Huawei’s latest smartwatch is the kind of gadget that sounds overbuilt in the most fascinating way. The Huawei Watch Kids X1 Pro is a wearable built for children with a detachable design, dual cameras, location tracking, video calling, parental controls, and enough camera tricks to make it feel like a tiny action cam slapped on a wrist.
How this smartwatch wants to be a camera
The standout feature of a smartwatch is surprisingly the camera setup. Huawei has fitted the Watch Kids X1 Pro with a 5-megapixel front camera and a 13-megapixel rear camera. The watch can rotate 360 degrees and stand upright, letting kids adjust the angle for selfies, group photos, and video calls. It can even be detached from the watch strap and slot into an included camera case to become a palm-sized camera.
Huawei also claims the front camera is an industry-first 110-degree ultra-wide-angle camera for this category, which should make group shots easier on the watch’s 1.82-inch AMOLED display. There are timer modes, 14 filter sets, and more than 100 stickers, although Huawei notes that the filter feature will arrive through an OTA update.
Storage is another big number. The watch comes with 64GB of internal storage, which Huawei says is enough for more than 5,000 HD photos, depending on available space and file size.
Why it’s perfect for parents
For all the camera weirdness, this is still primarily a kids’ smartwatch. Huawei has included five-mode dual-band satellite positioning, base station tracking, dual-band Wi-Fi positioning, sensor-assisted positioning, and SOS-assisted location features. Parents can also set safe zones and get alerts when children enter or leave certain areas.
The SOS feature lets kids press the side button five times to send an emergency message or make a call, but you do need a SIM card. The watch also supports global 2G, 3G, and 4G connectivity, along with voice calls, photo messages, and Huawei MeeTime. The Watch Kids X1 Pro also includes all-day heart tracking, activity tracking, emotional health hints, app blocking, sleep mode, and automatic rejection of calls or texts for unknown numbers.
Other notable features include an 850mAh battery with magnetic charging, IPX9 + IPX8 and 2ATM rating for water resistance. Huawei has made some impressive smartwatches in the past, with advanced health tracking. But this model seems closer to a tiny GoPro for kids to play around with.