Will the Chinese government take away the cellular connectivity of the new Huawei Watch 2 Pro?

The first Android Wear powered smartwatch that uses an eSIM has been introduced by Huawei. The Huawei Watch 2 Pro uses an embedded SIM card which allows the timepiece to connect by itself to a cellular network. With the device, users can make phone calls, send and receive texts, go online and more, all without pairing to a smartphone. The timepiece, which does bare a resemblance to the older "classic" model, carries a 1.2-inch AMOLED screen, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100. 768MB of RAM is inside along with 4GB of native storage. Android Wear 2.0 is pre-installed.

Because the Chinese government doesn't allow Google Play Services to be used in the country, the Android Wear services and features on the watch are not the complete package. Huawei has replaced some of the disallowed services with its own tools. Another thing to consider is that users of the Apple Watch Series 3 in the country were recently cut off from their cellular connection. And just like the Apple Watch Series 3 users in China before they lost their cellular support, owners of the Huawei Watch 2 Pro must use China Unicom's cellular network for connectivity.

The Chinese government demands that those using a device that needs a SIM card to register their real name with the wireless operator they use. With the eSIM inside the Apple Watch, the user can quickly change carriers without the government finding out. This is reportedly why the powers that be in China disconnected the Apple Watch Series 3 from cellular networks. And with the eSIM feature on Huawei's new watch, this is something that could also happen to Huawei Watch 2 Pro owners. Considering that Huawei's watch is made by a domestic company, the government in China just might turn a blind eye to this particular smartwatch.

The Huawei Watch 2 Pro is priced at 2,588 RMB, which is equivalent to approximately $390 USD at current exchange rates. It supports Huawei Pay, the manufacturer's mobile payment service. 


source: Huawei via SlashGear