The Huawei Talkband B2 is here, and as you may have guessed from the number attached to the end of the name this is the second generation wearable from the Chinese firm.
Replacing last year’s Talkband B1 which was, for want of a better phrase, a little bit rubbish the Talkband B2 promises greater functionality, better accuracy and a more pleasing design.
I managed to get my wrist round the B2 ahead of its official unveiling at MWC 2015 in Barcelona, and for a device which I’m told will come in at almost double the price of its predecessor, at just under £200 (less than $300, AU$400), it needs to perform.
The early signs however, are good. Huawei has ditched the rather toyish plastic band of the B1 and given the Talkband B2 a metal housing which instantly looks and feels more premium.
The highly angular design won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s a distinct improvement and I didn’t feel silly strapping it to my wrist.
It does feel thicker than a smartwatch, although in reality it’s about the same with the slender design playing tricks on your eyes.
You’ll be able to pick up the Talkband B2 in three different colours; black, silver and gold. The black and silver models come with a rubber strap and an overall dust and water resistant rating of IP57, while the gold B2 sports a more premium leather stitched strap – although a slightly lower rating of IP55.
That means if you plump for the gold Talkband B2 (which will likely be more expensive than the other two) you won’t want to spend as long in water with it.
I found the Talkband B2 sat quite comfortably on the wrist, but I worry about it getting knocked easily, or caught in clothing thanks to its abrupt edges.
There’s a single physical key on the right which acts as a power/lock key. The rest of the functionality is handled by the 0.7-inch PMOLED touchscreen display. There’s not a great deal happening on screen, with the time, date and battery life displayed as default.
A slide of the finger will scroll you through the Talkband B2’s four core functions; calories, steps, sleep and timer. It is, at least, very easy to use.
All are pretty self explanatory and give you only the most basic of data – be it the number of steps taken or the hours you’ve slept.
Huawei has improved the way the Talkband B2 collects said data, including an accelerometer along with a gyro inside the metal housing.
It can automatically detect your activity, so if you go from walking to sprinting to cycling the B2 will be able to adjust your step and calorie count accordingly.
The party piece of the Talkband B2 though comes to light when you get a call. Press the two buttons together at the base of the device and it’ll pop out of the strap revealing a Bluetooth earpiece.
You can then pop the B2 in your ear, chat to whoever has called you, and then return the device to its strap when you’re done.
It’s a novel idea, and while Bluetooth headsets are marmite devices it does give the Talkband B2 a clear advantage in the market. You will look a bit silly walking round with an empty watch strap on your wrist though.
In terms of battery life Huawei told me to expect around five days from the relatively tiny 90mAh battery, which is pretty impressive. That dramatically drops if you start taking calls on the B2, with it claiming a seven hour call time.
Annoyingly the microUSB charging port is hidden under the main core of the B2, meaning you have to remove it from the strap to charge.
You’re not confined to one particular operating system here, with the Talkband B2 supporting devices running Android 4.0 and up and iOS 7 and up. All you’ll need to do is download the Talkband app from Google Play or the App Store to begin the setup.
If the Huawei Talkband B2 has taken your fancy you’re probably in for quite a wait, with this wearable potentially only hitting the market in September.
Early verdict
The Huawei Talkband B2 is an unique device with a rather compelling party trick – but only if you’re one of those people who actually likes using a Bluetooth headset.
If you don’t see yourself using the call answering function the Talkband B2 is pretty much just an expensive pedometer.
Add that to the fact it looks like it will cost a similar amount to Android Wear smartwatches, and it’ll have a tough time winning people over with its limited feature set.
