My experience of using the Huawei Watch GT Sport

huawei watch gt sport-min

The Huawei watches were presented last October and I have had the opportunity to test, for just over two weeks, the Huawei Watch GT in its Sport variant (there is a Classic version with different colors and straps). The watch in question is aimed entirely at sports use, although it has the functions of a smartwach itself. It is currently priced at 199 euros. Is it worth paying such a price for this bracelet? Will it be superior to that of other manufacturers like Apple with the Apple Watch or Samsung with the Samsung Galaxy Watch? We will see it next in our review of the Huawei Watch GT.

Huawei Watch GT Sport

screen1.39 inches AMOLED with resolution 454 x 454 pixels and 326 dpi
Dimensions46.4 x 46.5 x 10.6 mm
Weight46 grams (without strap)
RAM memory and internal storage16 and 128 MB
ProcessorARM Cortex-M4
FinishesStainless steel, brushed and polished

Color: black and silver

Battery420 mAh (includes magnetic charger)
AutonomyAround two and a half weeks
ConnectionsBluetooth 4.2, GPS, accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, light sensor and heart rate reader
SIMNot available
ApplicationsWorkout routines, Logs, Workout status, Heart rate, Activity, Rest, Barometer, Compass, Weather, Messages, Stopwatch, Timer, Alarm and Find phone
Principal functionsAutomatic sleep measurement, measurement of different types of exercise, inactivity alerts, call resection and notifications, flashlight and clock
System and compatibilityRTOS compatible with Android 4.4 or higher and iOS 9.0 or higher
Release dateAvailable
Price199 euros

Elegant design for wide wrists

The design is surely the most prominent aspect of this Huawei Watch GT. The Sport version has a matte black color that together with its rubber strap in the same color, make it one of the most elegant wearables that have passed through my hand , or rather, wrist. To this must be added the stainless steel construction that its casing has, in addition to the already classic watch distribution with two wheels, which act only as a button. In this regard there is nothing to blame for.

huawei watch gt sport 9-min

If its size and perhaps its thickness and weight are objectionable. Although compared to other competing watches, the watch is really light, the truth is that it is not a smartwatch for all audiences. The fault of this is both its weight without strap (46 grams), and its width, close to 50 millimeters. Due to the tightness of my wrist, the experience of wearing the watch during a night walk or during my hours of rest has not been the best .

huawei watch gt sport 3-min

In the latter it is precisely when the weight of the watch and its size is most noticeable, causing us to even have to remove the watch from our wrists before going to sleep. At least that's how it has been in my more than two weeks of use as a main watch. Of course, when exercising the clock is hardly noticeable, although we must take into account the type of exercise that we are going to perform.

The screen as the main protagonist after the design

The second notable aspect of the Huawei Watch GT Sport is its screen. In technical data we find a 1.39-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. How does this translate into practice? One word only: excellence .

huawei watch gt sport 2-min

If in the design section, the size of the watch was something to criticize depending on the size of our wrist, on the screen the diagonal of the panel is appreciated. The almost an inch and a half that the Huawei Watch screen has allows us to see a large amount of information, either related to the exercise or the notifications we receive. The viewing angles and visibility in environments with a lot of light are also more than correct , although with direct sunlight we will have to cover the crown slightly to be able to contain its content (remember that it is AMOLED). In the image that accompanies this paragraph we can see it better.

As for the other aspects of the screen, it is worth highlighting its sensitivity to touch, its minimum brightness and the brightness sensor , thanks to which the brightness level will vary without the need to manually intervene on the system. What can be improved is the gyro sensor that it incorporates. Sometimes, the system has not turned on the screen when I raise my arm to see the time , forcing me to activate it manually through one of the wheels located on the right side.

huawei watch gt sport 6-min

Other aspects to highlight are the quantity and variety of digital masks that we have to change the appearance of the watch (digital, analog watches, with weather information and heart rate, etc.).

Good as a sports bracelet, not as good as a smartwach

We come to the section that matters most to us: its operation as a bracelet, watch and mini smartphone embedded in a frame of no more than 50 millimeters. In short, the experience has been somewhat bittersweet .

huawei watch gt sport 11

For use as a sports watch or bracelet, the Huawei Watch GT has performed even better than expected. The watch has a good number of functions and options geared towards sports activity . So much so that one of the wheels that make up the button panel (the one below specifically) is intended solely and exclusively for monitoring sports tasks.

Running outdoors, running with a guide, running indoors, walking outdoors, running between countries, walking, using a stationary bike, swimming indoors, swimming outdoors ... The amount of different activities gives us a clue as to what it is intended for this clock. In addition, it includes an Activity section similar to that of the Apple Watch designed to show us the number of steps, the activity time and the times that we have gotten up in a day through colored circles or rings.

Regarding the quality of the measurements, the monitoring has been really good . Not only when it comes to measuring distances and steps (it has GPS), the heart rate has also been quite successful, with a striking interface that shows us the rhythm of our heart in real time.

Also rest is measured quite rightly , albeit sometimes measured longer break from the normal, possibly due to the low pace of my resting heart rate. The good thing is that through the Health application we can see the different stages of sleep (deep sleep, intermediate sleep and light sleep) in a very visual way.

huawei health

And what about the smartwatch functions? Here the watch does leave something to be desired, and it is all due to a single factor: it does not have Android Wear, but its own system called RTOS (Lite OS in some markets). It is not a low quality operating system, but it cannot be compared to Android Wear or WacthOS.

The reasons are diverse: we cannot install applications (not even from the Health application), we cannot add masks to the digitizer and we cannot interact with applications on our mobile phone beyond Huawei Health. This makes the smartwatch functions of the Huawei Watch GT limited only to showing us notifications and notifying us of incoming calls : nothing to answer WhatsApp through the microphone, listen to music, receive calls or view images and videos.

huawei watch gt sport 10-min

Beyond the typical functions of a watch (alarm, stopwatch, timer, flashlight, weather forecast, find the phone ...), the system shows serious shortcomings compared to others such as those mentioned above . Worth noting is the fluidity of the interface when moving between the different menus.

Connectivity, the weak point of this watch

Without a doubt, the weakest point of this Huawei Watch GT is that of connectivity. Although it is true that it has different monitoring sensors, Bluetooth GPS version 4.2, the watch does not have any type of wireless connectivity .

The absence of technologies such as WiFi, NFC, eSIM and even a speaker and microphone make the smartwatch of the Chinese brand depend entirely on the connection of our mobile . This will force us to keep Bluetooth on during part of the day to receive notifications or synchronize data with the clock.

The best autonomy you can find in a smart watch

If connectivity was the weakest point of the Huawei Watch, autonomy is the strongest point of the Huawei watch. The official page promises us a battery life of just over two weeks, and the truth is that the GT Sport does it perfectly. In fact , today the watch has a 16% battery since the first charge I made, around November 1.

huawei watch gt sport 8-min

My use of the watch during the two and a half weeks of testing has been mixed. The first week I just used it as a simple sports bracelet to measure my strengths throughout the day. After the first seven days, I decided to connect Bluetooth for much of the day and activate continuous monitoring to get the most out of its battery.

Regarding the charging time, the magnetic charger in the box does not exceed two hours of charge . In this sense, I wish it were somewhat faster, although we must bear in mind that a simple charge will last more than two weeks.

Conclusions

Having seen all the points of interest of the Huawei Watch GT, it is time to draw conclusions. Is it worth your purchase compared to other watches? It depends. Its price, although not unreasonable considering the average price of other watches, stands at a not inconsiderable 199 euros . For this price, the watch that we take home is a quality watch. The factor that we must take into account here is the use that we are going to give it.

If our use is limited exclusively to the measurement of intense and constant sports activities, then the Huawei Watch GT will more than comply . Not only because of the variety of options and activities that it includes as standard, but because of its battery life, which exceeds two weeks in practically any use we give the watch. Beyond measuring these types of activities, your purchase does not make much sense .

huawei watch gt sport 7-min

We do not have wireless connections that allow us to make the watch an independent gadget or with the possibility of interacting with our phone through it: neither send messages, nor answer calls, nor listen to music ... It is in this sense that the Huawei Watch GT leaves more to be desired, and although it can be solved via software (hopefully so in the future), the incorporation of its own system will always make it more limited than other models on the market.