When Washington barred Huawei from buying advanced chips and cut it off from American suppliers in 2019, the intention was clear. The company was meant to be pushed to the margins of the global technology industry. Instead, it used the restrictions as a springboard. It built its own chips, invested heavily in research, and developed software platforms that reduced reliance on outsiders.
That transformation reached a new stage last week in Paris. At the Velodrome National stadium, which houses the cycle track used in the 2024 Olympic Games, Huawei launched two new smartwatches, the Watch GT 6 series and the Watch Ultimate 2, along with an updated D2 blood-pressure measuring watch, the Nova 14 smartphone range, a MatePad tablet, FreeClip 2 earbuds and a new M-Pencil stylus. The event came just days after the International Data Corporation (IDC) confirmed that Huawei had overtaken Apple to become the world’s number one wearables brand.
The procession of products was led by the GT 6 series, which positions itself as a serious health monitor, with sensors that track heart rhythm, sleep quality and stress. It marks a decisive shift in focus, as Huawei channels engineering resources into health science, an area where sanctions had no impact and where demand continues to grow. Two versions cater for different audiences: the GT 6 Pro as a premium device for those who want a professional health companion, the GT 6 a lighter everyday option for style-conscious users.
The Watch Ultimate 2 underscored Huawei’s push into the premium tier of wearables. Designed for outdoor adventure as much as everyday use, it offers professional-grade durability and a wider set of health and fitness capabilities, such as certification for diving down to 150 metres. Few users will ever need the more extreme functions, but the device demonstrates Huawei’s ability to compete directly with the rugged flagships of its biggest rivals.
Together, these devices highlight why Huawei’s wearables business has soared. Its strategy places equal emphasis on health, performance and endurance. The real headline of the event was that the new GT 6 watches promise battery life of up to 21 days – far beyond the competition. However, IDC’s data showing it leapfrogging Apple in global shipments reflected not a single breakthrough, but steady progress across categories.
The Nova 14 series, unveiled for international markets after its launch in China earlier this year, reflects the same independence. Running HarmonyOS with in-house imaging and AI features, it shows how exclusion from US supply chains has encouraged design choices that stand apart from western competitors. The MatePad, earbuds and stylus extend that integration across ecosystems, giving Huawei a coherent product family that works together.
The backdrop to all of this remains the sanctions campaign that reshaped the company. Losing access to Google Mobile Services ended its ability to compete head-on with Android devices in many regions. Losing Qualcomm chips created a vacuum in its supply chain. Each blow forced it to accelerate internal development.
The result has been HarmonyOS as a replacement for Android, the Kirin processors powering its phones, and the Ascend line of AI chips. Huawei now spends more than R350-billion annually on research and development, more than the total revenue of many global rivals. What was intended to limit innovation instead embedded it at the heart of the business.
The AI chip programme carries the deepest implications. With restrictions preventing China from importing Nvidia’s most advanced processors, Huawei has become the country’s leading developer of alternatives. Its Ascend chips are now used in cloud data centres and research institutions across China, powering large-scale training of artificial intelligence systems. While they still trail Nvidia’s leading models in raw performance, they offer China a path to self-sufficiency in an area regarded as strategic to national security. In effect, sanctions designed to freeze Huawei out of the AI revolution have accelerated its role as a central player in building a domestic AI ecosystem.
That shift also elevates Huawei to being part of the backbone of China’s digital infrastructure. Its reach now extends from smartphones and watches in people’s hands to the data centres driving the country’s AI ambitions. Few global technology companies have been forced to reinvent themselves so comprehensively in so short a time.
The Paris launch carried special resonance for South Africa. The brand proposition “Now is yours” was introduced in a closing video that began with Olympic breaststroke champion Tatjana Smith diving into a pool. By giving a South African athlete the opening moment of a global campaign, Huawei underlined this market’s strategic importance.
* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, and author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge”.