Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro review: a slab of smart sophistication

With the arrival of the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro, Huawei has gone back to its smartwatch roots, moving away from the sportier devices it's released of late and created a much more sophisticated design.

It's a move that works: the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is easily one of the best-looking smartwatches on the scene. Its classic good looks, titanium, sapphire glass and ceramic construction and that traditional, timeless circular timepiece shape all come together very well indeed. There's a choice of leather and silicone straps in the box and they both complement the watch's face.

While its design is excellent some specs on paper at least are a bit of a head scratcher. For starters, it runs with just 32MB of RAM . The Watch GT 2 Pro doesn’t run third-party apps like Strava, or Spotify,

This all begs the question - why is the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro still so incredibly good and easy to recommend? It all comes down to battery life and out of the box usability - keep reading to find out more.

1. It lasts and lasts (and lasts)

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is quoted to deliver 14-day battery life, and in the real world, it isn’t too far off that. We were getting between 5-7 days with the always-on display active, and a few workouts firing up the GPS. With light use, a day took it down by just eight per cent.

This type of battery prowess is rare in smartwatches. In our recent Zepp E review, we revealed that it clocked in around 5 days, but the Watch GT 2 Pro fares better.

By comparison the Apple Watch delivers a maximum of two days on a single charge, and you can expect up to three to four days from Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3. This makes the GT 2 Pro the clear winner.

The reason Huawei’s able to hit these battery highs is its low power Kirin A1 processor, and the minimal demands it places on the watch’s dinky cell.

So while it can’t run third-party apps, the question to ask yourself is: what matters more to you, installable apps or excellent battery life?

2. Wireless charging makes life easier

Unlike most wearable makers, Huawei has ditched proprietary charging and added Qi wireless charging to the Watch GT 2 Pro. Sure, it ships with a charging base (its white and rather cheap looking) but you don’t have to use it. Place the watch on a wireless charger, or on the back of a compatible phone, including the P40 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and it’ll go from zero to 100 in around half an hour.

Just ten minutes of charge will easily get you through a full day of heavy use with the Watch GT 2 Pro, and given the fact you only need to power it up once a week or thereabouts, if you’re home has wireless charges dotted around, you could never end up with a powered down deadweight on your wrist again.

3. You may not need third-party apps

For a certain kind of user who wants a smartwatch for training or smart living, the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is definitely not the right choice. We’ve mentioned Spotify and Strava, but its lack of smarts extend further. You can’t reply to messages on it, for example. Additionally, while Huawei’s voice assistant, Celia is an upcoming feature expected to land on the Watch imminently, there’s no Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri support here.

That said, what the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro can do may well be as comprehensive as you need it to be. All your standard watch tools are accounted for - alarm, timer, stopwatch. It also pulls up a suite of weather information together, complete with sunrise and sunset graphs, and it packs a compass and barometer.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro’s tracking credentials are also on-point. Unlike the Apple Watch, it tracks sleep and stress, and like the competition, it measures heart rate, SP02 levels and can walk you through breathing exercises when things get a bit much.

The date on board is explained, too, which is a really nice touch - you aren't just bombarded with cumbers but context too.

4. Think of a sport - the GT 2 Pro tracks it

With over 100 sports tracked, the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is one of the most comprehensive fitness trackers you can buy. Press the upper button, tap workout, and you get a customisable list of everything from CrossFit, Skiing, Triathlon training and Taekwondo, through to more novelty ways of staying in shape - Hula Hoop tracking anyone?

With 5ATM waterproofing, the Watch GT 2 Pro is also built for both swimming pool and open water training - just don’t use the pre-fitted leather straps when taking the plunge - there’s a silicone alternative in the box for when things get wet.

We really liked the running sessions, too, ranging from fat burning to keeping pace. It's a nice touch for a smartwatch that may have forgotten to put its sports tracksuit on, but is still keeping fit alongside some of the best fitness trackers on the market.

5. It works with an iPhone

Our biggest gripes with past Huawei Watch GTs have been just how poor the experience is when they’re paired with an iPhone. Thankfully, the Watch GT 2 Pro matches beautifully with iOS mobiles, making it an excellent, round alternative to the rectangular Apple Watch.

Pair the watch with the Huawei Health app, available for iOS and Android (pairing was quick, thanks to this method) and the data it captures can feed into either Google Fit or MyFitnessPal on an Android device, or Apple Health when using an iPhone. This means everything from workouts to steps and heart rate aren’t confined to Huawei’s app, but can be accessed across all your devices, and be fed into other services.

iPhone notifications are also supported, just like on Android, and you can use the Huawei Watch GT 2 to make phone calls on thanks to a speaker and mic loaded up - Dick Tracy style.

In turn, while we’re absolutely not saying the Watch GT 2 Pro is perfect, its compromises may be a small price to pay for the fact it packs excellent battery life and amongst the best design we’ve ever seen on a wearable.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro: Final Verdict

Its specs may be ageing, but the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is such a smart-looking package that you look beyond its apparent lack of power.

The main reason for this, is that Huawei has made sure the battery life won't fail you and the fitness features on offer aren't app based but metrics do synch with your health app of choice.

It may not be as clever as some other smartwatches around, but its classic looks more than make up for this.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is out 5 October for £299.

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Additional reporting: Basil Kronfli