Huawei CEO Is Confused ‘As To What Smartwatches Are For’

During the Mobile World Congress in February, the Huawei Watch 2 was announced alongside the Huawei P10. The wearable is Huawei’s second smartwatch, but apparently the company’s CEO doesn’t really see its value.

Huawei’s current CEO, Eric Xu Zhijun, was recently quoted as saying,”I am always confused as to what smartwatches are for when we have smartphones,” by the South China Morning Post. The executive gave that statement during Huawei’s 2017 Global Analyst Summit in Shenzhen, China.

During the event, an analyst also asked the CEO if wearable tech is killing the smartphone. “I’m not a man who wears watches, and I've never been optimistic about this market. In fact, I've never figured out why we need to wear smartwatches when everything we need is on our phones,” the CEO said, according to Forbes.

Zhijun’s argument perfectly fits into how most consumers feel about smartwatches. Although it does provide the convenience and ease of giving quick information and even independent cellular network connectivity, smartphones are still more useful overall and is considered a necessity in this day and age.

With the Huawei CEO’s statements, it’s become clear that manufacturers are still trying to figure out how smartwatches fit into the tech industry. It’s also apparent that no one really knows when or if it will catch on with the general public, as pointed out by Android Authority.

That said, the company just released the Huawei Watch 2 which runs Google’s much-awaited Android Wear 2.0 operating system. The device is capable of independent 4G network connectivity, supports Android Pay and Google Assistant and is being marketed as the perfect workout companion with its fitness tracking features.

The Huawei Watch 2 is an impressive leap forward for smartwatch technology, but only time will tell if it will break the mold. However, Huawei’s CEO is obviously doubtful that it’s going to make a huge impact.