Huawei Watch Buds Malaysia: Smartwatch/wireless earbuds combo is finally here, but it’s kinda pricey

It’s nearly six months now since Huawei first showed the intriguing Watch Buds, but the device has finally landed in Malaysia. The clue is in the name—this device is both a smartwatch and a pair of wireless earbuds, but it isn’t exactly affordable, all while exhibiting the compromises inherent in a two-in-one device like this.

Huawei Watch Buds Malaysia price and availability

The Huawei Watch Buds will set you back RM2,199; for comparison, that’s RM600 more than the most expensive Watch GT 3 Pro. As with the Watch Ultimate, you can get it now on the Huawei eStore, the brand’s official Shopee and Lazada stores and at all Huawei Experience Stores nationwide.

Huawei Watch Buds specs and features

As we’ve previously reported, the Watch Buds has a clamshell design that opens up to reveal a pair of earbuds magnetically attached to the underside of the display. To fit all the necessary hardware, the device is quite chunky, with a case diameter of 47mm and a thickness of 14.99mm. To give you a sense of perspective, even the hefty Watch Ultimate is only 13mm thick.

The Watch Buds has a regular stainless steel case and a domed glass crystal covering 1.43-inch AMOLED display, which has a pixel density of 326 PPI. Huawei has tried to smarten up the timepiece’s look by employing a Clous de Paris pattern on the protruding multi-function button on the side—which looks like a crown but can’t actually rotate—and the clamshell release button at the bottom. There’s also a 22mm tan leather strap that should be interchangeable with a regular watch strap.

The buds themselves are barrel-shaped and are completely identical; they do not have a specific right or left side. They will automatically recognise which ear you put them on, and you can make the detection more accurate by nodding with both of them on. They also have tap controls for audio playback, calls and active noise cancellation (yes, you read that right), and you can even tap on your ear to perform those same functions.

Inside the buds are planar diaphragm units with four magnets and a planar coil to produce sound, along with dual microphones that work with a bone conduction sensor for noise cancellation. One major compromise over regular earbuds is battery life—these will only last up to four hours, while the watch itself sacrifices the usually stellar battery life of Huawei smartwatches. The Watch Buds will only last three days, compared to the Watch GT 3 Pro’s seven days.

As is typical, the Watch Buds has a built-in heart rate monitor that will also measure oxygen saturation and let you monitor your sleep cycles. You’ll also find over 80 workout modes—including for cycling, skipping and rowing on an elliptical machine—as well as a personalised run plans on the Huawei Health app. However, you won’t want to put the watch anywhere near water, as the openable design means it’s not water-resistant in the slightest, although the buds themselves have an IP54 rating.

Other features include Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, NFC, GPS and wireless charging, and the Watch Buds also support phones running Android 7.0 Nougat, EMUI 12 and iOS 9 or later.