Every year at the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) in Shenzhen, China, the company reveals its latest innovations, shiny new products, and upcoming strategy. If you love Huawei products (and may even be reading this from your own beloved P30 Pro) this is the place to be.
But if you missed this year’s livestream of HDC2020 (September 10-12), not to worry! We’ve put together two handy recap videos and articles of the company’s latest advancements in its line of hardware and software.
We’ll start off here with (what you’re probably most excited about) the new gadgets. Check out this video recap from TNW’s Callum Booth:
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Now check out our write up of Huawei’s six new products:
Audio
Freebuds Pro
Perhaps the coolest new feature of these wireless earbuds is what Huawei calls ‘Intelligent Dynamic noise cancelation.’ But just what does that mean?
With a combination of hardware and software, the Freebuds Pro pick up on ambient noise levels and adjust accordingly between three different noise-canceling modes:
Cozy mode, great for quieter surroundings like libraries or offices to gently drown out soft noises like typing and paper flipping.
General mode, which keeps you jamming whether at a busy cafe or out on the streets.
And, last but not least, Ultra mode with the power to block out unruly children on an airplane (even if they’re yours).
If you want to stay semi in touch with your surroundings, you can switch to awareness mode or voice mode, which uses an algorithm to drown out ambient noises while keeping you alert to human voices.
And the Freebuds Pro have a battery life of up to 30 hours (with the ANC off).
Freelace Pro
The Freelace Pro should excite those of you who are sportier than yours truly (aka everyone).
Like the Freebuds Pro, the Freelace Pro also uses Active Noise Cancellation technology. This means that, while on your run or training in the gym, you can drown out your surroundings, and crank up your focus. If you want to switch to voice mode, simply tap and hold the left earbud.
If, like me, you always forget to charge your gear, not to worry. Just a five minute charge will give you five hours of playtime. When fully charged, the Freelace Pro can last up to 24 hours. If you’re out on the go, you can also charge and pair it with your phone using a USB-C.
Cool design feature: The earbuds are magnetic and snap together when not in use, meaning you’ll never lose them.
Smartwatches
GT2 Pro
For those who want the capabilities of a Fitbit or Apple watch, but don’t like the sporty look, the GT2 Pro has a classically styled rounded watch face, choices between a classic or sport wristband, and over 200 watch face designs to choose from.
While it may look more elegant than your typical sports watch, it still packs in data tracking for over 100 fitness activities. In particular, skiers and snowboarders will love the snow sports-focused mode including heart rate monitoring, average speed, maximum slope, track, and distance. If golf is your game, the GT2 Pro comes with a built-in personal golf coach capable of analyzing your swing and using data to help you level up your performance.
If you’re a runner who likes to blaze your own trails, one cool new feature is Route back. Imagine you’re running through a forest… and all the trees start to look the same. Then you realize your GPS signal is low… Not to worry, this isn’t the start of a scary movie. Simply use the recorded travel route to find your way back home.
The GT2 is compatible with Qi wireless chargers and also supports reverse charging with your phone. It has a two-week battery life but, if you’re hopeless at remembering to charge, just plug it in for five min to get ten hours of battery life.
Watch Fit
For those of you who like the sporty look, Huawei’s Watch Fit is your poison. It has 96 workout modes and an animated personal trainer to take you through exercise routines.
What’s new about this watch is its rounded rectangular watch face which supports a 1.64 inch AMOLED screen. Altogether it weighs just 34 grams and has a total battery life of 10 days
One more new addition is that this model has a 5 ATM waterproof rating, meaning it can last up to 10 min submerged up to 50m underwater.
Laptops
Huawei announced two new laptops, the Matebook X and Matebook 14. Both laptops have some cool new features including a 90% screen to body ratio, giving you a full-screen experience, and a light touch trackpad which provides haptic feedback.
In line with the company’s strategic move towards product integration, they’ve made it even easier to connect your phone with your laptop through its Huawei Share tech. Simply tap your phone on the laptop’s share icon. This creates a virtual version of your phone on the screen, allowing you to drag and drop files and edit them directly on your laptop.
Two new security features include a camera that’s stored under your keypad and pops out only when you want to use it, and fingerprint authentication.
Both laptops boast 16GB of memory and a 56 wh battery, which gives you up to 10 continuous hours of 1080p video playback.
Getting down to the differences between the two, the Matebook X is a lighter weight laptop, perfect for bringing to the office or a cafe. Meanwhile, the Matebook 14 is a more powerful version (great for video editors and gamers) which ensures faster downloads and smooth performance. Plus it features a new Shark Fin 2.0 fan to dissipate the heat generated by your mad gaming skills.
Matebook X
- Weighs 1 kilo
- 13-inch screen
- 3000 x 2000 px resolution
Matebook 14
- Weighs 1.49 kilos
- 14-inch screen
- 2160 x 1440 px resolution
That was our quick overview of Huawei’s promising new hardware gadgets. For more info, check out their website.
But that’s not all! If you want to know more about the company’s new software offerings, stay tuned for our second video/article giving you the lowdown.
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