Huawei Kirin A1-Powered Devices to Launch in India Next Month: FreeBuds 3, Watch GT2 Expected

The new ultra-low-power chip is said to enable more useful functionality for wearables

By Jamshed Avari | Updated: 14 November 2019 21:45 IST

Huawei Kirin A1-Powered Devices to Launch in India Next Month: FreeBuds 3, Watch GT2 Expected

Huawei wants people to know that it has designed the processor inside these devices

Highlights

Huawei has not specified when exactly these devices will launch in India
Huawei is still dealing with US trade restrictions affecting smartphones
The company is making an ecosystem play with its wearables

Huawei has announced plans to bring devices powered by its Kirin A1 ultra-low-power processor to India next month. The company has officially announced plans to "launch" the Kirin A1 chip here in India, although it will only be available as part of fully built products, of which there are no confirmed launch details yet. Huawei first showed off this processor at the IFA trade show in September this year. It is intended to power small, personal devices including wearables, wireless earphones, smart speakers, smartwatches, smart glasses, and other devices in the future. The company is promoting the Kirin A1 as part of a broader ecosystem play aimed at unifying multiple devices and strengthening its brand.

The Kirin A1 processor is based on the ARM Cortex-M7 core design, which is optimised for low power consumption in the IoT, wearable, and sensor hub spaces. Huawei says it has used this architecture to achieve an industry-leading power consumption figure of 10uA/MHz. The Kirin A1 is also touted to be the world's first chip capable of supporting Bluetooth 5.1 and Bluetooth 5.1 LE simultaneously for low-power applications.

All these factors should help boost battery life for tiny devices such as truly wireless earphones, which the company contends is a pain point for many consumers. For fitness and health-centric products specifically, the company claims that devices based on the Kirin A1 will support multiple advanced sensors including an optical heart rate sensor and six-axis gyroscope. This could allow for heart rate, heart rhythm, or sleep monitoring at very short intervals, improving the usefulness of data collected without impacting battery life.

Huawei has already announced its FreeBuds 3 truly wireless earphones and Watch GT2 smartwatch internationally, which are based on the Kirin A1. These products are expected to be launched in India soon, as the company attempts to strengthen its position as it deals with being cut off from Google's Android software and frameworks as a result of US trade restrictions. The company recently launched its Mate 30 series of smartphones without Google apps.

The Huawei FreeBuds 3 promise adaptive noise reduction, acoustic echo cancelation, and speech recognition for hands-free use. Dual-channel synchronous transmission technology is said to reduce audio latency and mitigate the effects of radio signal interference all while reducing the power needed to transmit audio to the left and right earbuds in a pair of truly wireless earphones. The FreeBuds 3 feature a "dolphin bionic design" and can sense bone vibrations for picking up the wearer's voice better. Huawei boasts of "studio quality sound" and 20 hours of total playback time per full charge.

The Huawei Watch GT2 is said to last for two weeks on a single charge. It is designed to look like a traditional watch with a round face and minimalist overall look. It monitors sleep and stress as well as activity and heart rate. 42mm and 46mm versions have been announced, in Sport, Classic, Elite, and Elegant editions, with a variety of straps.

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