Huawei have impressed us with third-gen smartwatches before. It’s only a few months since the slim form, rich display and signature flawless build of Huawei Watch 3 earned praise from us at TechStomper. And so we have the more rugged member of the series Huawei Watch GT 3 (46mm).
To get this out of the way early, Huawei Watch GT 3 comes with pre-programmed replies to messages so you can fire off a quick response from your wrist. You can even fire off an emoji. So if you held off on Huawei Watch devices before for that single reason, you may now purchase the Watch GT 3 here.
Predictably Well-Made
The device looks and feel amazing but it does look a lot like Watch GT 2 with some Watch 3 influence.
Huawei Watch 3 has Watch 3’s single crown at 2 o’clock. The crown has a nicked, textured edge to aid with use and can be used to scroll. There is even a little haptic feedback to tick away while you scroll.
Our black 46mm review model features a flat face lending a look of utility and ruggedness that matches the thick strap legs.
The device exudes that sporty and adventurous look that sold analogue watches in the tens of millions. While it may be derivative, sticking to that classic style works in the context of the sports-oriented fitness tracker.
Screen Savour
The AMOLED display of the Watch 3 returns and it still stands out on the market for its crispness, huge contrast and impressive colour.
The 466×466 resolution represents a 326ppi pixel density that allows for fine detail to be resolved on the rounded 1.43″ display.
One attractive feature of the Huawei Watch series is the selection of watch faces. On the watch by default are dozens of faces, some artistic or ornate with others cramming as many functions as they could on that marvellous screen and everything in between.
The app also features a set ready to pop onto the device as well as hundreds to select from, free and paid for, on the App’s face store.
The Always-On display has been slower to be fed new faces however. As an AOD fan, many of the faces don’t come with a matching ‘always-on’ face and there aren’t many defaults to choose from.
Feature Watch
The headline feature is the ability to access a list of template responses or emoji with which respond to messages and email. The user can reorder the list using the Huawei Health app to easier access their most common response.
While it’s a simple and limited solution, smartwatch buyers and general tech fans had hounded Huawei for just this. Disappointed at the lack of keyboard to respond to messages a la Apple Watch, a simple template feature was the next best thing.
The user cannot edit or create responses – they are stuck with the list as it is for the moment.
In Harmony
Like Watch 3, Huawei Watch GT 3 runs the Chinese telecoms giant’s own Harmony OS 2.0.
The swiftness of the device makes it satisfying to use. That array of sensors and doohickeys have plenty of fitness, health and navigation utility via Huawei’s own apps.
After years of trying to marry the round form factor with a fully functional menu and interface system, Huawei cracked it with Watch 3 and that silky smooth UI, powerful hardware and solid base functionality is all here on Watch GT3
As promising as the UI and hardware chops are, the selection of third-party apps and the app store in its current state still holds the device back a little.
Huawei App Gallery for Harmony OS 2.0 now has a vast library of apps but few are standalone in nature.
The selection has grown significantly since Watch 3’s launch last year but only a few AAA app makers are present on the store so you probably won’t find many companion versions of your favourite phone apps.
Users may not want to download an unfamiliar app to their phone just so they can avail of its watch functionality. Especially if they already use a more mainstream service.
Wrist Browsing
App Gallery on Huawei Watch GT 3’s storefront offers only a search function and an expandable ‘featured’ list. There are no categories to help with browsing nor is there a predictive search. The featured list didn’t feature any big names nor did it seem in any way curated.
There are some gems – SofaScore is an excellent sport score app for mobile and smartwatch. It has meaningful standalone content with more available via the mobile app. A perfect sell, really.
Form Factor
While others are sporting rectangular faces, Huawei are sticking with the traditional round face. While it pinches certain screens and means certain features that other watches may wouldn’t be easy to emulate on a round face – I am glad they have persisted.
Of course, that traditional shape allows for a larger watch without corners to dig into one’s wrist. The 2 o’clock placement of the mildly oversized crown shows they had wrist stabbing in mind.
Details like this matter and Huawei’s hardware pedigree shows here.
Another detail, though not a new one, is the use of Qi wireless charging – the device can use any common wireless charger or be left to charge on a smartphone with reverse wireless charging capabilities, like Huawei P40 Pro.
Sensory Overload
Watch 3’s has an impressive list of sensors and an even more impressive array of functions and features to exploit them. Acceleration, gyro and geomagnetic sensors as well as GPS for navigation and run/cycle tracking.
Barometric sensor for altitude and to warn of sudden decreases in pressure that might suggest inclement weather. Optical heart rate and aforementioned skin temperature sensor for keeping an eye on your condition.
GPS reception seems solid, something that could be spotty on Huawei Watch 3.
Traditional Style is, eh Stylish
The traditional style is also, well, stylish. It’s easy to make something shaped like a watch look cool since humanity has had over 100 years of practice on the wristwatch.
Huawei Watch GT 3’s take on sporty chronometer is only an iterative visual upgrade on the Watch GT2. It retains the simple machined metal but switches to a glossy aluminium versus the slightly frosted chassis of the Watch GT 3.
The move to gloss matches the absolutely gorgeous Huawei Watch 3 we reviewed last year.
Built to Last
A water resistance of 5ATM will see you hit depths of up to 50 metres. Or not. But it’s nice to know it will survive a swim. This water resistance combined with the stainless steel case and tough sapphire glass give a user great confidence in permanently attaching Huawei Watch 3 to one’s wrist.
The battery life is mostly impressive depending on what a user is doing with the device. Huawei’s skill for keeping devices awake long after their competitor’s bedtime means Watch 3 keeps the 14-day battery mode of its fitness ancestors. If anything, a potential 14-day battery life is even more impressive here considering the high pixel count of the AMOLED display.
At full tilt, though you will tire out Huawei Watch GT 3 in three days. An individual user, of course, will take a few battery cycles to find the right balance between the expanded features and function of Watch GT 3 and the sort of battery life that Huawei’s reputation promises.
Numbers Game
There are quite a few internal bumps to the specification of Huawei GT 3 over its predecessors. A jump from 16MB of RAM to 32MB is a fairly welcome upgrade.
While Huawei Watch 3 was not sluggish in anyway, extra RAM is always welcome.
A massive 32GB of ROM storage space helps bolster the phone-free music playback device functionality.
It does, however, lose the WiFi capability from Watch 3.
It’s Just One Thing that Got You Skipping (Previous Huawei Watches)
Huawei watches have always had excellent visual and build quality but a lack of one crucial feature often set if apart from other premium smartwatches on the market. Watch GT 3 (46mm) isn’t shy about its intentions to address that one problem while working on those foundational strengths of the Huawei Watch brand.
Huawei Watch GT 3’s addition of simple response templates to messages or emails read on the device is a milestone for the brand. Though it may be a little later than some potential buyers may have liked, that excuse to skip Watch GT 3 is now gone.
To the shop with you.
Specifications: Huawei Watch GT 3 46mm
| RAM: | 32MB |
| Storage: | 4GB |
| Display: | 1.43 inches AMOLED Colour Screen, 466 x 466 pixels, 326 ppi |
| OS: | Harmony OS 2.0 |
| Sensors: | Acceleration, gyro, geomagnetic, optical heart rate, ambient light, barometric pressure, temperature |
| Connectivity: | 5.1, LE, EDR NFC GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/Beidou |
| Dimensions: | 45.9 x 45.9 x 11mm |
| Weight: | 42.6 grams excluding strap |
| Water Resistance: | 5ATM, up to 50 metres depth |
| Charging: | Magnetic 10W charging puck included |
| Battery: | 455mAh Li-Po |
| Strap Standard: | 22mm |
Solid Sequel
While it doesn’t break new ground visually, the refinement is welcome and the package still conveys the all-action style that Huawei Watch GT 3’s potential customers are after.
The fitness tracking hardware and software are well-married. The vast array of sensors is exploited to an impressive degree by the app and on-board applets. Pre-installed watch apps offer a wide degree of functionality straight from the box.
The app selection has improved since Watch 3 but it still lacks a top-tier map service. Petal isn’t TOO bad but it’s not a big player in this region and the absence of a household name here might scare a few of you off.
The 14-day battery life is an achievable figure but it demands the watch do so little, you may as well not wear it. However, the seven days I could reliably get with my workload was impressive indeed.
