Review: Huawei GT 2 Pro — flagship features on a smartwatch that doesn’t break the bank

With nearly a year in this new normal, a lot of tech brands have launched different smartwatches with very competitive prices and features. All these smartwatches might make it difficult to know which one you may want or need. Well, I can say for sure that the Huawei GT 2 Pro is worth considering when you want flagship features but you’re on a tight budget. Keep reading on to find out why.

Design and build

The brand-new Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is the most comprehensive model in the series to date. Our unit came in Night Black and it’s also the only color available in the Philippines. It comes with a Black Fluoroelastomer Strap, giving it a comfortable feel when worn even for long periods. It features a premium minimalist design with its titanium body and sapphire glass surface that Huawei claims reached 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. On its right side of the watch are two buttons: the top button accesses all of its apps and the bottom button accesses the 100+ workout modes.

In regards to the watch face, it’s very customizable giving you a chance to add your own personal touch. You can also accessorize your smartwatch with any image you want by setting it as your watch face with just one tap between your smartphone and smartwatch. There’s a wide selection to choose from among Huawei’s presets and a lot of them are inspired by nature to reflect the watch’s rugged and explorer aesthetic.

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The GT 2 Pro features a reflective fine ceramic backing to satisfy both comfort and achieving a professional minimalist look. I’ve got to say, this is by far my favorite design with how clean it looks and how easy it is to keep clean due to its lack of ports . Smartwatches by nature are often used for working out/outdoor events and typically has charging ports underneath the watch which can collect debris and dust over time that become difficult to remove. Reducing this aspect may mean less functionality but it is a worthy sacrifice for vastly improve maintenance and style.

Health features

The bottom of the GT 2 Pro also houses TruSeen 4.0+ heart rate monitoring technology which can accurately monitor the heart rates of people with various skin tones through innovative light path results. It adopts a 6-in-1 LED lens to better converge light, allowing the light to penetrate through blood and bring continuous, rapid and accurate heart rate monitoring results for users. Combined with AI smart heart rate algorithms, heart rate monitoring is more accurate than ever. The GT 2 Pro will alert you when your heart rate is too high or too low when working out which was very insightful for me as it pushes me to work harder to maintain a recommended heart rate for a workout and reminds me to slow down when it’s too high.

On top of this, the device can intelligently track your heart rate in real-time, 24-hours a day as well as monitor your sleep quality to improve your mental state and energy levels throughout the day. Due to the low-power consuming nature of the technology Huawei used for the GT 2 Pro you also don’t have to worry about the battery running out on you throughout the day and while you rest.

The GT 2 Pro features the TruSleep 2.0 for sleep-quality monitoring. Without disturbing the user during sleep, this feature can track sleep stages, real-time heart rate, breathing during sleep, as well as analyze sleep quality. It also offers users more than two hundred tips for quality sleep improvement and personalized advice. In addition, you can also watch your stress level with the Huawei TruRelax technology that provides 24/7 pressure monitoring for users. The GT 2 Pro is also equipped with SpO2 detection. If blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) becomes too low (less than 90 per cent), it will remind you to take necessary and timely rests so that you can supplement oxygen to your body.

Sports features

The GT 2 Pro features 100+ Workout Modes, as mentioned earlier. This includes 19 professional workout modes, 12 outdoor sports modes (ex: skiing, golf driving range, triathlon and hiking), and 7 indoor sports modes (ex: walking, running, cycling). These modes are rather detailed and go in-depth about performance, such as the new Golf Driving Range Mode which can analyze swing posture and record your average backswing, average downswing, average swing tempo and speed. As a former track athlete, I particularly enjoyed the Running Courses Mode which can be used by beginners and experienced runners alike with its introduction course, fat burning running course, endurance-boosting course and cardio workout. Voice reminders ensure you don’t have to constantly look at your wrist while working out as well and will guide you step-by-step through each stage of the course.

Battery and charging

Verdict

If you’re on a budget the Huawei GT 2 Pro is your best bet for a premium look-and-feel smartwatch that offers flagship features retailing for just P11,990. It’s even cheaper than the Apple Watch SE which is the most affordable model of Apple’s Series 6 – and the GT 2 Pro offers more smart features to boot. However, the GT 2 Pro is only offered in one design and color (for PH customers) compared to Apple’s multiple colors for its finish and various straps. The GT 2 Pro also has a similar build and design with the Garmin Venu which we reviewed earlier this year but is offered at half the price of it. The GT2 Pro is also the only smartwatch you can get at its price point that offers features that can be used whether you have an active lifestyle or not, making it the perfect everyday smartwatch for the average user.

Pros

• Premium design
• Sensitive, quick-react touchscreen
• Affordable

Cons

• Only one design/color