Huawei Watch GT 3 — feature-packed smartwatch and a solid update
Huawei Watch GT 3. Pic: Huawei.
Spring is here and summer is on the way, so it’s time to get more active. I’ve been checking out the latest smartwatch from Huawei, which has been a great help in keeping me on track to improving my health and fitness.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 comes in two sizes with some key design differences. The larger 46mm model has a 1.43-inch circular AMOLED display with a bevelled edge and etched dial. The 42mm version has the same dial, a 1.32-inch AMOLED display and a 3D curve edge.
The crown looks and feels great and features haptic feedback when you rotate it. My review device was the black 46mm model but there are other colour options including brown and gold with matching straps.
I’m a big fan of circular watches and Huawei has done a marvellous job of combining premium materials and build quality in a sleek and stylish design. Weighing 42.6g and 11mm thick, it never felt massive on my wrist. Of course, those with smaller wrists have the option of going for the smaller 42mm variant.
Durability is important too and the front glass still looks new after several weeks of use as does the black metal frame.
The Watch GT 3 looks stunning with unlimited contrast, vibrant colours and pin sharpness. I never struggled to see the screen indoors or out and the ambient light sensor did a great job of automatically adjusting the brightness to suit the environment I was in.
I love the Always-On-Display but this will drain the battery faster. There are hundreds of free and paid for watch faces that you can download from the Huawei Health app, but unfortunately, there are only six Always-On-Display watch faces.
The Watch GT 3 is super energy efficient and can last up to 14 days. Even with heavy use, you should still be able to eke out a week on a single charge. The small 42mm is about half the battery endurance of its bigger brother but still way ahead of the likes of the Apple Watch and Samsung Watch.
While the GT3 comes with its own wireless charger, it supports Qi wireless charging, so your phone — if it supports reverse wireless charging — or a standard wireless charging pad can charge it.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 features all-day SpO2, heart rate and temperature tracking. You can set it to record VO2 max as well as the recovery time after every workout. Like other Huawei smartwatches, the GT 3 can track 100 workouts including swimming thanks to its 5ATM water resistance (waterproof up to 50m).
The heart rate module has been upgraded from previous models and includes eight photodiodes in a circular layout and two sets of light sources, combined with a curved glass lens for comfortable wear while reducing external light interference. This allows for more accurate heart rate monitoring even during strenuous exercise while also improving the accuracy of health data such as blood oxygen.
Whether you're a novice or an accomplished runner, the GT 3 features a Personal AI Running Coach that can assess your athletic ability based on your historical running data and give you a scientific and professional running plan for your daily running and race preparation, as well as full tracking guidance. The training programme can be altered automatically and periodically during the training cycle depending on real course execution and data feedback, allowing you to increase your training efficiency and reach your running goals with more ease.
GPS accuracy has improved and now includes features like Route Back that can guide you back when you lose your direction. The Dual-Band Five-System GNSS positioning also provides users with more accurate geographic location positioning.
One of my favourite features is sleep tracking which provides all sorts of data about your nights' sleep including duration and state (deep, light and REM sleep). While it worked great when I used it with an Android phone, on an iPhone 13 it failed to download the data to the app.
Harmony Watch OS 2.1 is super quick and snappy to use. There are no delays when swiping or loading apps. However, you’re pretty much stuck with what’s pre-loaded on the watch with only a tiny selection of apps to download. Petal Maps is one of these and it will only work on Android and isn’t supported on iOS. That being said, in general, I don’t really use any of the extra apps on smartwatches anyway and Huawei says more apps will be added in the future.
The lack of NFC and Google Services means there's no GooglePay.
Another niggle I have with the OS is that you can only reply to messages with quick replies although you can create customised replies in the Huawei Health app. Another convenient feature is Bluetooth calling from the watch. Of course, you have to be within Bluetooth range of your phone for this to work.
Overall, the Huawei Watch GT 3 is a solid smartwatch that features a stunning display, exceptional battery life, extensive fitness and health tracking at a great price. However, some may be turned off by the lack of contactless payments and less than full support for iPhones.
Priced from €229 at Huawei
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