Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro review: Titanium, ceramic, and compromises
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro promises a lot. It delivers on most things but you’ll have to wait for its headline feature.
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has a lot to offer: great design, battery life, build materials, and tons of potential. But it’s hampered by too many software flaws, missing features at launch, and an extremely limited third-party app ecosystem unless you plan to stick with a Huawei phone.
What we don’t like
ECG feature not available yet
Limited third-party app support
Complicated health data export
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has a lot to offer: great design, battery life, build materials, and tons of potential. But it’s hampered by too many software flaws, missing features at launch, and an extremely limited third-party app ecosystem unless you plan to stick with a Huawei phone.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 family now includes two new Pro models which bring extra features and even better build materials. There’s nothing too revolutionary but it’s easily one of the best smartwatches Huawei has released. Unfortunately, it comes with some asterisks. This is Android Authority’s Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro review.
What you need to know about the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro
- Black fluoroelastomer strap: €369 / £299
- Gray leather strap: €369 / £299
- Titanium bracelet: €499 / £429
- White leather strap: €499 / £429
- White ceramic bracelet: €599 / £499
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is a fairly basic smartwatch but a very good fitness tracker. It runs Huawei’s proprietary HarmonyOS. This means it doesn’t have the same expansive third-party app ecosystem of the best Wear OS watches. On the upside, the GT series is renowned for its up to two-week battery life.
Huawei watches work best when paired to a Huawei phone, but they also work with other Android phones and iPhones. Some settings can be controlled on-device, while others are handled via Huawei Health on the paired phone. Depending on your phone and where you live, you may lose access to some features — be sure to check the compatibility chart before you buy.
On any non-Huawei phones, you’ll have to be comfortable sideloading the Huawei App Gallery. This is essential to get the latest version of Huawei Health and HMS Core.
Fitness data is notoriously difficult to get off a Huawei wearable or sync with popular services like Strava (although it can be done). If you don’t plan to stay within the Huawei Health ecosystem, you’ll need a workaround. This can be done via an app like Health Sync or by creating a Huawei ID for a country with support for the feature you’re after. This is how native Strava support is possible, though it’s far from intuitive.
There are two versions of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro: a 46mm titanium model and a 43mm ceramic model. The titanium version has three strap options to choose from; the ceramic version, just two. You can pick up more from Huawei’s strap range or check out third-party offerings from Amazon. Both models use premium materials and cost significantly more than the similarly featured GT 3.
The internal components in each version are largely the same, barring display size and battery capacity. The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro charges wirelessly with an included charger. While the GT 3 Pro includes an NFC chip, it may not work with contactless systems in your country. The headline new feature is ECG but it will not be available at launch, pending CE certification in select countries.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro was announced on May 18, 2022. The titanium version was released in select European markets on May 30 via Huawei, Amazon, and major retailers including Currys. The ceramic version follows on June 8.
What’s good about the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro?
The best parts of the Watch GT 3 Pro series are battery life, fitness tracking, and design. The first two have always been good on Huawei watches, but design is a new strong suit for the Chinese manufacturer’s wearables. Both GT 3 Pro models are strikingly unique.
The 46mm titanium version features bold angular lugs I really like. There’s a diamond-like chamfer along the edges to soften things a bit but the overall effect is still very bold and appealing. Paired with the titanium strap this is the perfect dress watch for me.
The 43mm ceramic version takes a totally different approach. The entire watch is made of ceramic, including the audacious white bracelet. I love the gold accents on the (non-rotating) bezel, side button, rotating crown, and clasp. Huawei took a potentially risky punt with this design but I really think it works.
Regardless of which version you go for, the Watch GT 3 Pro looks and feels extremely premium. I’ve found some of Huawei’s previous watch designs to be quite forgettable. There’s no chance of that with the GT 3 Pro.
Battery life is, as always, fantastic on the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro. Huawei claims 14 days on average use. I get around 10-11 days with the always-on display turned off but all other features enabled (SpO2, heart rate, sleep tracking, skin temperature, stress monitoring, etc). If you enable the always-on display, your battery life expectations will be roughly cut in half.
Battery life on the ceramic version is about half of what you can expect on the titanium model. The ceramic version has a smaller display and a smaller battery. Huawei rates it for seven days but in my experience five is more likely based on similar usage to the titanium model.
The Watch GT 3 Pro charges 30% faster than the GT 2 Pro, with the titanium version requiring less than an hour and a half for a full charge. This is right in line with the regular GT 3.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has dozens of activity tracking modes similar to those found on previous Huawei fitness trackers and watches. The two new activities for the GT 3 Pro models are golf (a Chinese market exclusive) and freediving (more on this in the What’s not so good section). There are plenty of other activities, both classic and novel, available on the GT 3 Pro including jump rope, skiing, triathlon, HIIT, and driving range.
GPS accuracy is comparable with the regular GT 3, that is, pretty good but not quite as good as an Apple Watch. Getting a GPS lock is thankfully much faster on the GT 3 series than it was on previous Huawei wearables. For a more in-depth analysis of GPS performance, you can read our full Huawei Watch GT 3 review (it has the same dual-Band five-system GNSS as the GT 3 Pro).
Various running courses and training plans can help level up your fitness if you want a coach on your wrist. I like that you can set activity-specific goals and reminders. You can also customize the various screens displayed when tracking different activities. This lets you tailor your watch’s UI to your specific exercise preferences.
Huawei’s heart-rate tracking is great on the GT 3 series, producing figures very similar to the Polar H10 chest strap. The GT 3 Pro is a little less accurate, missing the extreme highs and lows the H10 records, but it’s pretty close. SpO2 monitoring is also good, closely matching the Apple Watch.
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro review
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There’s no denying that the Huawei Watch GT3 Pro looks great, and like Huawei’s other smartwatches, emerges as a really strong option for Android users. It’s still not the perfect smartwatch though, especially if you’re an iPhone user. and those sports profile extras will certainly have niche appeal. If you’re sold on Huawei and can spend on high-grade watch materials, GoPro. If not, pick up the GT3 instead for less.
- Comfortable, attractive design
- Added quick charging (46mm version)
- Good sports tracking
- Not vastly different from GT3
- Better support for Android over iOS
- ECG support not enabled (yet)
The Huawei Watch GT3 Pro brings titanium and ceramic case materials and some brand-new feature, for a super-charged version of the company’s smartwatch.
Just like the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro, this is aimed at people with more money to spend, purely on looks and aesthetics.
But this time, Huawei has managed to squeeze in some new features. Most notably, it has an ECG sensor to deliver serious heart health insights (although that feature hasn’t got regulatory approval yet), and it’s also bringing quicker charging to improve on Huawei’s already impressive battery numbers.
The standard Huawei Watch GT 3 costs around £200 (240), so it’s certainly a premium. Is it worth it? Here’s our verdict on the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro.
Design and materials
The big price tag is all about the design and materials, and it’s a fantastic smartwatch to wear.
The 46mm version featured here comes with a titanium case, button, and rotating watch crown and with a grey leather strap. It’s a nice weight, the strap feels great and it just feels high quality. It’s certainly male-focused, given the case size, however.
Huawei gives you the option of silicone, leather or a more expensive titanium strap, but there are additional straps too including a nylon one, which also comes in a range of colors. However, you only get one in the case, so if you want to work out, you’ll want silicone.
The smaller, 43mm version of the GT3 Pro swaps titanium for ceramic, and there’s the option of a ceramic or white leather strap.
There are no smartwatches quite like it, so if you’re looking for something that stands out in terms of design, that’s what you get with the 43mm GT3 Pro.
Back to the 46mm version and you’re getting the same sized 1.43-inch, 466×466 resolution AMOLED touchscreen display that features on the same sized GT3.
The 43mm, ceramic edition has a 1.39-inch screen.
Huawei has planted great screens on its smartwatches in recent years and it’s no different with the Pro. It’s bright, sharp, and responsive, gives you those rich blacks you want to see on an AMOLED screen and visibility is strong overall indoors and outside in bright light.
This is a display that can be kept on at all times, with Huawei offering a black-and-white screen to display time when you’re not trying to tinker with its Smart features.
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro: Complete Scientific Review
The GT3 Pro is suitable to wear in the water, though you’ll likely want to take that leather strap off first and swap in a silicone or nylon one instead.
It carries both an IP68 and a 5ATM water-resistant rating, making it safe to be submerged in water up to 50 meters in depth. It’s now also been made safe to work when diving in water up to 30 meters deep.
All-in-all the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is a superbly built smartwatch that oozes quality. If materials and feel are important enough to you to pay double the price of the standard GT 3, it certainly delivers.
HarmonyOS and smartwatch features
Under the hood, the GT 3 Pro runs on Huawei’s own HarmonyOS just like the other GT series watches. And in essence, it means you’re getting the exact experience of cheaper Huawei Watches, re-emphasizing that this is all about the case materials and style.
It works with Android phones, and iPhones and offers some extra integration with Huawei’s phones. If you’ve got an Android phone or a Huawei phone, you’re getting the best Huawei has to offer here.
HarmonyOS runs slick and smooth and offers the same UI touches and is a watch software that’s easy to get to grips with. Huawei’s OS brings an app store, but it pales in comparison to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store in the number of apps alone.
There are a few more apps since we tested the GT3, but there are still no big names here. It seems unlikely that Harmony OS will ever rival the likes of Wear OS or watchOS for apps.
App store aside, you can view notifications and send preset replies or emojis responses. You can view hourly and weekly weather forecasts, and set timers and alarms and you can handle calls when connected to your phone over Bluetooth.
Android users can make use of a music player to pile on music and there is now a Huawei Music service to sync music over from as well, though that support wasn’t available to test.
If you own a Huawei phone, you can also tap into its Celia Smart voice assistant to set timers and alarms and check the weather hands-free. There are certainly far more evolved smartwatch assistants out there that’s for sure.
There’s no LTE and while there’s an icon for Huawei’s Wallet contactless payment support, it doesn’t currently work with the GT3 Pro as far as we can see.
For things like notifications, weather updates, watch face, and navigating that software, that’s where the GT3 Pro excels. If you want more smartwatches, there are better options out there.
Health and fitness tracking
The GT3 Pro has all the same qualities as the GT3 in terms of tracking your health and fitness – bar an all-new ECG sensor.
Huawei has already added ECG to its watches in China, but now it’s taking advanced heart metrics global – or at least when it gets regulatory approval
Huawei needs to have its sensor technology approved, and that’s not happened yet in the EU or UK. There’s zero chance of that happening in the US given that it’s banned from selling its devices there.
When approved (and residing in the right location) you’ll be able to use that sensor and the electrode on the side of the case for 30-second readings to deliver medical-grade analysis for detecting arterial stiffness and arteriosclerosis.
That relates to the thickening of walls in the arteries, which is linked to serious health outcomes.
Continuous heart rate monitoring compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left) and Garmin Epix (right)
So until then, you have Huawei’s TruSeen 5.0 optical-based sensor technology to monitor heart rate continuously and send alerts when heart rate is abnormally high or low. That also delivers SpO2 measurements and powers stress tracking via heart rate variability.
Performance-wise, that heart rate monitor fared well when compared to Garmin’s continuous tracking and a MyZone chest strap.
There’s a skin temperature sensor included here too, although it’s not benchmarked against personal baselines and is presented without context. It’s a shining example of implementing a feature on a spec sheet without providing useful data – and it’s certainly no reason to buy the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro.
Likewise, you can spot-check SpO2 data, but there’s little insightful data.
Step counts compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left) and Oura Ring 3 (right)
If you care about fitness tracker staples, you’re well covered here. Daily step counts largely matched up with stats from the Oura Ring 3 and Garmin’s fitness tracking and you’ve got a nice dedicated widget to keep track of progress on the watch.
Sleep tracking compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left) and Oura Ring 3 (center and right)
For sleep tracking, you’re getting a rich array of stats here along with staples like sleep duration, sleep stages, and the ability to track breathing quality.
We’ve been taking it to bed with the reliable sleep tracking Oura Ring 3 and have found that sleep data in general has been pretty similar, particularly duration, sleep scores, and the breakdown of sleep stages. It felt a bit more reliable and consistent compared to our sleep-tracking time with the GT3.
Huawei does also include its Healthy Living clover, which is less about automatically tracking activity and more about nudging you with reminders to do different things in your day.
You can set it up to tell you to drink water regularly during the day, smile and keep on top of step counts and sleep at the right times. If you feel you need those nudges, then they’re there if you want them.
Sports tracking
Huawei offers the same sports tracking features as the GT3 Pro plus two extra sports profiles, one of which think could feasibly make its way onto the GT3.
You’re still getting 100 sports modes and now those modes have been joined by a freediving mode, which can display real-time diving metrics like depth, speed, and maximum depth and also includes an Apnea training mode using heart rate and breath-holding duration to help you practice how long you can hold your breath for.
The other new mode is a driving range profile to track swing speed, swing tempo, backswing time, and downswing time. Interestingly, Huawei included a richer golf mode for the China edition of the GT3 Pro, which includes course profiles and other richer metrics when you’re going for a quick round.
Outside of those two profiles, it’s much the same in terms of performance.
For runners, there are all the big running analysis and coaching, and training features that first appeared on the GT3 and were then planted into the more run-friendly design of the GT Runner.
That includes offering insights into running ability, offering training load data, recovery time recommendations, race prediction times, and adding the ability to create interval training sessions. You can also import routes and follow them on the watch as well.
GPS run tracking compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left and center) and Garmin Epix (right)
Huawei Watch GT3 Pro Review From A Galaxy Watch Owner
It also gets the dual-Band five-system GNSS technology to improve outdoor tracking in problematic areas when you’re trying to lock onto a strong signal.
GPS run tracking compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left) and Garmin Epix (right)
We put the Pro to the test on a bunch of runs including the 2022 Edinburgh Half Marathon against the very accurate Garmin Epix, which uses Garmin’s latest multi-frequency positioning technology.
The Pro didn’t fair too badly overall from an accuracy point of view, but on other runs, it did still have its moments plotting us through buildings. There were plenty of accurate runs overall though.
Heart rate tracking compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left) and heart rate monitor chest strap (right)
Core running metrics were good too, and you do have the ability to customize screens. Heart rate accuracy however wasn’t fantastic.
On more intense sessions like that half marathon test, the maximum heart rate was noticeably high compared to a chest strap monitor. Thankfully, you do have the ability to pair it up with an external sensor to remedy that.
Indoor rowing compared: Huawei Watch GT3 Pro (left and center) and Garmin Epix (right)
Away from running, we found it a solid performer tracking pool swims, and indoor rowing sessions and if you’ve got it paired up with a heart rate monitor chest strap, it works well for HIIT workouts. Even if that leather strap isn’t the best option to get sweaty with.
While the GT3 Pro’s sports tracking isn’t flawless, it’s one of the better performers we’ve seen in the smartwatch space. it feels more reliable than Samsung’s tracking and is pushing Apple for delivering a really strong tracking experience you can largely rely on.
Battery life
The battery performance you can expect from the GT3 Pro is much the same as what you’ll get from the GT3 and what we experienced in our testing.
The larger 46mm, titanium Pro is capable of up to 14 days in typical use and 8 days in heavy usage. These usage scenarios are based on lab testing, so in heavy usage, for instance, this is doing things like taking calls on Bluetooth for 30 minutes a week, enabling 24/7 heart rate monitoring, and Huawei’s most advanced sleep tracking features.
Opt for the 42mm GT3 Pro and you can expect 7 days in typical usage and 4 days in heavy usage.
We can only vouch for our time with the 46mm titanium Pro 3, which we say is good for a solid week with a mix of light and heavy usage.
We saw roughly 10% in terms of daily drop off and that was with continuous HR monitoring, notifications enabled and the screen not set to always-on mode. When we switched on continuous SpO2 monitoring and moved to that always-on display mode, it was much shorter than a week, with around 20% daily drop-off.
This is a smartwatch that is more than capable of getting you a solid 7 days and longer if you’re not making regular use of GPS, heart rate tracking, and keeping the display on at all times.
The one change here, for the 46mm GT3 Pro version only, is the introduction of quicker charging. Huawei says it’s sped things up by 30% compared to previous watches, giving you 25% battery off a 10-minute charge, and can go 0-100% in 85 minutes.
That’s around about the level of quick charging Fitbit offers on its Sense and Versa 3 smartwatches and should be enough to get you through a day’s play.
The Pro version of the Huawei Watch GT 3 doesn’t add many features, but the design has been significantly upgraded with the use of titanium and ceramic cases
Our Verdict
The appeal of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is simple: it’s a gorgeous-looking watch because of the titanium and ceramic cases available. If you’re not in it for the looks, however, the standard GT 3 or GT runner will offer better value.
For
- Great design and bright screen
- Sports tracking and training analysis
- Activity tracking
- Impressive battery life
Against
- Cheaper GT 3 has the same key features
- GPS and optical HR accuracy issues
- iPhone users miss out on features
- Few apps compared with App Store and Google Play
We give honest reviews and recommendations based on in-depth knowledge and real-world experience. Find out more about how we review and recommend products.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is an upgraded version of both the Huawei Watch GT 3 and the Huawei Watch GT Runner, offering largely the same features, though in a more stylish case using titanium and ceramic materials.
The design upgrade increases the price, but at 375 in the US and £299.99 in the UK it is still cheap given the quality of the materials used and the range of sporty and Smart features on the GT 3 Pro. There’s a strong argument for it being one of the best fitness smartwatches – though the cheaper Huawei watches do offer better value.
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Review: Price And Availability
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is available in two designs. The larger 46.6mm watch is made from titanium and costs from 375/£299.99, while the 42.9mm white ceramic watch costs from 535/£429.99. The standard Huawei Watch GT 3 costs from 260/£209.99 for a 42mm watch and from 285/£229.99 for a 46mm one, while the 46mm Huawei Watch GT Runner costs 325/£259.99.
Design
Both versions of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro look fantastic, and the white ceramic watch is particularly striking. The titanium version comes with a choice of titanium, leather and fluoroelastomer straps. The ceramic watch, which has gold accents on the bezel and crown, comes with either a ceramic link or white leather strap.
There is a sapphire glass screen on both watches: the 46mm titanium watch has a 1.43in (36mm) display, while the 43mm’s is 1.32in (33.5mm). I tested the titanium watch and the 466 x 466 AMOLED display is excellent – as bright and vibrant as the screen on any smartwatch I’ve looked at.
The watch has a rotating crown and a button to navigate through its menus. The touchscreen can also be used for this and is highly responsive. The larger crown doubles as a button that takes you back to the watch face. I regularly pressed this by mistake when trying to select something, which became frustrating.
Another upgrade to the GT 3 Pro is its water resistance. It has an IP68 5ATM rating, and can handle diving to depths of up to 30m, which you can track with a new free-diving mode.
The GT 3 Pro has Huawei’s TruSeen 5.0 optical heart rate monitor and can take an ECG and measure arterial stiffness, though these features were not available in Europe at launch. It can also measure blood oxygen saturation, track stress levels, and it has a barometer to track elevation changes during activities.
As with the GT 3 and GT Runner, the GT 3 Pro has dual-Band GPS tracking, which means it can utilise five satellites systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS) at once using two bands, which should increase the accuracy of outdoor activity tracking. I say “should” because I didn’t find that to be the case as I have done with other multi-Band watches, like the Garmin Epix 2 or Fenix 7.
Sports Tracking
There are more than 100 workout modes on the GT 3 Pro, including the new free-diving mode and an improved golf mode. The latter provides stats to help you understand and improve your game, including swing speed, and backswing and downswing time.
I wasn’t able to hit the links with the watch, but I have logged around 100km of running with it, plus several cycles, strength workouts and yoga sessions. You can set the display to be always-on during workouts and it’s clear to read in all conditions, though I wish you could add more stats per page to take advantage of the bright, large screen.
It’s possible to customise the stats you show, and while the range of stats to choose from is not as comprehensive as on a dedicated sports watch, it will satisfy most people. You can also pair external sensors like a chest strap, speed/cadence sensor or power meter via Bluetooth to get more data.
Runners will get more than anyone else from the GT 3 Pro, which offers them extensive training analysis and customisable training plans for 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon events, plus preset workouts you can use on the watch. The training analysis is detailed, giving info like your recovery time, a rating of your running ability ranked against your peers, predicted race times and your VO2 max. It’s a lot of useful info that’s presented well using colour-coded graphs.
While the GPS and HR accuracy wasn’t always perfect, the native sports tracking on the GT 3 Pro is as good as anything I’ve come across on a true smartwatch. That said, you can more than make up the difference by using the more extensive app stores on the Apple Watch and Wear OS devices.
GPS And HR Accuracy
As a keen runner who spends far too much time obsessing over GPS accuracy, I’ve found the new wave of devices with multi-Band GPS exciting. I’ve seen noticeable improvements in distance and pace accuracy from Garmin’s multi-Band devices – including the new Forerunner 955 and 255 – and the Coros Vertix 2 also impressed on this front, if not as much as the Garmins.
However, when testing Huawei’s dual-Band devices I’ve been disappointed by the GPS accuracy. Neither the GT Runner nor the GT 3 Pro has shown an improvement over standard GPS tracking, despite their dual-Band capabilities. I found they often cut corners on my runs so the distance tracked ended up short. The GT 3 Pro is not disastrously bad – usually within a few hundred metres of the actual distance I ran, even on longer runs – but I regularly saw quirks in my current or lap pace that meant it was hard to use the watch to judge my pace, particularly on hard runs. Keen runners hoping for top-level accuracy in a smartwatch won’t find it here.
The heart rate accuracy was also disappointing, often reading too high during my runs. I suspect the watch was locking on to my cadence during these, which is annoying because it started firing “high heart rate” alerts at me at regular intervals. It is worth linking a chest strap heart rate monitor if you want to get the most from the watch’s training analysis.
Activity And Sleep Tracking
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro does a great job of tracking your daily activity, logging all the usual stats, like steps and active minutes, and your progress towards daily targets is shown in colour-coded rings you have to fill in.
You also get inactivity alerts if stationary for too long, and the Healthy Living feature in the app can be set up to alert you to drink water, or do regular breathing exercises each day. It can even remind you to smile, which is an annoying alert in my opinion.
The GT 3 Pro is a great sleep tracker: Huawei’s TruSleep 2.0 sleep monitoring provides a wealth of data about your sleep, backed up with clear explanations of each measurement. The watch was accurate, in that it recorded similar sleep times and scores to that of an Oura Ring, which I have found to be the best sleep tracker I’ve tested.
Battery Life
Huawei lists the battery life on the GT 3 Pro as up to 14 days of general use, or eight days of heavy use. As a heavy user, recording outdoor runs most days, it lasted me eight days exactly. One of the reasons the watch gets such great battery life is that it doesn’t run Wear OS, instead using Huawei’s HarmonyOS. That has its downside in terms of Smart features, but having a watch with a screen this good last for more than a week, when running daily, is impressive.
Smart Features
I tested the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro with an iPhone, which means I missed out on several Smart features, including being able to load music on to the watch and sync my activities with third-party apps, such as Strava.
Android users have more Smart features to use on the watch, but it’s still less impressive than true smartwatches. Syncing activities externally is fiddly and requires another app called HealthSync, and Huawei’s AppGallery has fewer apps than the App Store or Google Play.
You can sync GPX routes to the watch to follow during activities, and there is a back-to-start pointer that ensures you won’t get too lost on any run or cycle. If you have a Huawei phone you can get the Petal Maps app for turn-by-turn navigation.
The watch also supports notifications from your phone and has weather forecasts, but despite the stellar screen the GT 3 Pro does fall short of the Smart feature standards of a true smartwatch – mostly because of the lack of apps.
Is The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Worth It?
The extra features on the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro are unlikely to convince many to upgrade, so it’s a question of how much you value the design of the watch to make that decision. It’s certainly a good-looking watch and it does pack in an impressive amount of sports and activity tracking features, even if the accuracy isn’t always on point.
The Apple Watch Series 7 remains the best sporty smartwatch for iPhone users, especially given the impending upgrades to the native Workouts app, but I have found that Huawei’s watches offer more to Android users focused on fitness than rivals like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch range.
However, you do lose out on Smart features with Huawei, and the app store is limited. Another option is the Garmin Venu 2, which offers Garmin’s excellent sports tracking and a bright AMOLED display; the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is cheaper, though, and I’d say it’s better-looking too.
Huawei’s GT3 Pro is a Luxury Timepiece with Smart Features
So you’ve been in a steady and committed relationship with your Apple Watch for a few years now, and although you may love it, you can’t help but wonder what else is out there. Well, you’ve come to the right place, because I’m about to break down the new Huawei Watch GT3 Pro and compare it to my experience wearing an Apple Watch SE.
Those who follow me know I’ve tested my share of wearable technology: Whether it’s strapping on a Muse headband to meditate, or wearing augmented reality glasses to a conference, I’m always game to try on the future of fashion. But this is my first time specifically reviewing a smartwatch, so let me know what you think about this type of content. Before we get started, I want to disclose that while Huawei has sponsored this article, I committed to a candid and honest review. So let’s dive right in:
Aesthetics Design
Speaking of luxury watches, the overall look of the GT 3 Pro is giving Chanel J12 vibes, which is a ceramic and steel watch from Chanel that costs between 7,000 to 20,000. The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is made of nanocrystalline ceramic, which is a material that’s known for its durability. It has diamond powder polishing, which makes it super shiny and high quality. I’ve worn this watch for over a month now and it still looks brand new despite the fact that I’ve bumped it a few times. It’s definitely more scratch resistant than you’d expect and stays a lot cleaner than some of the fabric bands I’ve used in past.
The design features a round face, which is not like the square face we’re used to, but I never really liked the square face. I think the round face is more classic, and it actually allows you to see information more clearly. It’s a 1.43-inch AMOLED high-definition colour display. According to Huawei, the watch got its name from the automotive industry. GT is short for Gran Turismo, which means long-distance travel. They chose this name because the watch is made with longer battery life and is designed to keep up with your busy lifestyle.
Before I get into talking about battery life, I know the straps and the faces are one of the first things people want to customize on their smartwatch, so if you’re looking to purchase this one, you should know that the straps are limited compared to the choices you have with an Apple Watch. Both the titanium and ceramic model can be changed to leather straps, and you can choose from limited styles of free watch faces in the Huawei Health app, with others available for purchase.
Battery Life
Compared to the Apple Watch SE, the battery life on the GT 3 Pro does last longer, but the length of time depends on how heavily you’re using it, which for me makes it a little unpredictable. With my Apple Watch, I charge it routinely each night with my phone. When I started testing out the Huawei Watch I fell out of the nightly charging routine because I really wanted to see how long it would last, but what ended up happening was I found myself running out of battery in the middle of the day. So just like any new relationship, it may be a switch-up to your routine, but pretty soon you’ll figure it out. While I love the idea of going on vacation and not having to pack the cable for my smartwatch, I think realistically if I was going anywhere for more than 3 days I would be worried about it running out of battery life. I know extended battery life is something Apple just announced in its new Ultra series watch, so it seems that industry standards are going towards longer battery life.
Speaker
One thing I use my Apple Watch for all the time is to take hands-free phone calls when I’m on the fly, and I can confidently say the speaker is much better on Huawei’S GT 3 Pro. The Apple Watch speaker on the SE is very tinny and I’ve found that if I’m on an Apple Watch and the person I’m speaking to is also on an Apple Watch, the quality isn’t great. The calls that come through on the GT 3 Pro are crystal clear, so that’s definitely a benefit. On the “con” side—and this is something you should know if you’re going to buy this watch—the Huawei watch is more chatty than the Apple Watch, meaning that by default it would give me workout broadcasts, which were useful but sometimes disruptive in my yoga class, so you have to set these notifications to silent.
Compatibility
The GT 3 Pro works with both iOS and Android, which is great, but it also plays well with your other Apple accessories. This means you can answer the phone on your watch and then pass off the call to your Airpods for example. I know some people who use exclusively Apple products are used to having everything within the same ecosystem, but I didn’t have any issues with compatibility that is until I wanted to download other apps outside of what the watch comes with. In fact, I find the Huawei Health app cleaner and easier to understand than other companion apps.
Fitness
When it comes to using your smartwatch as a fitness companion, I think the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has it all, but not at first blush. What I mean by that is when I first opened the workout app, I didn’t see the activities I normally do such as yoga, strength training, and horseback riding. But when you download the Huawei Health app, you can actually add more than 100 workout modes. It does seem that there are a lot of features geared towards runners as a default, so if you’re a runner that’s a plus. Once I found out how to download workout types from my app to the phone I was a lot more ready to use this watch as a fitness companion. I stressed tested the watch’s heat resistance in a hot yoga class as well as its water resistance in the pool. I can confirm this watch can handle anything you throw at it from a fitness perspective. One feature I really like is that you can customize the down button as a shortcut to your workouts, which makes it a lot easier to record activities while on the go.
Wellness
In addition to fitness support, there are a number of apps to support your overall wellness, including a meditation app that guides your breathing exercises and cycle tracking. There’s also a sleep monitor that can detect if you’re in deep sleep, light sleep, and REM so you can get a better understanding of your sleep and how to improve it. The only thing is because of the weight of this watch you may not be comfortable wearing it at night when you sleep, so that’s something to consider. You can also enable features like continuous skin temperature measurement and heart rate monitoring. The watch will alert you if your resting heart rate is abnormally high or low, and it will also monitor the amount of oxygen in your blood with its state-of-the-art SpO2 monitor.
Final Verdict
As with relationships in real life, the relationship with your smartwatch is becoming increasingly important as it fulfils the role of fitness companion, wellness tracker, and personal assistant. I went into this experience really not convinced that I needed anything outside of my Apple Watch, but what I’ve found is that you don’t know what you’re missing until you try it. The standout features for me are the larger screen, the longer battery life, the improved speaker, and I think most importantly, the luxury look and feel. I recommend this watch if you’re looking for something that feels more like a classic timepiece with Smart features. The biggest downfall in my opinion is the weight, which can be a positive thing if you like a heavier watch, for me, it was just a bit too dense on the wrist.
Of course, this wasn’t meant to be an exhaustive review but I hope I’ve given you enough information so you now understand how the GT 3 Pro compares to the Apple Watch SE so you can make a more informed purchase decision. What’s clear to me is that Huawei made a luxury-looking watch that can compete with any adventure watch out there, and it will be interesting to see how the GT 3 Pro compares to the Ultra, which is Apple’s newly announced watch.
What do you think of the smartwatch landscape today? Any favourites I should know about? Let me know in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев or you can @Electric_Runway on
