Huawei unveiled its latest innovations at the “Now is Your Run” global product launch event held in Madrid, Spain, on February 26. After a five-year hiatus, the tech giant marked its return to professional running watches with the launch of the all-new “Huawei Watch GT Runner 2.”
Huawei introduced many other new products: the “Watch Ultimate 2” smartwatch, the “Band 11” series of fitness trackers, the “MatePad Mini” compact tablet, the “Mate 80 Pro” smartphone, and the “FreeBuds Pro 5”. We will discuss them in more detail below.
„Huawei Watch GT Runner 2“
According to the company, the professional running watch has been five years in the making. It features a 3D floating antenna with high-precision geolocation and artificial intelligence algorithms for precise location determination.
They also feature a Marathon mode for intelligent race preparation and performance analysis. GT Runner 2 can provide scientific recommendations to improve your running technique.
The new watch was introduced by Olympic champion runner Eliud Kipchoge, who participated in its design. The watch features motivational dials featuring his image.
„Huawei Band 11“ and „11 Pro“
The new fitness trackers feature a 1.62-inch OLED display with a resolution of 286×482. The 300 mAh battery provides up to 2 hours of operation on average. The 9-axis sensor combines an accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope, as well as a heart rate monitor and ambient light sensor. The “Always-On” function is supported.
The Pro version differs from the standard version in increased brightness and integrated GNSS navigation.
The price of both bracelets will be announced later.
„Huawei MatePad Mini“
Another new product is the compact MatePad Mini tablet with an 8.8-inch screen. The device weighs just 255 grams. It features record-thin bezels of just 2.99 mm, making it compact. The company didn’t provide any hardware details, but the tablet features a 120Hz OLED display with 1,800 nits of brightness. It also supports 66W fast charging.
Two models will be offered: one with a standard glossy display and one with a matte PaperMatte display. The standard 8GB + 256GB version costs €579, while the PaperMatte Edition is more expensive at €649 for the 12GB + 256GB version.
„Mate 80 series“
Huawei has launched its new flagship series, the Mate 80, in China. Four new models were introduced: the Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max, and the special edition Mate 80 RS.
This year, all smartphones in the series, including the entry-level Mate 80, received 3D facial recognition, similar to the iPhone’s Face ID. However, it seems that the leaks were unfounded, and the new models did not have “MagSafe” – magnets were not mentioned during the presentation, although the design hints at their presence.
Technical specifications:
| Mate 80 | Mate 80 Pro | Mate 80 Pro Max | |
| Dimensions | TBA , IP69 | thickness 7.95 mm, weight 217 grams, dust and moisture protection IP69 | TBA , dust and moisture protection IP69 |
| Display | 6.75″, OLED, 2832×1280, 1–120 Hz | 6.75″, OLED, 2832×1280, 1–120 Hz | 6.89″, OLED, up to 8000 nits (1% of screen area) |
| CPU | Hisilicon Kirin 9020 | Hisilicon Kirin 9030 Pro | Hisilicon Kirin 9030 Pro |
| Memory | 12/16 GB RAM + 256/512 GB ROM | 12/16 GB RAM + 256/512/1024 GB ROM | 16 GB RAM + 512/1024 GB ROM |
| Camera | 50 MP, ƒ/1.4–4.0, OIS + 12 MP, ƒ/3.4, 5.5x optical zoom (telephoto) + 40 MP, ƒ/2.2 (wide); 13 MP, ƒ/2.0, AF (selfie camera) | 50 MP, ƒ/1.4–4.0, 1/28″, OIS + 48 MP, ƒ/2.1, 8x optical zoom (telephoto) + 40 MP, ƒ/2.2 (wide); 13 MP, ƒ/2.0, AF (selfie camera) | 50 MP, ƒ/1.4–4.0, 1/28″, OIS + 48 MP, ƒ/2.1, 8x optical zoom (telephoto) + 50 MP, ƒ/2.2 (telephoto) + 40 MP, ƒ/2.2 (wide); 13 MP, ƒ/2.0, AF (selfie camera) |
| Battery | 5750 mAh, fast charging 66 W, wireless 50 W, reverse 5 W | 5750 mAh, fast charging 100 W, wireless 80 W, reverse charging 18 W | 6000 mAh, fast charging 100 W, wireless 80 W, reverse charging 18 W |
| OS | HarmonyOS 6 | HarmonyOS 6 | HarmonyOS 6 |
The company promises that the Mate 80 delivers up to 42% performance gains over last year’s Mate 70.
Huawei also announced an “industry-first” offline emergency communications feature with a range of up to 13 km. The company claims this could help with earthquake searches, for example.
In addition to the Mate 80, a removable camera module was shown.
The Mate 80 and 80 Pro are available in four colors: Obsidian Black, Snow White, Dawn Gold, and Spruce Green, while the Mate 80 Pro Max is available in Midnight Black, Polar Silver, Polar Gold, and Aurora Blue.
The special edition flagship, the Mate 80 RS, will be available in just three colors: black, white, and purple. This model is unique in that it will only be available with 20 GB of RAM and 512 or 1024 GB of storage.
Prices start from €581 to €1,485.
„Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5“
The world’s first buds with dual ANC.
Also introduced at the event are the new buds that define what a true wireless audio experience should be – intelligently controlled and highly effective at suppressing noise.
The dual-process AI-based noise cancellation system not only suppresses noise but also adapts to the environment, managing the entire sound environment.
Credits:
All images courtesy of Huawei.
