The Huawei Watch GT2 arrives with the firm intention of carving out a niche in the difficult field of smartwatches. A market that is largely dominated by the Apple Watch, but that does not finish with the same force among users with Android phones. A trend that wants to change the Watch GT2 with several powerful purchase arguments . Among them, the most important is their autonomy. The company estimates the maximum wearing time with this watch at two weeks . A very ambitious figure that you will not reach if you use your smartwatch more constantly, but with which you can spend the week of use quite easily.
Other key points are its bright AMOLED screen with two sizes depending on whether you choose the 46 or 42 millimeter dial , an elegant design with a wide variety of straps to personalize the watch and a legion of sensors to monitor your health and activity in detail. I have had the opportunity to test the Huawei Watch GT2 over the course of a few weeks. This has been my experience with this smartwatch, which you can already find in stores for a price of 240 euros for both configurations (46 or 42 millimeter dial).
Huawei Watch GT2 data sheet
| screen | 46mm: 1.39-inch touch AMOLED (454 x 454 pixels) 42mm: 1.2-inch touch AMOLED (390 x 390 pixels) |
| Dimensions | 46mm: 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.7mm (covers a wrist diameter of 13-21cm) 42 mm: 41.8 x 41.8 x 9.4 mm (covers a diameter of between 13 and 20 cm in the Sport model and 13 and 19 cm in the classic model) |
| Weight | 46mm: 41 grams (without strap) 42mm: 29 grams (without strap) |
| materials | Metal and plastic |
| Colors | 46mm: Black, metal and titanium gray 42mm: Black, metal and rose gold |
| Internal memory and processor | Up to 500 MP3 songs, Kirin A1 |
| Waterproof | Yes, submersible up to 50 meters |
| Autonomy | 46mm: Up to two weeks, four days with heavy use and activated sensors 42mm: One week |
| Connections | Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, light sensor, heart rate reader, stress level reader |
| SIM | Not available |
| Applications | Workout routines, Logs, Workout status, Heart rate, Activity, Rest, Barometer, Compass, Weather, Messages, Stopwatch, Timer, Alarm and Find phone |
| Principal functions | Automatic sleep measurement, measurement of different types of exercise, inactivity alerts, calls and notifications, flashlight and clock |
| System and compatibility | RTOS compatible with Android 4.4 or higher and iOS 9.0 or higher |
| Release date | November |
| Price | 240 euros |
Up to two weeks of autonomy
It is his main claim and I am not surprised. Autonomy has been from the beginning one of the great handicaps of smartwatches since they began to reach the market. A problem that has been working better and better. The Huawei Watch GT2 is one of the standard bearers of a new generation of watches that no longer need to be aware of autonomy at all times . Of course, you have to be honest. The two weeks of autonomy are only met with minimum conditions that are not going to be those used by most users.
In my use of the watch I have been able to reach about a week of use with the active dial with the time constantly. The time has dropped to about four days if I also have active use of the sensor to measure heart rate every time I have it on (I have usually left it on the bed at night). There are numerous variables that can change the autonomy, in addition to the times a day you tinker with the clock through its menus. Charging is carried out through a magnetic base on which the watch rests, and which in turn has a USB type C input.
A very elegant design and considerable dial size
In my case, I have been able to test the watch with the 46-millimeter dial . You have to keep in mind that it has its advantages and disadvantages. First of all, it is a dial size that works well on a large wrist, but on smaller wrists it can look like a small brick. The 42mm dial watch is slimmer, but battery capacity is also lost (basically halved). Given these considerations, I focus on the design of the configuration with 46 millimeters.
The first look is very attractive, with a classic touch with the outer part of the dial in metal and a plastic wheel with relief that covers the screen . This wheel is purely decorative, and I must say that I have missed the physical wheel on the Samsung Gear Sport. This type of control was more interesting to me than always moving by touch on the screen. The strap that comes by default with the watch is a leather type, although you also have another rubber strap with a more casual look in the box.
In addition to the touch screen, control is done through two buttons on the right side. The watch is well balanced and comfortable to wear, although always keeping in mind that my wrist and arms are large. Its dimensions are 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.7 millimeters , and it covers wrist diameters of between 13 and 21 centimeters.
By the way, in addition to the classic model, you also have a more sporty one and four colors in total: beige, brown (the one I'm testing), blue and black.
Good-sized, bright display
The OLED screen of the Huawei Watch GT2 more than delivers. The 46-millimeter model has a size of 1.39 inches and a resolution of 354 x 354 pixels. That gives a level of detail more than enough for what is displayed on the screen, both the spheres themselves and the data from sensors and incoming notifications.
The panel's performance is very high in brightness levels thanks to its OLED technology . The truth is that I have never had problems with the display of the clock, not even on very sunny days. And the colors are very vibrant. Being a clock with a fairly large panel, it is quite comfortable to move between the different menus and icons. The tactile response is good, although there has been a time when it has cost me a bit more to slide the screen between different apps. All in all, in general the experience has lived up to expectations.
Numerous sensors to keep you fit and measure your health
The Huawei watch is designed so that you can do sports with it and also control your health. For the first, it is key that it is waterproof. So you won't have to fear if it rains or gets wet by mistake. In fact, it is designed so that you can take it swimming without problems and withstands a pressure of up to 5 atmospheres (around fifty meters under water).
It also works for a good number of different sports and workouts, like walking, running, treadmill running, or cycling. Of course, it has step measurement and it is also capable of positioning you very precisely thanks to the combination of GPS and GLONASS systems. This is the list of exercises that you can carry out with the watch:
- Run with guide
- Running outdoors
- Running indoors
- Walk outdoors
- Walking indoors
- Walk
- Use stationary bike
- Swimming indoors
- Swimming outdoors
- Walk
- Trekking
- Running on trails
- triathlon
- Elliptical trainer
- Row
- Other (simply measures your pulse and activity time)
The menus are quite colorful and you have the voice of a personal trainer cheering you on. Of course, in English, one of the points that I would improve on the interface. But, in short, if you want to get in shape, the Huawei Watch GT2 is a very interesting companion for fatigue.
Health is the other leg of the Watch GT2's sensors. So, for example, we have the heart rate measurement . This sensor is not only important when it comes to exercising. We can also keep it constantly active so that it watches for arrhythmias in our day-to-day life. Using artificial intelligence we have a stress meter and a dedicated app to carry out breathing exercises in case we go through moments of great tension.
As for the sleep quality meter, it measures the degree of movement you carry out during the night to see if you have had a heavy or restless sleep. It does not seem like one of the most interesting tools of the smartwatch, but this way you can have a more complete idea of the degree of quality of your sleep.
There is life beyond the mobile
As usual, this smartwatch can collect notifications from your mobile and calls. In fact, one of its key functions is that you can receive calls directly on the smartwatch, with a distance from the mobile of up to 150 meters . It is not a high quality speaker but it does have enough power so that you can hear the other person in the street with a lot of ambient noise. It also has a microphone that meets what is expected of a hands-free. Of course, on a personal level I can't quite see the talk about a watch. In this case, I find it more interesting to have wireless headphones that fulfill this function, such as the brand's own Huawei FreeBuds 3.
The life of the Huawei Watch GT2 goes beyond the mobile thanks to the fact that it has its own 4 GB internal memory, in which you can store around 500 songs . In fact, you can pair a wireless headset directly with the watch to listen to your music when you go for a run without having to carry your mobile. All data is synced when it comes within range of the smartphone through Huawei's own Health app.
This app has a fairly clean and clear interface. From here, Huawei wearable devices are managed and you can carry out actions such as changing the face of the smartwatch, updating its software version or adding the MP3 files to be stored on the watch.
Price and reviews
The Huawei Watch GT2 is now available on portals such as Amazon for reservation. Its release date has been set in November, and the official price goes up to 240 euros for its 46mm and 42mm dial configurations . In short, this is a very complete gadget to play sports and control your health. I really liked its design in the Classic configuration, which combines well a more stately touch with the modern format of the smartwatch themselves. In the spheres that you can choose on the screen we have options with great pleasure and I have loved being able to set a sphere with the time when the screen is off (the same concept as the Always On Display) without suffering too much autonomy.
Speaking of autonomy, I have not approached the maximum two weeks that are marked, but I have been able to use the watch continuously for about four days with activated sensors and the fixed dial, which has allowed me to forget about the charges for many hours. Without a doubt, a model to take a look at if you are looking for a complete and very focused watch for sports.