The premiere of the latest Huawei smartwatches from the series is behind us GT. As in previous years, the Chinese manufacturer introduced the standard variant – Huawei Watch GT 5 and the premium version, which is Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro. And it is with this watch that I had the opportunity to spend the last three weeks, getting to know its strengths, but also its weaknesses.
1) The design and build quality are still amazing
Watch GT 5 Pro has more than one name. Huawei's flagship smartwatch is available in two sizes (with case 42 and 46 mm), as well as in four variants:
- Elegant (42 mm) – decorative variant with a white ceramic bracelet and gold-coloured inserts;
- Active (42 mm) – sports variant with white fluoroelastomer strap;
- Active (46 mm) – sports version with black case and fluoroelastomer strap
- Elite (46 mm) – classic variant with a silver case and a titanium bracelet.
The manufacturer sent me the last of the mentioned models for testing, which – it must be admitted – actually has a lot in common with its name. We are dealing here with one of the most elegant and best made smartwatches on the market: alloy case Titanium TC4, ceramic bottom Whether display covered sapphire glass – the whole thing looks simply great.
In addition, there is also a solid titanium bracelet, the length of which can be precisely adjusted to the size of our wrist thanks to its modular construction. It is worth remembering that the Watch GT 5 Pro is not the lightest watch. While the case itself weighs 53 we play (i.e. slightly less than in the GT 4 Pro model), with the bracelet the weight is approaching 100 grams.
GT 5 Pro is certified IP69K. It is therefore resistant to dust and splashes. Class waterproof 5ATM allows diving to a depth of up to 40 meters.
2) Great display with high brightness
The tested watch was equipped with a screen AMOLED with a diagonal of 1.43 inches and a resolution of 466 × 466 pixels, which translates into a pixel density of 326 PPI. The display, like the watch itself, looks great. It is very legible and bright (up to 1200 nits). We can choose from a range of digital and analogue dials. There is also a function Always-On-Display and technology LTPO (refresh rate from just 1 Hz upwards), which has a significant impact on the watch's battery life.
3) TrueSense system and lots of sensors
Huawei boasts about the new system TrueSensewhich monitors over 60 health and movement indicators based on data collected by sensors built into the watch. It must be admitted that there are few smartwatches on the market that allow for such comprehensive monitoring of vital signs.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro monitors pulse, saturation blood (SpO2), level stiffness pulsate, skin temperature, level stress Whether Phases cycle menstrual. And then there is the sleep analysis function, which records not only the duration of sleep, but also its structure (light sleep, deep sleep, REM and wakefulness).
The collected data is then sent to Application Huawei Health. This one hasn't seen any groundbreaking changes, but I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. It still stands out with its simple and intuitive interface. All measurements are presented on clear charts and diagrams. Thanks to this, we can easily monitor our health and catch any deviations from the norm.
When it comes to built-in communication modules, we can find them here Bluetooth 5.2, NFCand dual band GPS. There is also a depth and temperature sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an optical heart rate monitor, a barometer, an ECG, an ambient light sensor and a magnetometer.
4) Smartwatch for golfers, but not necessarily for runners
As a reviewer and amateur runner, I've probably “gone through” dozens of watches and sports bands over the years. I quickly learned that not every smartwatch will work equally well as a daily jog companion. The Watch GT 5 Pro is average in this role.
And it's not about the training functions offered by this device (because there are over 100 sports modes!), but above all about the weight and dimensions of the device. It is rather obvious that you can run with a titanium bracelet – that is not its role. The problem is that even with the sports band, the GT 5 Pro did not provide me with such comfort while running, such as Huawei Watch Fit 3. I also found the GT 5 Pro to be quite uncomfortable to wear at the gym. The watch stiffened my wrist, which was frustrating.
So if you are considering buying a watch from the GT 5 series, remember that this is a proposal aimed at people who are looking for an elegant smartwatch for various occasions, and treat sports functions rather as an addition that they will use once in a while. Well, unless the sport we practice is golf.
The Watch GT 5 Pro offers a new golf mode that lets you see a map of the course on your watch, including the layout, topography, and hazard locations. Golf mode also lets you track your progress and keep scorecards. I’m not really into golf (I’m a few zeros short), but I appreciate that the manufacturer is looking for a niche for its device.
The Huawei watch can also be useful for hiking in the mountains. This is thanks to the offline maps function. We can download selected maps to the device's memory and then use them without access to the network. During the hike, the map is constantly displayed on the watch face, which allows us to check our current position and control the distance from the destination of the expedition.
5) HarmonyOS is better, but still has limitations
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro runs on the system HarmonyOS in the latest version 5.0. Its advantages include speed and smooth operation, as well as extensive personalization options. We have a lot of dials and widgets to choose from, and the crown located on the left edge of the watch case allows for quick and intuitive navigation through individual interface elements.
We can synchronize the Huawei watch with smartphones with Android and iOS, but the owners of the latter must unfortunately expect some limitations. This includes, for example, the inability to control music or reply to text messages and instant messages. In the case of Android, quick replies are available, and now we can use Virtual keyboards.
If you've had anything to do with watches running WearOS or WatchOS, you might be surprised by the small number of apps available when you first touch a Huawei watch. Although the Chinese have been developing the HarmonyOS platform for years, there are still very few popular apps in the AppGallery store.
Forget about Spotify or Tidal integration. If you want to listen to music on the GT 3 Pro watch, you can only use the built-in player. It's also surprising that although the watch has a built-in microphone, it doesn't have a voice recorder application. However, we can use it to make voice calls, the quality of which is more than decent.
6) I've been waiting for this! Contactless payments finally on Huawei watches!
There is one thing for sure though thingfor which I must definitely praise the Chinese manufacturer. After many years of waiting, Huawei watches will finally support NFC contactless payments. This is possible thanks to the cooperation with Quicko. To use the new function, you need to install the Quicko application, register and top up your virtual wallet with the selected amount. So we still won't be able to add our payment cards to the watch, but making Quicko payments available is still a step in the right direction.
7) Almost two weeks (!) of battery life
Huawei's GT series watches have been known for their long battery life for years. The latest model is no exception. The manufacturer claims that the GT 5 Pro in the 46mm case will last up to 14 days. This sounds impressive. But what about in practice?
Maybe not as impressive, but still excellent. During tests (with quite intensive use of the watch function), the tested model achieves without any major problemsł 7-8 days of battery life. I think if I used it more moderately, I could even get it to 10 days.
8) Price? Could be better…
We have already met Polish prices of watches from the Watch GT 5 Pro series. They are as follows:
- HUAWEI WATCH GT 5 Pro (42 mm) Active: PLN 1,799
- HUAWEI WATCH GT 5 Pro (42mm) Elegant: PLN 2,399
- HUAWEI WATCH GT 5 Pro (46mm) Elite: PLN 1999
- HUAWEI WATCH GT 5 Pro (46 mm) Active: PLN 1,599
Is the Watch GT 5 Pro worth the 2,000 PLN you have to pay for it? The answer to this question is not the easiest. Considering the fact that the watch is made of premium materials, such a high price is justified to some extent. In its favor also speaks a comprehensive health parameter monitoring system, an intuitive system, and a phenomenal battery.
On the other hand, for the same amount we can buy the newest Apple Watch Series 10 – a watch (in my opinion) uglier than Huawei's timepiece, with worse battery life, but at the same time offering similar measurement functions, a better display, a more powerful processor and much better integration with iOS, plus a lot of popular applications that we won't find in the GT 5 Pro.
So while Android smartphone owners should be happy with their purchase of the Watch GT 5 Pro, iPhone users will encounter a number of frustrating limitations that may prove insurmountable.