Huawei has revealed its latest wearable, the Huawei Watch GT 3. With its long battery life, improved HR monitoring and two-size availability, Huawei is building on its previous smartwatch efforts and looking to make significant waves in the premium market.
There are two sizes available for the GT 3; a 46mm model, which is the same as the Huawei Watch 3 and suitable for larger wrists, and a new 42mm model, which brings similar functionality to customers with smaller wrists. Though very much related, there are some differences between the two sizes of the GT 3, with the larger model carrying a slightly higher-spec performance.
The 46mm Huawei Watch GT 3 retails for £229.99, and the 42mm Huawei Watch GT 3 for £209.99. The Huawei Watch GT 3 will be shipping on 10th November 2021.
We got a preview of the Huawei Watch GT 3. Here’s what we found out:
Battery life
Huawei is keen to highlight the battery life of the new GT 3 watch, and the advertised runtimes certainly impress. The 46mm GT 3 is stated to carry enough juice for 14-days of normal usage, dropping to 8 days under heavy use conditions. Huawei class “heavy use” as regularly listening to music, using GPS, workout tracking and similar activities. The 43mm GT 3 has half the battery life, carrying seven days of power for normal use and four under heavy use.
How the runtimes will perform during real-world use is yet to be seen. However, even if Huawei’s claims are out by 20 or 30 per cent, the numbers are considerably higher than Huawei’s competition. By comparison, the new Apple Watch 7 has only 18-hours of battery, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 sits around 40-hours.
It is worth noting that the long battery life of the 46mm GT 3 is related to its size - bigger body, bigger battery. The 42mm version is much closer in performance to the competition.
Screen
The 46mm GT 3 has a 1.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. The 42mm GT 3 also uses AMOLED, this time measuring 1.3-inches and carrying 21.65% fewer pixels - we thought this was a strange way of putting it in the preview, but it works out around 444 x 444.
Weight and size
The larger GT 3 has a 46mm diameter, is 11mm thick and weighs 42.6g. The smaller GT 3 has a diameter of 43mm, is 10.2mm thick and weighs 35g. The 41mm version of the Apple Watch Series 7 weighs 32g, and the 45mm version weighs 38.8g.
For extra personalisation, custom straps are available directly from Huawei. Any 20mm wristwatch strap will also fit the smartwatch.
Software, HR and fitness
The GT 3 runs on HarmonyOS, the same lightweight but capable OS found on the standard Huawei Watch 3. It features a chessboard layout that can be navigated by the watch’s scrolling bezel or touchscreen. On the side of the GT 3, there’s a button that automatically brings up the exercise menu.
The GT 3 houses a TruSeen 5.0+ HR sensor, upgrading the TruSeen 4.0 found in the Watch 3. Previously, the HR sensor has been one of the weaker elements of Huawei’s smartwatches. The 5.0+, and redesigned watch backing, looks to address this issue, boasting between a 94.6 to 96 per cent HR recording accuracy, depending on the exercise. Similarly, the GPS has upgraded to dual-band five-system GNSS, a powerful and accurate tracker.
More generally, the new GT 3 presents its fitness features as a holistic three-leafed “clover” tracking not only calories and miles, but other gauges of wellness. It’s an always-on fitness software, which tracks three areas of the wearer’s day - exercise, lifestyle and sleep.
Exercise is as you would expect, offering a range of workout tracking and guidance programming, including running, weightlifting and over 100 more. Lifestyle tracking will keep a record of stress, movement, hydration, and track menstrual cycles, while sleep tracking - unsurprisingly - tracks quality and quantity of sleep.
Those particularly interested in sleep tracking will no doubt see the benefit of the long battery life here - unlike some of Huawei’s competition, the GT 3 won’t (always) need to be on the bedside table.
All of this information can sync up with the Huawei Health app. Here, current data combines with historical data to create personalised training feedback. Not only can this be used to show you where there’s room for improvement or progression in your sporting activities, but also if your body is showing signs of fatigue. At these moments, the user will be alerted with the recommendation to take a rest day to avoid injury.
The GT 3 will also support a Huawei AI Running Coach. Date of release TBC.
The 46mm Huawei Watch GT 3 retails for £229.99 and the 42mm Huawei Watch GT 3 for £209.99. The Huawei Watch GT 3 will be shipping on 10th November 2021. Available on presale now.