Chinese wearable giant targets Garmin with new active smartwatch backed by legendary Olympian
Huawei has confirmed that it is working on a new wearable, marking a renewed push for performance wear and a return to a category we last explored nearly five years ago.
The confirmation comes with Huawei’s newly announced partnership with the dsm-firmenich Running Team, which includes marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.
Return to working-original hardware
This isn’t Huawei’s first attempt at a dedicated smartwatch. The company previously released the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2021, a lightweight, AMOLED-equipped sports watch designed specifically for runners.
It offered solid battery life and a solid set of performance metrics, but ultimately stayed closer to the mainstream smartwatch market than the dedicated GPS watches from brands like Garmin or Polar.
The GT Runner was quietly discontinued after a relatively short time, as Huawei turned its attention back to broader health and lifestyle devices, such as the Huawei Watch 5 and Watch GT 6 Pro.
The newly confirmed project seems to indicate a more deliberate return to the workplace, with Huawei clearly positioning the watch as a tool for serious runners instead of general purpose wearables.
Watch GT Runner has shown strong potential in 2021
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Prior to working with Huawei, Kipchoge had a long-term partnership with Coros, a brand known for its first functional GPS watches.
He has collaborated with the brand for several years, including the release of special edition watches, such as the Coros Pace 3 Eliud Kipchoge Edition, linked to his success.
Although neither Coros nor Kipchoge have publicly commented on the status of that relationship, Huawei’s new partnership strongly suggests that the relationship may have come to a natural end recently.
For now, Huawei’s upcoming running watch remains unannounced beyond its existence and purpose.
There are no confirmed details on price, availability, or how the device will compare directly to established smartwatches.
What is clear is that Huawei has once again pushed for the racers to be taken seriously, and this time, it will bring one of the biggest names in sports to the game.
[via Forbes, HuaweiCentral]
