared to the latest GT 3 Pro – also from Huawei – it doesn’t differ much in terms of size, in short, it has all the features that a modern digital watch should have. The case is not in titanium but in stainless steel, and this makes it less insensitive to shocks, e obviously this smartwatch is not waterproof. Here is the only real one product limitwhich is perhaps best placed in the bag in view of a stay in a seaside resort.

But the wonder of the dial that rises, and which shows the two earphones inside, fixed thanks to their magnets, surpasses everything. There is another point, then, in favor of this smartwatch: the two headphones are interchangeable, recognize by themselves whether they are in the right or left ear and adjust the sound settings accordingly. So you don’t have to pay too much attention to where to insert them or where to store them: there is no specific direction, they must be attached one after the other and then the watch can be closed again.

Initially the Watch Buds may seem like a bizarre object, one of those ‘oddities’ that are usually found in the most extreme pavilions at the Mobile World Congress – or at Ifa, the other important electronics fair held every year in Berlin. on the benches of small Asian startups that try to attract attention by focusing on appearance and little on substance.

But then, holding it in the hand, using it – for a short time, it must be said, we were not able to do a thorough test – one gets the perception that it is a well-made object, in line with the tech tradition to which Huawei has accustomed us in recent years. In short, this is not a prototype, but a device that works, indeed the first step towards products of this kind that will be refined, improved and cared for in the coming years. In short, they will also become objects that are also beautiful to look at, we will find ourselves using them habitually. And all because someone pushed first, as often happens, to innovation, showing that a new path is feasible, that what seems absurd after all is not so much so.

To the question “why should we need a smartphone with headphones inside”In reality, it is answered with a diametrically opposite question: why shouldn’t we need it instead? Why not take into consideration an object which, without cluttering or weighing too much, makes it available to headphones at any timeeven in the one where we need it most and have we forgotten the wireless headphones we usually use at home?

There are, in fact, two deterrents: it is not waterproof, as we have said, and it costs a lot (500 euros). But it must be said, speaking of the price, that it is still a 2 in 1, so we must consider the cost of a smartwatch and a pair of noise canceling earphones. For two devices of this type, purchased individually and of good quality, you can easily spend this amount and in some cases even exceed it.