Huawei Talkband B2 Review: A Wearable That Does More

Huawei Talkband B2 Review: A Wearable That Does More

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We review the Huawei Talkband B2!

Huawei’s Talkband B1 had an interesting premise – combine a Bluetooth headset with a fitness tracker to give the device more versatility over a regular wearable. While the idea was sound, the execution was flawed, resulting in a device that critics panned for looking too gimicky and cheap. Will the new iteration of the Talkband Wearable impress afficionados looking for something more than a regular wearable?

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The Chinese company has learned from its mistakes and is now back with a wearable that’s more than an improved version of the original. The main unit which houses all the electronics has been tweaked, and now sport a new chassis that’s seemingly made out of metal and a new, slightly curved body with a .7-inch PMOLED touchscreen display. Since the real estate of the display isn’t all that big, the information given to you is pretty limited. You can see the current time, steps taken, calories burned, distance biked, how much sleep you got and so on. The wearable also comes in different colors and strap choices though if you want the premium, gold variant with leather strap, be prepared to pay for more. All of the variants aside from the gold/leather strap combo is IP57 rated, while the more premium gold/leather strap combo is only rated at IP55.

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Aside from the new look, Huawei also included a gyroscope in the Talkband B2 as well as an accelorometer to give a more accurate reading of what you’re doing.

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If you’re going for a run, you’ll need to tell the Talkband B2 beforehand by selecting the running mode (indicated by an animation of a running man). We weren’t sure how the Talkband B2 determines if you’re biking or not, since we never really took to two wheels while we were using the thing and yet it still shows biking activity. Curiously, the amount of time we spent sitting in crawling Manila traffic roughly coincides with the biking time that the Talkband B2 recorded, so it may be that.

Pairing the Talkband B2 is rather easy, as you only need to long press the solitary button on the main unit for a few seconds until the Bluetooth icon shows up. You can then pair the device with your phone and use it without the companion app, though we strongly recommend you downloading Huawei’s Wear app (available on both iOS and Android) to get the most out of the Talkband B2.

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Huawei’s Wear App isn’t the most comprehensive in the market, sporting two main screens showing you your estimated steps and corresponding calorie burn and your sleep patterns. Thankfully the app allows you to link to My Fitness Pal, giving you a more accurate reading of the calories you need to burn according to your diet plan. Even better, the Talkband B2 can be linked to a Jawbone UP and the accompanying app if you wish.

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Aside from just tracking your activity and routing your calls throught the Bluetooth earpiece, the Talkband B2 can also act as a phone finder for you if you managed to misplace your phone. You can set your phone to ring with the wearable (if it’s still in Bluetooth range) as well as trigger your phone to take a photo remotely. On phones that have Lollipop (Android 5.0 and up) the Talkband B2 can also act as a trusted device, so your phone won’t ask for a passkey or lock your device while the Talkband B2 is still in range.

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As far as the actual Bluetooth wearable equation is concerned, the Talkband B2 performs that function it quite well, with excellent call quality both to and from the device. To detach the headset, you just need to push on the two small retaining buttons on the side to free it from the strap and place the headset in your ear. The call will begin automatically once the Talkband B2 detects that it’s in position. Pretty slick.

Huawei projected a battery life of around five days before the Talkband B2 needs to take a trip to the charger, though obviously that number will change depending on how much talking you do when taking calls. We experienced a battery life of around 4 days with a few calls here and there, all of which lasting less than 3 minutes.

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The big question now is price: Huawei has not given us an actual price for the Talkband B2, only confirming it’ll fall under the 8K range. That’s seemingly expensive for a fitness tracker but then again, the Talkband B2 isn’t just a fitness tracker. If you’re serious about getting in shape but want a wearable that does more than just track what you do and tell time, then the Talkband B2 might just be the device for you.

Watch our hands-on video with this bad boy during the MWC in Barcelona below:

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