HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review: you can now train with style

We’ve been using the HUAWEI Watch GT2 Pro as our daily driver for close to one month. Usage scenarios detailed within the review below.

I was fortunate enough to live and train with the original HUAWEI Watch GT2, and then with the more affordable Watch GT 2e. They are great lifestyle and training companions, and I enjoyed my time with both of them long after my review period.

With the recently announced HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro, the company addresses a totally different target audience. If the base model GT 2 got a more affordable GT 2e companion, the GT 2 Pro is the watch’s premium version. You can not only wear it to the gym or dressed casually, but you can also dress up and still use the watch, which no longer looks like a sports-only accessory.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

While most of the things are unchanged, there are some differences though compared to previous models. We’ll check those out in our HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review below.

The looks

The Watch GT 2 e was aimed at the active users, so HUAWEI flattened the side buttons to avoid accidental presses if you’re bending your wrist during your workouts.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

For the Watch GT 2 Pro, the manufacturer returned to the original rounded buttons that were featured on the initial GT 2. However, the GT 2 Pro being a more elegant accessory, HUAWEI replaced the numbers on the watch dial with a more discrete signage consisting of a triangle at 12 o’clock, and subtle lines at every hour mark.

While still rubber, the watchband nicely imitates a leather strap to keep the elegant look consistent. This is the first aspect of the premium materials HUAWEI has been using for the GT 2 Pro.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

Next is the watch case itself. It is now made of titanium, which is lighter and more durable. The watch face itself is sapphire glass, which is also more durable and deals with scratches better, while the watch’s backside is ceramic.

Last but not least, still in the looks department, the default watch face is an elegant one, called “Black Tie” (there are 13 pre-installed on the watch), for obvious reasons. You can, however, easily change it from within the HUAWEI Health app. You’ve got endless options to choose from.

The display – a 1.39-inch OLED panel with 454 x 454 resolution and 462 PPI – is gorgeous, but it should come as no surprise since the entire line-up features the same, beautiful panel.

What’s new

While previous generation GT2 models were pretty damn accurate in determining your heart rate and blood level oxygen, for the GT 2 Pro HUAWEI upgraded the sensor on the back. It now features a TruSeen 4.0+ sensor, which, according to the manufacturer, offers better light transmission and utilization, it’s more power efficient and features AI-assisted intelligent heart rate algorithms.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

The other significant change, which is a very welcome one, is the addition of wireless charging. Sure, if you’re using the supplied charging pad, it makes no difference whether it’s a pogo-pin approach or a wireless charging approach, but with this charging technology, you can use your smartphone’s reverse wireless charging capabilities to charge your watch.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

HUAWEI claims that a 5-minute charge offers you 10 hours of usage, and we’ve verified that to be true.

The smarts

The HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro features, more or less, the exact same software (LiteOS) that powers the predecessors. Sadly, it comes with the same cons we’ve mentioned with the occasion of our past reviews.

You still can’t act on notification, aside from scrolling through them and dismissing them, so forget about replying to a text message. And, while still on the topic, the watch still doesn’t support the display of emojis, so if you get a text or a WhatsApp message that only contains an emoji, like a 👍🏻, the notification will be empty.

Also, no payment options are supported on the Watch GT 2 Pro, similar to the two predecessors, which, of course, makes sense since, aside from the differences outlined in the segment above, this is, in reality, the same watch.

Unlike the GT 2e, but similar to the GT2, the GT 2 Pro allows you to take calls on the wrist. The loudspeaker (and it’s pretty loud) is back, with a very subtle opening between the two buttons, with the microphone being on the opposite side.

The Kirin A1 chip does a great job of keeping things fluid and snappy, but the lack of cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity means that the watch relies solely on the smartphone for its needs.

You can, however, train without your smartphone, as the GT 2 Pro does feature its own GPS antenna for all your tracking needs. Not only that, but there’s a new “Route Back” feature that relies on the recorded GPS data to help you find your way back should you get lost while being out.

Out of the 4GB of storage, 2GB are available for local music storage. You can listen to music without your smartphone while training, and you can pair any Bluetooth headphones or earbuds directly to the watch in order to achieve that.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

In terms of battery life, in our experience, it lasted the advertised seven days. This is with ten cardio sessions per week, 5 CrossFit and weightlifting trainings, and two sessions of shooting baskets. Also, heart rate monitoring is continuous, and considering that the aforementioned sessions all imply the use of GPS, charging the watch every Sunday evening is an excellent run, considering other competitors barely make it through the day.

Fitness and Health aspects

The HUAWEI Health App is the HQ for everything fitness, sleep, and health-related. That’s where all your data is synced, from your training sessions to your heart rate, from your sleep records to your blood oxygen levels. You can find more details on the HUAWEI Health App by checking out its section in our Watch GT2 review.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro revirew

The HUAWEI Health App is the HQ for everything fitness, sleep, and health-related. That’s where all your data is synced, from your training sessions to your heart rate, from your sleep records to your blood oxygen levels. You can find more details on the HUAWEI Health App by checking out its section in our Watch GT2 review.

The Watch GT 2 Pro supports more than 100 workout modes (sadly, still no basketball, HUAWEI!). Of those, 17 are professional modes, and 85 are custom modes, and new is the addition of Golf Mode and Skiing and Snowboarding Modem in addition to Cross Country Skiing.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

When it comes to training, the watch records your heart rate pretty accurately, as long as you keep the contact between the sensor and your skin clean. This means that if you’re pushing hard and you’re sweating a lot, you might need to occasionally wipe your wrist (and/or the back of the watch) dry.

If you’re walking or running, it will also calculate your VO2Max, and compare it to a general benchmark of people your gender, age, etc. SpO2 readings are on-demand, and the results are synced back to the Health App.

Sleep tracking is also pretty accurate, with the watch precisely detection your bedtime and wake-up moments, with everything in between (sleep stages and awake time).

You can also set a benchmark for your stress level readout, which your watch takes during the day, to see exactly how bad or good of a day you’ve had, and whether you need to calm down by taking some breathing exercises, also available on the watch.

You can also set a benchmark for your stress level readout, which your watch takes during the day, to see exactly how bad or good of a day you’ve had, and whether you need to calm down by taking some breathing exercises, also available on the watch.

Pricing and availability

€349 is what you’ll have to pay for this premium version of the watch, but if you are in the US, there’s no word yet on whether it will officially be available, or you might have to import it yourself.

The Watch GT 2 Pro is available in two options: Sport (with a black rubber band, the one you see above), and a Classic variant with a brown leather strap.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

The Watch GT 2 Pro is available in two options: Sport (with a black rubber band, the one you see above), and a Classic variant with a brown leather strap.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
+ premium materials
+ classy design
+ beautiful display
+ insane battery life
+ accurate heart-rate tracking
+ always-on display
+ 100+ activity modes
+ wireless charging
– no NFC, Cellular or Wi-Fi
– no payment options
– notification system needs more work
– iOS experience inferior to Android

Conclusion

The original Watch GT2 was already a great smartwatch, to begin with. For the current model, HUAWEI took the Watch GT 2 Pro to the next level by using premium materials, upgrading the main heart-rate sensor, and adding in the convenience of wireless charging. Because of the extreme battery life, accurate health and fitness features, gorgeous display, and premium/classy appearance, the HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro is our Editor’s Choice for the best smartwatch in terms of looks, performance, and insane battery life.

The post HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review: you can now train with style appeared first on Pocketnow.

HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review: you can now train with style

We’ve been using the HUAWEI Watch GT2 Pro as our daily driver for close to one month. Usage scenarios detailed within the review below.

I was fortunate enough to live and train with the original HUAWEI Watch GT2, and then with the more affordable Watch GT 2e. They are great lifestyle and training companions, and I enjoyed my time with both of them long after my review period.

With the recently announced HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro, the company addresses a totally different target audience. If the base model GT 2 got a more affordable GT 2e companion, the GT 2 Pro is the watch’s premium version. You can not only wear it to the gym or dressed casually, but you can also dress up and still use the watch, which no longer looks like a sports-only accessory.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

While most of the things are unchanged, there are some differences though compared to previous models. We’ll check those out in our HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review below.

The looks

The Watch GT 2 e was aimed at the active users, so HUAWEI flattened the side buttons to avoid accidental presses if you’re bending your wrist during your workouts.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

For the Watch GT 2 Pro, the manufacturer returned to the original rounded buttons that were featured on the initial GT 2. However, the GT 2 Pro being a more elegant accessory, HUAWEI replaced the numbers on the watch dial with a more discrete signage consisting of a triangle at 12 o’clock, and subtle lines at every hour mark.

While still rubber, the watchband nicely imitates a leather strap to keep the elegant look consistent. This is the first aspect of the premium materials HUAWEI has been using for the GT 2 Pro.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

Next is the watch case itself. It is now made of titanium, which is lighter and more durable. The watch face itself is sapphire glass, which is also more durable and deals with scratches better, while the watch’s backside is ceramic.

Last but not least, still in the looks department, the default watch face is an elegant one, called “Black Tie” (there are 13 pre-installed on the watch), for obvious reasons. You can, however, easily change it from within the HUAWEI Health app. You’ve got endless options to choose from.

The display – a 1.39-inch OLED panel with 454 x 454 resolution and 462 PPI – is gorgeous, but it should come as no surprise since the entire line-up features the same, beautiful panel.

What’s new

While previous generation GT2 models were pretty damn accurate in determining your heart rate and blood level oxygen, for the GT 2 Pro HUAWEI upgraded the sensor on the back. It now features a TruSeen 4.0+ sensor, which, according to the manufacturer, offers better light transmission and utilization, it’s more power efficient and features AI-assisted intelligent heart rate algorithms.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

The other significant change, which is a very welcome one, is the addition of wireless charging. Sure, if you’re using the supplied charging pad, it makes no difference whether it’s a pogo-pin approach or a wireless charging approach, but with this charging technology, you can use your smartphone’s reverse wireless charging capabilities to charge your watch.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

HUAWEI claims that a 5-minute charge offers you 10 hours of usage, and we’ve verified that to be true.

The smarts

The HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro features, more or less, the exact same software (LiteOS) that powers the predecessors. Sadly, it comes with the same cons we’ve mentioned with the occasion of our past reviews.

You still can’t act on notification, aside from scrolling through them and dismissing them, so forget about replying to a text message. And, while still on the topic, the watch still doesn’t support the display of emojis, so if you get a text or a WhatsApp message that only contains an emoji, like a 👍🏻, the notification will be empty.

Also, no payment options are supported on the Watch GT 2 Pro, similar to the two predecessors, which, of course, makes sense since, aside from the differences outlined in the segment above, this is, in reality, the same watch.

Unlike the GT 2e, but similar to the GT2, the GT 2 Pro allows you to take calls on the wrist. The loudspeaker (and it’s pretty loud) is back, with a very subtle opening between the two buttons, with the microphone being on the opposite side.

The Kirin A1 chip does a great job of keeping things fluid and snappy, but the lack of cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity means that the watch relies solely on the smartphone for its needs.

You can, however, train without your smartphone, as the GT 2 Pro does feature its own GPS antenna for all your tracking needs. Not only that, but there’s a new “Route Back” feature that relies on the recorded GPS data to help you find your way back should you get lost while being out.

Out of the 4GB of storage, 2GB are available for local music storage. You can listen to music without your smartphone while training, and you can pair any Bluetooth headphones or earbuds directly to the watch in order to achieve that.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

In terms of battery life, in our experience, it lasted the advertised seven days. This is with ten cardio sessions per week, 5 CrossFit and weightlifting trainings, and two sessions of shooting baskets. Also, heart rate monitoring is continuous, and considering that the aforementioned sessions all imply the use of GPS, charging the watch every Sunday evening is an excellent run, considering other competitors barely make it through the day.

Fitness and Health aspects

The HUAWEI Health App is the HQ for everything fitness, sleep, and health-related. That’s where all your data is synced, from your training sessions to your heart rate, from your sleep records to your blood oxygen levels. You can find more details on the HUAWEI Health App by checking out its section in our Watch GT2 review.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro revirew

The HUAWEI Health App is the HQ for everything fitness, sleep, and health-related. That’s where all your data is synced, from your training sessions to your heart rate, from your sleep records to your blood oxygen levels. You can find more details on the HUAWEI Health App by checking out its section in our Watch GT2 review.

The Watch GT 2 Pro supports more than 100 workout modes (sadly, still no basketball, HUAWEI!). Of those, 17 are professional modes, and 85 are custom modes, and new is the addition of Golf Mode and Skiing and Snowboarding Modem in addition to Cross Country Skiing.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

When it comes to training, the watch records your heart rate pretty accurately, as long as you keep the contact between the sensor and your skin clean. This means that if you’re pushing hard and you’re sweating a lot, you might need to occasionally wipe your wrist (and/or the back of the watch) dry.

If you’re walking or running, it will also calculate your VO2Max, and compare it to a general benchmark of people your gender, age, etc. SpO2 readings are on-demand, and the results are synced back to the Health App.

Sleep tracking is also pretty accurate, with the watch precisely detection your bedtime and wake-up moments, with everything in between (sleep stages and awake time).

You can also set a benchmark for your stress level readout, which your watch takes during the day, to see exactly how bad or good of a day you’ve had, and whether you need to calm down by taking some breathing exercises, also available on the watch.

You can also set a benchmark for your stress level readout, which your watch takes during the day, to see exactly how bad or good of a day you’ve had, and whether you need to calm down by taking some breathing exercises, also available on the watch.

Pricing and availability

€349 is what you’ll have to pay for this premium version of the watch, but if you are in the US, there’s no word yet on whether it will officially be available, or you might have to import it yourself.

The Watch GT 2 Pro is available in two options: Sport (with a black rubber band, the one you see above), and a Classic variant with a brown leather strap.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review

The Watch GT 2 Pro is available in two options: Sport (with a black rubber band, the one you see above), and a Classic variant with a brown leather strap.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
+ premium materials
+ classy design
+ beautiful display
+ insane battery life
+ accurate heart-rate tracking
+ always-on display
+ 100+ activity modes
+ wireless charging
– no NFC, Cellular or Wi-Fi
– no payment options
– notification system needs more work
– iOS experience inferior to Android

Conclusion

The original Watch GT2 was already a great smartwatch, to begin with. For the current model, HUAWEI took the Watch GT 2 Pro to the next level by using premium materials, upgrading the main heart-rate sensor, and adding in the convenience of wireless charging. Because of the extreme battery life, accurate health and fitness features, gorgeous display, and premium/classy appearance, the HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro is our Editor’s Choice for the best smartwatch in terms of looks, performance, and insane battery life.

The post HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro review: you can now train with style appeared first on Pocketnow.

HUAWEI Watch GT2 review: living & training with week-long battery life

It is elegant, accurate, has a great display, killer looks, and awesome battery life. What more could you want from a smartwatch? This is our HUAWEI Watch GT2 review!

The post HUAWEI Watch GT2 review: living & training with week-long battery life appeared first on Pocketnow.