Pros
-
Premium, durable materials and solid build quality -
Super bright display -
Fantastic diving and adventure features -
Strong fitness and outdoor tracking
Cons
-
Size and weight will put some off -
Smart ecosystem and app support not as good as rivals -
The diving features are very niche -
Expensive
Key Features
-
Review Price: £899 -
Water resistant up to 200m
With 20ATM water resistance, the Watch Ultimate 2 can go deeper than most other regular smartwatches. -
Underwater communications
The Watch Ultimate 2 uses sonar-based comms to keep in contact with divers under the water. -
Extensive health and fitness tracking
With dual-band GPS, unique sensor tech and plenty of trackable activities, the Watch 2 Ultimate can compete with the best adventure watches around.
Introduction
Calling a smartwatch range “Ultimate” is a bold move.
But when Huawei announced the new model in the line-up, the Ultimate 2, the message was clear: this isn’t just another smartwatch. It’s a luxury adventure watch that blurs the line between high-end mechanical dive timepiece and connected wearable.
It’s built for users who want more than everyday fitness tracking. Those who genuinely venture into the depths or need a companion tough enough for the elements. For them, Huawei has delivered something unique. For everyone else, it’s probably worth skipping this one.
This second-generation Ultimate feels like Huawei’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin’s adventure line – even its dive-focused Descent range. The company has doubled down on durability, depth and design detail, taking aim at users who live mostly outdoors (or underwater).
However, the Watch Ultimate 2 pushes Huawei’s hardware to new extremes, yet its software and ecosystem still can’t quite keep pace with Apple or Samsung. But then again, that’s hardly the point here. It’s a watch that dazzles with craftsmanship and capability, but one we’d only recommend to a very specific kind of user.
Price and availability
The Ultimate 2 launches at a premium price. £899 / $1,175 for the blue model and £799 / $1,057 for the black. That puts it firmly in high-end territory.
Its key competitors are the Apple Watch Ultra series, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra and niche adventure and dive models, like the Garmin Descent range.
The Ultimate 2’s differentiators are its serious dive credentials and luxury materials, but if you’re after a broader app ecosystem, slicker software or smaller sizing, those rivals may hold the edge.
The value pitch here is simple. You’re paying for something niche. This isn’t the “best all-round smartwatch”. Instead, it’s a specialised, beautifully built tool for a particular kind of person.
Design and display
- Two colour options
- Fairly chunky watch on the wrist
- 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display
There’s only one version of the Watch Ultimate 2, but it comes in two finishes. The blue and white model we tested has a polished bezel and slightly smaller footprint (47.8 x 47.8 x 12.9 mm). It’s the one an Instagram follower perfectly described as giving “R2-D2 vibes” and now I can’t unsee it. The black version is more understated and marginally larger at 48.5 mm.
For context, I’m a 5’7” woman with a medium athletic build, and I definitely felt the weight at first. At 80.5 g, it’s a substantial watch and looks oversized on smaller wrists. Personally, I like that aesthetic, and I got used to the heft surprisingly quickly. The casing also sits more flush than you’d expect, so it doesn’t catch on things as often as its size might suggest. But anyone with very small wrists may want to consider alternatives.
Build quality is exceptional. The case uses zirconium-based liquid metal, paired with a nanocrystal ceramic bezel and sapphire glass, giving it the finish of a luxury dive watch rather than a fitness gadget. Everything feels solid and premium, right down to the woven fluoroelastomer strap, with a metal band included in the box for swapping out when you want a dressier look.
Then there’s the star of the show. The 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display, capable of hitting 3,500nits of brightness. It’s dazzling, one of the brightest screens I’ve ever seen on a wearable, and remains perfectly readable in both full sunlight and dark environments. It’s the kind of display that instantly elevates the overall look, making the Ultimate 2 feel genuinely high-end.
The layout is simple and functional, with a rotating crown and top button for navigation through lists and apps. Combined with the vivid display, the overall impression is one of refined utility. This is a watch designed to look impressive and survive almost anything.
Diving features
- 20ATM water resistance rating
- Unique sonar-based underwater communication
- Dive-focused functionality
Although the Watch Ultimate 2 is packed with features, you could argue it’s a diver’s watch first and a smartwatch second. Huawei has gone far beyond the swim-proofing most wearables offer, creating something that genuinely pushes into dive computer territory.
It’s rated to 150m of water resistance (20 ATM) and certified to ISO 22810 and EN 13319, the same standards used for professional dive instruments. It supports freedive, recreational and technical dive modes, and even runs the Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm with gradient factors for decompression.
However, the standout feature is underwater communication. Using sonar-style sound waves, two Watch Ultimate 2 devices can exchange preset messages at depths of up to 30m, with an SOS relay that can extend to around 60m. It’s an impressive concept. It’s effectively a comms system for divers who can’t talk underwater.
We couldn’t test these diving features ourselves, so we can’t comment on their real-world accuracy. On paper, though, this is one of the most ambitious dive systems ever attempted on a more mainstream-leaning smartwatch. For most users, these tools will remain intriguing but unused. For dedicated divers, they could be genuinely game-changing.
Sports tracking and accuracy
- Dual-band GNSS with offline map support
- Accurate, consistent GPS performance
- Broad range of trackable activities
When it comes to outdoor tracking and performance, the Watch Ultimate 2 holds its own against the biggest names in the category. It brings dual-band GNSS, offline maps, breadcrumb navigation, and route import here. These are all features you’d expect on a serious adventure watch. The good news is that it delivers them with impressive accuracy.
In my own testing, GPS performance was consistently solid across runs and hikes. The watch locked on quickly and maintained stable routes in both open terrain and light tree cover. Comparing data to my Apple Watch and Ultrahuman Ring, heart rate and distance readings were almost identical, with only minor discrepancies that you’d expect from optical sensors.
Mapping on the 1.5-inch display looks sharp and detailed, and it’s even better inside the Huawei Health app, which includes a dynamic route-tracking view that shows elevation and terrain changes more clearly. It makes planning or reviewing a route far less tedious.
Huawei’s new Sunflower positioning system (which is an upgrade over the previous Ultimate watch) supports five satellite systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, and the improved algorithm noticeably reduces any GPS drift in areas where you might expect a weaker signal.
The sports library here is one of the broadest I’ve seen on a smartwatch. Alongside the usual running, cycling and swimming modes, Huawei has added profiles for golf and expedition tracking. The golf mode lets you download detailed course maps and view hazards, fairways, and greens right on the wrist.
Whereas the expedition mode lets you mark waypoints and retrace your path on multi-day hikes or climbs. It’s essentially a breadcrumb tracker built for outdoor lovers who want extra reassurance when they’re off-grid.
Health and smart features
- Comprehensive health tracking
- TruSense + X Tap
- HarmonyOS has limited app availability
Huawei’s health and fitness suite continues to impress. It’s comprehensive, reliable and increasingly well-presented. You get all the essentials here, including ECG, SpO₂, HRV, stress tracking, sleep monitoring, and even an “emotional well-being” score that tracks subtle physiological changes over time.
The most interesting new addition here is the TruSense + X-Tap sensor setup, which is one of the most intuitive ways I’ve seen to capture key health readings.
A quick fingertip press triggers a full “Health Glance” scan in seconds, generating results for ECG, HRV, arterial stiffness and oxygen saturation. It’s simple, fast, and feels surprisingly refined. It also offers up clear, on-screen explainers that make sure you’re doing it correctly. The data then syncs to the Huawei Health app, where you can view deeper insights and track patterns over time.
The watch runs on HarmonyOS, which does feel a little behind Apple’s watchOS and Google’s Wear OS when it comes to app availability and overall user experience. The app selection is limited, and you’ll have to check features like NFC payments and regional eSIM compatibility, because they vary depending on where you live.
That said, Huawei is now a worthy contender against the top names. The health tools here are best-in-class and the execution of the sensor tech is excellent. It’s more the “smart” side that still feels like a step behind.
Battery life
- 4.5 days of battery life in typical use
- Up to 11 days with more cautious use
With this much going on under the hood, no one’s expecting multi-week endurance from the Ultimate 2, and that’s fine. Huawei quotes around 4.5 days of typical use and up to 11 days in light mode, which lines up fairly well with my experience. I averaged just over three and a half days with moderate daily use.
That’s not exceptional, but it’s respectable given how much tech this watch is powering. Think about it; there’s the high-brightness AMOLED screen, dual-band GPS during workouts and deep-level health tracking.
In the adventure and diving space, it doesn’t compete with the battery life of some Garmin models, but it holds its own against Apple and Samsung’s premium models. For most people, a charge every three to four days feels like a fair trade-off for what you’re getting here.
Should you buy it?
You want a smartwatch with pro-level diving features
If you’re a keen diver looking to combine pro diving tech and a wearable into one, the Ultimate 2 is one of few wearables that can do the job.
You want a fully-fledged smartwatch experience
As competent as HarmonyOS is in terms of fitness tracking, it still misses on many of the smart features, including third-party app support, offered by a lot of the high-end competition.
Final Thoughts
The Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is a bold, beautifully-engineered smartwatch that doesn’t apologise for its ambition. For adventurers, divers, or luxury watch enthusiasts who will genuinely use its 150m water-resistance, its serious outdoor tracking and maybe even its underwater sonar messaging, it’s well worth it. It feels tough, premium and purpose-built.
However, for everyone else, it’s probably overkill. Its size, weight and limited app ecosystem make it less suited to casual wearers or those who prioritise smart convenience over specialist capability. Especially considering the price.
However, it’s an exciting step for Huawei. The Ultimate 2 proves the company can build a watch that competes in design and durability with the very best. It’s not the “ultimate” smartwatch for everyone. But for the right user, it might just be the ultimate adventure companion.
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How We Test
We thoroughly test every smartwatch we review. We use industry standard testing to compare features properly and we use the watch as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
- Worn as our main tracker during the testing period
- Heart rate data compared against dedicated heart rate devices
FAQs
Full Specs
| Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £899.99 |
| USA RRP | $1057 |
| Manufacturer | Huawei |
| Screen Size | 1.5 inches |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Waterproof | 20ATM |
| Battery | 867 mAh |
| Size (Dimensions) | 47.8 x 12.9 x 47.8 MM |
| Weight | 80.5 G |
| Operating System | HarmonyOS |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 04/12/2025 |
| Colours | Black, Blue |
| GPS | Yes |
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