Huawei is currently teasing their new smartwatch which is to be released under the Honor brand named as the Honor S1. The Chinese manufacturer has an event scheduled for October 18 at which we expect the S1 to be unveiled. But could it be running Tizen ? Huawei are already known as stating they will not release anymore Android wear smartwatches for the remainder of this year, so this leaves either Tizen or some other proprietary OS. According to a report in the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper Huawei are currently working with Samsung to deploy the Tizen operating system in its next smartwatches.
The teaser image on the web shows a premium looking circular design with almost no bezel. You can see droplets of water on the watch face, which would suggest it being waterproof as other Huawei watches are known to be.
Huawei would most likely have to setup their own App Store that would run on Android companion smartphones, but this is a good way for them to get a revenue stream that up to now has only been available to Google. The lack of rotating bezel would mean apps currently available for Gear S2 and Gear S3 might still be able to work with the S1 with little modification as you are still able to use the screen as an input method.
It is thought that Tizen is an attractive proposition for Huawei as manufacturers are forbidden to customise the full user interface under Android Wear and face no such restrictions when using Tizen. Huawei will be able to create more unique features on their smartwatches, which is something that consumers want and something that enables devices to look unique.
There is nothing more known about the device at this stage other than it will be cheaper than Huawei watches as this is the Honor brand that we are discussing which is gaining in popularity in China. All will be revealed soon as we have less than a week for the full reveal.
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