Huawei Watch GT review: sports watch based on Light OS

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Natalie Vesna 10/28/2020

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Huawei has released a smart watch on its own Light OS (Lite OS) platform, with a round display, a lot of sports modes and long battery life. We offer a review of Huawei Watch GT - an attractive smartwatch for lovers of an active lifestyle and fitness.

All information about the new Huawei Watch GT2 is available on our website

Functions

The Huawei Watch GT is not a hybrid watch, as it has a touchscreen, but it sits firmly between a fitness tracker and a full-fledged smartwatch. The proprietary Light OS operating system is similar to Google Wear and Samsung's Tizen, but is still not as attractive due to its inability to run apps.

However, Huawei has packed a ton of fitness features into the new watch, along with a heart rate monitor, GPS, plenty of exercise tracking software, and even water resistance.

Review of smart watches Huawei Watch GT 3

I really like the GT series of smartwatches from Huawei. They were good from the very first model, and I considered the second model (and especially its GT 2 Pro version) one of the best smartwatches on the market, before that everything was great with design, software, and functionality, and with autonomy.

Well, it was the Huawei GT 2 Pro that I myself used as my smartwatch, and the only thing I lacked in it for complete happiness was the ability to pay with hours. (Huawei has its own payment system, Huawei Pay, but it does not work in all countries: in Russia, as far as I know, it works, but in Spain it does not.)

The GT series watches run on the proprietary Huawei Lite OS operating system, the company also continues to develop the Watch line (without the GT prefix), which first ran on Android Wear, and recently the company released the Huawei Watch 3 model running on its own Harmony OS operating system. and these watches did not stand up to any criticism: in fact, they were heavily cut down Huawei GT 2, which lacked some important functions, they cost three times more than the GT 2 and had an autonomy of about a day and a half.

However, of course, it is clear that in the end Huawei will “finish” this series to the level of similar smartwatches from Samsung, but smartwatches based on similar systems (Android Wear, Tizen, Harmony OS) by definition are characterized by extremely low autonomy (with quite advanced , I note, functionality in comparison with clocks on proprietary systems), and this greatly limits the scope of their applications.

But in watches like Huawei GT, Amazfit GTR and analogues, with a relatively low cost and good functionality, autonomy is usually at the level of five days with the most active use, monitoring everything possible and always-on screen mode. That is why such watches are very popular.

Well, now let's get acquainted with the new smartwatch model and see if the company managed to improve this line - Huawei Watch GT 3

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Specifications

Display: 1.43″, AMOLED, 466×466 pixels, 326 PPI, touch Processor:

ARM Cortex-M
Memory: 4/32 GB Operating system:
Huawei Lite OS
Compatibility:
Android from 6.0, iOS from 9.0, HarmonyOS from 2.0
Wireless communication: Bluetooth 5.1 NFC: yes (only for Huawei Pay) Battery: 455 mAh Dimensions : 46 × 46 × 11 mm Weight: 43 g Speaker/microphone: yes Wireless charging:
yes, Qi (5V/2A)
Position determination: GPS, GLONASS Vibration:
yes
Monitoring:
sleep, physical activity, training, heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature
Sensors:
barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, ambient light sensor, compass, automatic pulse oximeter (SpO2), sensor for measuring body skin temperature
Water resistance: up to 5 ATM, up to 50 meters (swimming, diving) Price: 17-20 thousand depending on the model on Yandex.Market
As usual, these watches have several modifications and two types of case sizes: 42 mm and 46 mm. Classic (steel case) and Active (black case) models for the 46 mm case, also black and gold models for the 42 mm model. Straps: black silicone, brown leather, white leather (for the 42 mm model). Functionally, all these varieties are almost the same, however, the watches with a smaller case have a 292 mAh battery.

What do we see here in comparison with the Huawei Watch GT 2 version? The screen was slightly enlarged, the platform was changed, SpO2 tracking was added in continuous mode (the GT 2 did not have SpO2 tracking in continuous mode), skin temperature tracking and wireless charging were added. This is true at first glance.

Well, I’ll note the increase in price for this model: GT 2 Classic at the start of sales cost about 15 thousand, GT 3 Classic cost 20 thousand. The price, as we see, has increased by a third. However, let's see what we get for this money.

There is very little information about the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro version yet; we only know that the case will be made of titanium alloy and its size will be 48 mm. I think that the Pro version will have the same situation as the GT 2 Pro: the Pro version will have a titanium alloy case, a sapphire crystal, and a ceramic bottom cover.

Contents of delivery

The design is traditional for this series: a black box made of high-quality cardboard, on the front of which there is an image of a watch and the name of the model is written in gold letters. This packaging looks great.

The delivery set is extremely simple: the watch itself with a strap, wireless charging with a cable, instructions in various languages, including Russian. By the way, the GT 2 came with an additional black silicone strap (a useful thing, given the fact that a leather strap quickly loses its presentation), but here they were too lazy to add an additional strap, and this despite the fact that the price of the watch has increased.

I note that, like the GT 2 Pro version, wireless charging is compatible with the Qi standard, so the watch will be charged from any wireless charger that supports this standard. Also, like the previous model, there is no charging adapter, so the charging cradle must be connected to a port that provides 5V/2A.

Appearance and features

The watch case is made of metal. The case has a bezel with numbers corresponding to the minutes printed on it, and the bezel is slightly beveled in relation to the surface of the watch (but it is all one glass). The numbers are printed in the form of slits on the glass, which means they should be very durable.

This model has two control buttons: the top button can be pressed and rotated (for example, to scroll through windows with information or a list of programs), the bottom button can only be pressed.

The bottom cover is made of plastic, in the middle there is a central zone of glass in which the sensors are located.

The strap fastening is standard, the strap size is 22 mm, so if necessary, you can change the strap to the one you like best.

The materials and workmanship of the watch are excellent, they look solid, they can easily be worn under a suit, and they do not at all look like some kind of device for geeks.

Well, the watch fits my hand well; for a narrow wrist (and I have a narrow wrist) it may seem a little bulky, but this size suits me quite well.

Display

Excellent quality AMOLED display. There is an effective oleophobic coating, the glass practically does not stain when touched by fingers.

There is an effective anti-glare filter, the image is clearly visible in direct sunlight: better than that of the GT 2, so the screen here has clearly been improved.

Working hours

Pairing the watch with a smartphone is very simple: when you first start it or after a reset, a QR code appears in the watch, which you need to scan in the Huawei Health application on your smartphone, after which pairing will occur. The watch interface language will match the smartphone interface language.

The watch faces change with a long press on the display, in the watch settings and in the watch settings in your smartphone. Moreover, hundreds of different options are available through a smartphone: Huawei watches have been doing very well for a long time with dials.

Swipe down on the main dial to reveal an area of ​​quick switches and information. The battery level, connection status to the phone, date and day of the week are shown here. There are also six icons: “Do not disturb”, always-on screen mode, search for a smartphone, alarm clock, settings, and “remove water” - processing the watch after a dive.

From the watch face to the right or left - single-screen widgets of your favorite applications. Which widgets to display is configurable.

For example, weather, music and sleep.

From the watch face, swipe up to see a list of notifications. When you click on a notification, it opens and can be read in full. There is also the ability to send emoji and preset messages in response to messages in instant messengers (this was not the case before).

Incoming call. And then it became possible to answer a call via SMS with a preset phrase (they are edited in the application).

If you receive a call on the watch, the conversation will be conducted through the microphone and speaker of the watch - in some cases this is convenient (for example, in the car, when the smartphone is not connected to the speakerphone). The sound quality is good, I checked it several times: the voice in the speaker sounds loud enough, and the subscribers heard my voice well. When talking from a smartphone, you can turn off the microphone and speaker. These watches cannot transmit conversations to headphones connected via Bluetooth. They also do not allow you to answer audio calls from instant messengers (only a message is issued that there is an incoming call in such and such an application).

Audio player widget. The watch can control playback on a smartphone, and can also play music from the watch’s memory (audio tracks are uploaded there via the Huawei Health app). Also in the new update (2.1.0.221) it will be possible to adjust the playback volume from your phone directly on the watch by turning the top button.

The bottom button (you can use it to call any application) is training. There are more than 100 training modes (their set is customizable). Each workout has goal settings, reminders and routes that can be downloaded from the application. When you start your workout, the watch will wait for your GPS position to be determined (if required).

In training mode, you can swipe screens with various data. The mode is not multitasking, that is, during a workout you cannot go to the watch face and call up any application, while swiping to the right calls up a digital compass, swipe to the left calls up an audio player. Pressing the top button is a pause mode, where you can also end the workout and turn on/off voice notifications about the completion of the workout.

We return to the dial. The top button is all applications installed on the watch.

In the settings you can configure the screen operating mode, widgets that appear when you swipe from the watch face, the operating mode of the always-on screen, and so on. Also in the settings you can connect wireless headphones/headsets to the watch to listen to music directly from the watch.

The always-on screen mode has six special display options - digital and arrow.

Now let's talk about the Huawei Health app.

Clocks and favorites connected to the application. Clock page. Please note that among the selected applications there is “HUAWEI Wallet”. Huawei Pay is currently available in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Singapore, Macau and Thailand.

Watch face shop. By default, paid watch faces are displayed there, but if you go to the free section, there are also hundreds of options there, among which you can certainly find suitable ones.

Clock settings, monitoring settings. The GT2 has added to the old types of monitoring: auto-measurement of SpO2 and constant measurement of skin temperature.

From AppGallery you can install various applications on your watch: there are not many of them there yet, about forty, but among them there are interesting and useful ones - for example, a calculator, tools, navigation, games, information applications, training assistants, listening to the radio, and so on.

Here, for example, is a calculator installed from AppGallery.

Setting up notifications, alarms.

Weather reports and setting up quick responses.

Device settings.

The main section of the application with information panels, training history. Healthy Living - Set and track various health goals.

Track your workout.

Sleep tracking.

Pulse and oxygenation level.

Track your stress levels and skin temperature.

Battery life

Battery life, as usual, depends on the settings and usage scenario.

With automatic brightness adjustment, without an always-on screen mode, but with sleep and heart rate monitoring, the watch even lived for more than two weeks, which is just great! (But this, I note, is without training.)

With the screen always on and monitoring everything possible, the battery life was reduced to about 6 days, which is actually very good.

Connecting a training mode with GPS tracking also, of course, reduces autonomy. My hour-long daily workout consumed about 5-7% of the battery.

Well, we see that compared to the GT2, the autonomy here, although not much, has increased.

The charging cradle is securely magnetized to the watch case, and I have never had any failures during charging. The watch takes about one and a half hours to charge from zero to 100%, which is normal.

I also liked the fact that the cradle connects to any Type-C cable, that is, it does not have to occupy the charging adapter slot: just connect it to Type-C once a week and charge the watch. Many other smartwatches have dedicated charging cables, which is not very convenient.

Well, as I already mentioned, this watch is charged from any Qi wireless charger.

Observations during operation and conclusions

Excellent watch, really liked it. They work flawlessly, everything functions exactly as stated. It tracks steps, walking and cycling very accurately, I checked it with a Garmin Venu 2 watch.

Synchronization with Huawei Health worked perfectly, and there were no problems with notifications either.

What do we have in comparison with the previous model? There are obvious improvements, of course. A more impressive design, a brighter display, better controls, noticeably more advanced software, it is now possible to answer calls with preset messages that can be edited in the application, and in the next firmware it should also be possible to answer text messages. Two new types of monitoring were also added, battery life increased slightly, and wireless charging was added (only the Pro version had it).

In general, Huawei did not disappoint at all: the GT series was and remains excellent. Well, I note that this model can easily lay claim to the title of the best smartwatch on the market - at least among watches on proprietary systems. And although I really like the ability to pay in stores using the Garmin Venu 2 watch, I still made this Huawei Watch GT 3 my main watch - as a smart watch, I like them much more: they are more convenient, more beautiful, and autonomous they have more.

However, if you answer the question whether it makes sense to change Huawei Watch GT 2 or Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro to GT 3, then the answer will not be clear. Yes, there are obvious improvements here, but are they so critical as to warrant spending a lot of money on a new model? I believe that it hardly makes sense to replace the GT 2, and especially the GT 2 Pro, with a new model, because the previous versions are quite good. However, if you don’t have a GT 2 (Pro) and you decide to buy a good smartwatch, then the Huawei GT 3 is, in my opinion, a great option!

Design

Externally, the Huawei Watch GT smart watch resembles not only the design of its predecessor Watch 2, but also the Samsung Galaxy Watch - in shape and frame. Only, unlike the latter, the GT does not have a rotating bezel.

Frame

The device case is made of stainless steel with DLC - diamond-like hardening coating - and has a thickness of only 10.6 mm. This gives it the appearance of a classic watch. On a man's wrist they do not look massive and are much thinner than many smart watches. Women may need to choose something smaller.

The display around is decorated with a ceramic frame, and the back of the case is made of black plastic. Many will think that this combination is incompatible, but, in our opinion, the plastic greatly reduces the weight, and its black color masks the thickness of the device on the hand.

Buttons

On the right side of the Huawei Watch GT screen there are two physical buttons. They are quite large and protrude well, so they are easy to feel and comfortable to use.

The top button opens the main menu, and the bottom button controls the sports interface, where you will find types of workouts and an activity diary. But, unfortunately, they do not have the function of scrolling through content: to do this you will have to swipe your finger across the screen.

Strap

The strap is removable. If necessary, it can be replaced with another 20 mm from the same manufacturer.

The watch is produced in two versions:

• Classic (Steel Gray)
• Sport

Silver case with leather strap
Black case and silicone strap

The version with a light brown leather strap and a silver-colored case looks more solid. In this case, the bracelet has a two-layer structure: the outside is made of leather, and the inside is silicone. With this solution, the strap is more practical during sports.

Heart rate monitor

The reverse side of the case contains an optical heart rate monitor. It delivers results fairly accurately within a few beats, but still needs some work, just like previous Huawei smartwatches.

The heart rate sensor can work continuously. This option can be disabled to save battery consumption. A separate screen for heart rate measurement displays a graph and all the necessary information:

• number of beats per minute in real time
• maximum heart rate level
• minimum heart rate level
• resting heart rate

The heart rate monitor is equipped with TruSeen 3.0 technology, which includes additional sensors to track your heartbeat with a series of self-learning algorithms that help you track your results as accurately as possible.

Health monitoring

Within the Huawei ecosystem, all health data is collected in a separate application and synchronized with the cloud. If desired, the data can be uploaded to Google Fit. On the watch you can see data for the last day.

Optical sensors have been updated to TruSeen 5.0+. As before, there are no questions about the accuracy of measuring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) and calculating sleep phases. Incorrect information is shown by the skin surface temperature sensor, recording from 33 to 35 degrees instead of the usual 36.6. The barometer is in place, and the navigation quickly locks onto satellites and accurately tracks training routes. There is a reminder to get up and stretch. The only thing missing from this set is an ECG. The form factor of this particular version with a 46 mm dial is more suitable for everyday health monitoring than for professional training.

The back cover looks cool and resembles ceramic, although it is actually made of plastic

Sleep tracking

The watch uses TruSleep 3.0 technology to measure sleep characteristics. The tracker distinguishes between phases - light sleep, deep sleep, REM phase, as well as the time of wakefulness and awakening.

There are only 5 regular alarms that can be set for a specific time. On your hand, the device will wake you up with gentle vibration. User reviews boil down to the fact that the strength of the vibration motor is not enough to wake up from a sound sleep.

You can also set a smart alarm clock, but only one.

GPS

The satellite navigation system in the watch consists not only of GPS, but also contains the GLONASS and GALLILEO systems. This technology trio is new to a SmartWatch and allows you to provide more accurate geolocation data even in urban areas with tall buildings or while hiking.

Not surprisingly, the watches are aimed at sports and active physical activity outdoors.

The tracks, along with data on heart rate, distance, speed, number of steps and exercise time, can be viewed in the Huawei Health app.

Sports functionality

Huawei Watch GT 3 daily counts the number of steps taken and distance, how many floors you climbed and how many calories you burned.

They also remind you to do a warm-up, and their number can be viewed on a special screen.

The watch supports a lot of different workouts - running outdoors and on a treadmill, walking outdoors and indoors, cycling and an exercise bike, swimming in the pool, jumping rope, hiking, skiing, snowboarding and others.

They can automatically detect workouts such as walking, running, elliptical and rowing machine, but the appropriate option must be activated for this to happen.

When you start the selected workout, if it takes place outdoors, the watch will begin to search for GPS satellites to plot a route. During the process, key indicators will be displayed on the screen - heart rate, pace, distance, calories burned, stress from training, altitude gain, cadence, etc. Some workouts also have indicators that are unique to them.

Each workout contributes a certain amount of stress to the body, so you can see how many hours the body needs to fully recover.

You can set goals for each workout. For example, for running, set a goal for a certain distance that you want to run, or set a running time. In addition, you can activate various reminders (for intervals, increased heart rate, stress), after which the voice assistant will give tips during training.

You can also use the suggested training courses or develop your own.

Battery and performance

The long operating time of the watch is due to several factors:

1. Dual core processor
2. Screen off
3. Battery capacity 450 mAh

Operating time in normal mode, according to the manufacturer, is up to two weeks. In this case, the heart rate sensor is active for about 90 minutes per week.

With active use of the watch, during training with all its capabilities, fitness programs and with GPS and heart rate monitor running, the battery will last 22 hours. And this is quite enough for lovers of an active lifestyle to receive a full range of data and functions.

Turning off all functions except the screen and incoming notifications will extend battery life by up to 30 days.

The Watch GT uses Huawei's proprietary charger and charges in 1 hour 20 minutes.

Conclusion

Overall, the Huawei Watch GT looks decent on the smartwatch market. They fit perfectly with almost any outfit, are comfortable to wear, the screen looks beautiful, the activity tracking works quite well, and the battery life is amazing.

The main disadvantage is the lack of access to third-party applications, unlike the Apple Watch or Google smartwatches. Because of this, certain limitations in functionality arise, especially since it is not so self-sufficient.

However, minor operational flaws are acceptable for a system that has only recently entered the market. Therefore, there are hopes that in the future problems such as incomprehensible sleep tracking or limited support for notifications will be resolved. Despite this, the watch is truly impressive.

On the official website, Huawei Watch GT Active is sold for 13,490 rubles, Classic, Elegant and Sport versions for 12,990 rubles.

Software

As we mentioned above, the Watch GT has its own software, called Light OS. Some users found this platform not as attractive compared to Google Wear or Samsung's Tizen as it is limited in many aspects.

There is no support for third-party applications, although there is still hope that the developers will correct this situation. In the meantime, you can be content only with those programs and widgets that Huawei has chosen. Weather, compass, barometer, and flashlight are just some of the apps present that offer a variety of simple yet effective features.

Also, you will not find a player for listening to music, a microphone and Wi-Fi (pairing with a smartphone is carried out via Bluetooth).

Notifications

Application icons do not appear during notifications. This means you won't be able to tell if someone has messaged you on WhatsApp, sent an SMS, or wants to chat via Facebook Messenger. Clicking on a notification does not allow you to respond to the message, either by text, voice, or any other means.

Russian text in alerts is displayed well, without any spaces or crooked characters.

Screen and controls

Both 46mm versions have an AMOLED display with a diameter of 1.46 inches. Its resolution is 466 × 466 pixels, that is, the pixel density is 326 ppi.

The display creates a very pleasant impression: it clearly responds to pressing, the picture is rich and does not cause any complaints. The display for the watch is very good.

The watch received two buttons. With the crown you open the application menu and return from any screen to the watch face:

The bottom button is customizable. By default, it is set to launch the training menu, but you can change it to measure skin temperature or CO₂ level, or you can configure it to start music.

Mobile app

All the data that the watch collects during workouts or throughout the day can be viewed in the Huawei Health mobile application, or Health, in the form of convenient graphs or digital indicators.

The Watch GT is connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.2, and the application can be installed on both Android and iOS.

The program will allow you not only to view information from the watch, but also to configure it, run an update, or turn on/off device functions.

Intuitive Health software displays every workout, night's sleep, and collates all the information into weekly and monthly reports.

In addition, the user can enter their weight and track their own progress towards desired goals.

The app motivates the user with virtual rewards to achieve certain goals, such as walking 10,000 steps in a day.

Overall, the accurate fitness tracking metrics are commendable and make the Huawei Watch GT an incredibly attractive watch for fitness enthusiasts.

Review after a month of use

The conclusion regarding Watch GT 3 is encouraging; Huawei has introduced new functionality while maintaining the main feature in the form of powerful autonomy. The updated HarmonyOS interface and installation of third-party applications is the right vector of development. But to this day I don’t like two things: how clumsily Huawei implemented notifications and the lack of contactless payment in Russia. Despite this, the Watch GT 3 is a stylish smartphone companion that helps you stay up to date with all notifications and be able to answer calls quickly. The fitness options are the icing on the cake. I would like to take this watch for permanent use.

Advantages:

• increased functionality with the transition to HarmonyOS;
• good autonomy;
• stylish appearance and durable materials;
• bright AMOLED with constant time display;
• waterproof for immersion up to 50 meters;
• high-quality activity tracking;
• wireless inductive charging.

Flaws:

• a simple notification feed without the ability to respond.

Controversial points:

• NFC does not yet support contactless payment.

Characteristics

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of the watch include:

• Long battery life.
• Nice design.
• Good apps for tracking metrics.
• Synchronization with Android and iOS.
• Bright Amoled display.
• Affordable price.

Flaws:

• No access to third party applications.
• Same design.
• There is no built-in NFC contactless payment capability.
• No connection for Bluetooth headphones.
• Light OS needs improvement to increase functionality.
• Minimal customization.

Price

As for the price, you can buy the Huawei Watch GT sports watch in two versions. Options available for sale:

1. $290 for the classic version with silver case and brown strap
2. $230 for the sports version with black case and silicone strap

In Russia, the recommended price at the time of writing the review is 14,990 rubles. And on Aliexpress, the watch is available for pre-order at a price of $253 for the Classic model and $223 for the Sport version.

In Ukraine, the first batch imported into the country was already sold out even before the start of sales. Pre-orders for the next shipment are now open at select electronics stores. Price - from 5999 UAH to 6999 UAH.

Dials

In reviews of other Huawei smartwatches, I wrote that dials are their weakest side. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in six months. The company is very far from Apple watches, and this requires long and hard work on the watch.

The only customization option is to set time zones on some watch faces. And I would like to change the colors of the elements and what needs to be displayed in general. Why can't I decide what color the stripes will be on the Modern dial?

Moreover, if you use your watch with Huawei or Android devices, then, in addition to free watch faces, you will also find paid ones. The price of the latter varies from 19.99 to 179.99 rubles. But the cost does not depend on functionality and beauty, but rather on the greed of the developer of a particular dial.