• During a media session at MWC 24 this week, Huawei unpacked what it’s consumer electronics division will focus on for the year.
• It explained that it wants to “solidify its position” as a premium technology brand, with wearables playing a key role.
• Global shipments for Huawei wearables surpassed 150 million units by the end of last year.

If you are interested in consumer electronics, you’re likely aware that Mobile World Congress 2024 is currently underway in Barcelona this week. While not showcasing any new hardware that is slated for release in South Africa, Huawei is also in attendance at the event, and has outlined what it’s thinking is for 2024, and in particular highlighted the importance of wearables as a category.

More specifically the company plans to make significant investments when it comes to positioning itself as a go-to brand in the wearables and smart devices space.

“Over the past year, Huawei CBG has seen steady growth, making breakthroughs in the global high-end wearable, audio, tablet, PC, and smartphone markets, by releasing an intriguing lineup of products. Huawei has held flagship product launch events across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions, demonstrating the commitment to growing its global presence as a premium brand,” it explained as visitors walked around its expansive booth at MWC, checking out the latest hardware the company has to offer.

“Huawei will continue to cement its position as a global high-end, fashion-forward, and technology-driven brand. In 2024, we will continue to increase R&D investments in smart devices, fitness & health, and digital creation,” highlighted Kevin Ho, COO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, in a release shared with Hypertext.

“These efforts will make innovative products and services more accessible to users worldwide, and create cutting-edge, pioneering, and personalised lifestyles for consumers,” he added.

As such, we should be seeing more devices under the recently created Ultimate Design banner of Huawei. These are products that go a step beyond the usual level of materials, finishes, and features spotted on the company’s hardware, like the Huawei Watch Ultimate Design in the video below, which mixes both gold and titanium finishes.

This focus in strategy is already yielding dividends, as the company set some high standards during the course of last year with its wearables. On that front, the Huawei Watch GT 4, which is on display at MWC 24 too, has proved pivotal.

“Beyond smartphones, Huawei strengthened its leadership in wearables, with global shipments surpassing 150 million units by the end of 2023,” the company pointed out.

“Huawei has held the top spot in the Chinese smartwatch market for five consecutive years, with HUAWEI Health App boasting over 450 million users. And in 2023, Huawei celebrated a decade of tablet innovation with a milestone of over 100 million tablets shipped,” it continued.

While Huawei has remained tight-lipped on precisely what kind of wearables we’ll be seeing over the coming months this year, it is clear that this segment will form a key part of its consumer business group strategy in 2024 and beyond.

“In 2023, Huawei underscored its position as an industry innovator with over 800 smart wearable patent applications. This commitment is further demonstrated by the opening of its third Health Lab last year in Helsinki, Finland and the network of global R&D centres,” the company noted.

“In 2024, Huawei will prioritise addressing three industry challenges: sleep, blood pressure, and mental health management. The goal is to provide even more accurate, convenient, and comprehensive health management solutions for everyone,” it concluded.