Chinese wearable giant targets Garmin with new running smartwatch backed by a legendary Olympian

Huawei has confirmed it is working on a new running wearable, marking a renewed push into performance wearables and a return to a category it last explored nearly five years ago.

The confirmation comes via Huawei’s newly announced partnership with the dsm-firmenich Running Team, which includes marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

The collaboration centres on the development of a next-generation running watch, with Huawei positioning the device as a serious training tool rather than a lifestyle smartwatch with added sport modes.

While Huawei hasn't announced a product name, launch date, or full specifications yet, the company has described the upcoming smartwatch as being built with direct input from elite athletes.

The company has also confirmed that its latest wearable technologies will underpin the new watch, potentially including its Sunflower positioning system for improved GPS tracking, as well as upgraded heart rate and physiological monitoring from its recent health-focused wearables.

Huawei says testing has already involved a wide pool of runners, suggesting development is well underway, even if a commercial launch remains some way off.

A return to running-first hardware

This is not Huawei’s first attempt at a dedicated running watch. The company previously released the Huawei Watch GT Runner in 2021, a lightweight, AMOLED-equipped sports watch designed specifically for runners.

It offered strong battery life and a solid set of running metrics, but it ultimately sat closer to the mainstream smartwatch market than to specialist GPS watches from brands like Garmin or Polar.

The GT Runner was quietly discontinued after a relatively short lifespan, as Huawei shifted its attention back toward broader health and lifestyle devices, such as the Huawei Watch 5 and the Watch GT 6 Pro.

The newly confirmed project appears to signal a more deliberate return to the performance space, with Huawei openly framing the watch as a tool for serious runners rather than a general-purpose wearable.

Before working with Huawei, Kipchoge had a long-standing partnership with Coros, a brand known for its performance-first GPS watches.

He collaborated with the brand for several years, including the release of special-edition watches, such as the Coros Pace 3 Eliud Kipchoge Edition, linked to his achievements.

While neither Coros nor Kipchoge has publicly commented on the status of that relationship, Huawei’s new partnership strongly suggests the partnership might have come to a natural end recently.

For now, Huawei’s upcoming running watch remains officially unannounced beyond its existence and intent.

There are no confirmed details on pricing, availability, or how the device will compare directly with established running watches.

What is clear is that Huawei is once again aiming to be taken seriously by runners, and this time, it’s bringing one of the sport’s biggest names along for the ride.

[via Forbes, HuaweiCentral]