Huawei Talkband B2 now available for $179

We first heard about the Huawei Talkband B2 back at Mobile World Congress where the company’s fitness tracker took a backseat to the Huawei Watch. The roles have reversed now that the Huawei Talkband B2 is available for purchase starting at 9.95.

There is no shortage of fitness trackers available on the market, but the Talkband B2 offers something unique we haven’t quite seen before: the watch face pops out and doubles as a bluetooth headset. Pretty novel.

That’s not the only place the Talkband B2 breaks new ground- it’s also the first 3rd party wearable to integrate with Jawbone’s UP fitness platform. After downloading the Huawei Wear app from the Google Play Store, a simple option in the app’s settings will allow it to share data directly with the UP by Jawbone app, unlocking the full suite of software that has made them so popular.

Some quick stats for the Talkband B2:

• .73-inch PMOLED screen


• Metallic aluminum unibody


• Easy to clasp wristband


• Water and dust resistant (IP55 & IP57 certification)


• Touch-and-swipe UI

As you would expect, the Talkband B2 automatically tracks activities such as walking, running, cycling, hiking, and sleeping. It helps you count calories, record your sleeping habits, and together with Huawei Wear, UP by Jawbone, and/or other apps can help improve your health and well-being with intuitive data and proactive suggestions.

Sounds pretty great, ‘Merica, but don’t expect to lay on the couch while the Talkband does all the work at trimming inches from your waist. What it will do, though, is help you… help you.

Huawei’s Talkband B2 is that it’s not just limited to working with Huawei phones, it will work with any Android Phone running Android 4.0+ or iPhones running iOS 7.0+.

Check out our Hands-On video of the Huawei Talkband B2 and stay tuned for our full review!

Hands-on: Huawei Talkband B2 Fitness Band and Bluetooth Headset

The cat is out of the bag: the Huawei Talkband B2 is now available for purchase. I’ve been playing with the half fitness band / half bluetooth headset for the past 24 hours- not nearly long enough to provide a review – but long enough to start formulating some opinions. We’ll post our full review next week, but until then, here are some early impressions:

• The band itself is more comfortable than that of competing products from the likes of Jawbone and Fitbit. The sizes are incremented with 10 holes , ensuring various wrist sizes equal comfort. I found the fit to be comfortably snug and secure.


• The snap-back-hat style clasp is also effective (where similar products from competitors have been difficult to initially snap in place and troublesome to keep snapped throughout the day).


• Removal of the watch face (aka the bluetooth headset) is absolutely effortless as is fitting it back into position


• The earpiece seems a little big, but not to the point of discomfort. The rubber ear piece is also removable so you can theoretically replace it with a different size from an aftermarket supplier.


• The Talkband charges via MicroUSB- no annoying proprietary connections or irritating docks.


• Downloading the app from the Play Store and syncing it with UP by Jawbone was easy peasy.


• The device looks nice while worn on the wrist but when examined more closely it seems a bit like cheap plastic. However, considering the likelihood of wearing while exercising (and therefore sweating), this may be a strength rather than a weakness. Keep in mind the Talkband B2 is water and dust resistant.

That’s just a quick rundown of my initial first impressions after 24 hours wearing the B2. It’ll take me awhile longer to formulate concrete opinions, but stay tuned for the full review in the near future!