Huawei Watch GT 3 review: keeping up with the times

Huawei has expanded its smartwatch portfolio considerably with a new GT3 series. We wore the watch for two weeks and tell you all about it in our review of the Huawei Watch GT 3.

Huawei Watch GT 3 review

Huawei launched a number of new smartwatches last month, including the GT Runner and this GT 3. This GT 3 comes in a Huawei-recognizable box with the necessary accessories such as a charging cable and a USB cable. We also find some documents and a quick start guide. In the box we find the GT 3 version of 42 millimeters and a light-colored leather strap.

In daily use

Connecting the watch to your smartphone is a piece of cake. The Health app from Huawei guides you through the connection and in a few minutes you can get started! Compared to the GT 2 series, it is noticeable that the menu structure and navigation have also changed somewhat. Because we were very used to the names of different apps on the watch on the Huawei Watch GT 2 (Pro), it now takes a while to find the right icon.

We do notice that the watch responds faster to input and touch, which is positive because with the GT 2, the interface sometimes came across as syrupy. Notifications come through well on the watch, but are often limited to just a subject line at, for example, Gmail.

Furthermore, the watch fits comfortably on the wrist and the 42 millimeter variant is so light that we sometimes forget that we are wearing a watch. The screen of the 42 mm variant runs directly into the edge of the watch and that makes the screen more sensitive to scratches. For example, we noticed that small scratches appeared on the lower part of the screen. As mentioned, the screen is smoother than its predecessor and also seems to have sharper and better color reproduction.

You can record your activities with the Watch GT 3 without a smartphone. Dozens of workouts can be found in the watch and many sports are supported when it comes to recording them. The GT 3 has a fairly stable GPS, with many buildings we see that our track sometimes wants to dance over the road. But in a less built-up environment, the recording is without crazy outliers.

You can also use the watch to play music, so that you can be provided with musical support during training. However, there is a limited amount of storage available for your files. You can connect your headphones to the watch via Bluetooth.

Apps and watch faces

New is the addition of Petal Maps, Huawei’s own map service to the smartwatch. Although you do need a connection to your smartphone for this, there are no other alternatives. The range of apps is also still disappointing. There are a handful of apps available through Huawei’s AppGallery.

We find a wide range of watch faces a plus, within the Huawei Health app you will find a large list with all kinds of flavors of clocks. We should note that in addition to free watchfaces, a large number are also paid. If you have had a Huawei Watch before and purchased a watch face, these can of course also be used on your new device.

Huawei Health

Huawei Health is the app you need to use to sync the GT3. All your steps, sleep, activities and other measurements are displayed in this app in a pleasant way. In addition to heart rate, the watch also supports SpO2 and body temperature measurements.

With your recorded activities you can find a wealth of information such as a heart rate graph, training intensity, and statistics about your ride or run. There is also an interactive map with some highlights of your activity, for example when the largest increase was noted. There is no synchronization to other sports platforms such as Strava or Runkeeper, for that you need a third party app.

Furthermore, Huawei has incorporated a “Healthy living” program in the app in which you have six tasks to accomplish every day. For example, getting up on time, smiling once, but also exercising enough and going to bed on time.

battery life

The battery life of this Watch GT 3 from Huawei can be described as very pleasant. Because with normal use (Bluetooth connected) and logging activity for half an hour every day, we note an endurance of about 7 days. Furthermore, we had enabled SpO2 measurement and skin temperature measurements during the test period. After 7 days, the watch has to be put back on the charger, where it is charged after about one and a half hours. If you are looking for more endurance, you can also opt for the 46 millimeter variant, where Huawei claims about 14 days of endurance.

Conclusion

With the Huawei Watch GT 3, Huawei has a good watch in its portfolio that provides you with the correct time for a long time thanks to an excellent battery life. The Huawei Health app provides you with all the information you can get from the watch. However, there is still no link with third parties such as Strava, although third-party solutions are available for this. There are many watch faces available to completely customize the watch, but the range of apps is somewhat sparse.

You can buy the Huawei Watch GT 3 from Huawei itself, from MediaMarkt, Bol.com, Coolblue and Amazon.