Huawei has begun selling the WATCH Buds 2 in the United Arab Emirates, a hybrid wearable that conceals a pair of wireless earbuds inside the body of a smartwatch. The device is on sale now through Huawei’s official channels in the UAE at AED 1,999 (around $545).
The WATCH Buds 2 is the second generation of a niche product line Huawei introduced in 2023, when it became one of the first companies to build true wireless earbuds into a watch. The concept carries over: the watch face lifts to reveal a compartment holding two earbuds, which recharge automatically once stowed.
Huawei has wrapped the new model in what it calls a vintage-inspired design, using an aerospace-grade titanium alloy case the company says keeps the watch light without giving up durability. The front carries a 1.5-inch AMOLED display with an ultra-narrow bezel, a 466 x 466 resolution and peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits.
The earbuds are central to the pitch. Huawei says they are light enough to wear comfortably and use adaptive recognition, so either bud can sit in either ear. Returned to the watch, they charge through a built-in “surround” charging system. Wearers can adjust volume and sound directly from the watch face, and the earbuds support active noise cancellation — rated for up to three hours of music playback with cancellation switched on, or four hours with it off.
As with most modern smartwatches, health tracking features prominently. Huawei lists heart-health monitoring, sleep apnea detection, atrial fibrillation and premature-beat alerts derived from pulse-wave analysis, and a high blood-sugar risk assessment study among the device’s capabilities — functions it frames as wellness and research tools rather than medical diagnostics. The watch also includes what Huawei calls Emotional Wellbeing 2.0, plus everyday extras such as a calendar and alarm clock, and works with both Android and iOS phones.
The pairing of watch and earbuds remains an unusual bet. Most buyers treat the two as separate purchases, and tucking earbuds into a watch case forces trade-offs in battery life and bud size. Huawei’s wager is that the convenience of carrying both on one wrist — handy for commutes, calls and workouts — will appeal to a slice of the premium market willing to pay for it.
The launch underlines Huawei’s continued focus on wearables in the Middle East, a category where the company retains a sizeable following even as US trade restrictions have weighed on other parts of its business, particularly smartphones. The region has been a dependable market for its watches, audio products and fitness trackers.
At AED 1,999, the WATCH Buds 2 sits firmly in premium territory, competing for attention against standalone flagship watches and earbuds that, bought separately, can offer longer battery life and more specialised features. Huawei did not say whether or when the device would reach other markets, pricing the two-in-one design for now as a convenience play aimed at UAE buyers who would rather not choose between a watch and a set of earbuds.
