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!