Huawei has been pushing out some really compelling wearables for years now. With each iteration the company has been improving its offerings, making them what they are today. The Huawei Watch Runner GT, which I reviewed not long ago, was my favorite smartwatch of all time. So topping that was really difficult, and yet Huawei managed to do it, generally speaking. The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro smartwatches are the cream of the crop.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro comes in two variants, in 46mm and 42mm variants. These two watches do look different, but they do essentially offer the same features, which is why we’ve decided to review them together. The 46mm model is referred to as the ‘Titanium’ variant, and it’s meant for men to use, as it’s quite large. The 42mm model is also known as the ‘Ceramic’ variant, and due to its looks and size, this is a perfect watch for women.
So, for this review, I decided to use the Titanium model, while I gave my fiance the 42mm model. We both took notes as we went along, and it turns out… spoiler alert… Huawei really does have a winner combo here, though nothing’s perfect, of course. Let’s not jump ahead, though, and see what we have here one step at a time. We’ll start with the design, and move from there.
Premium look, premium feel
The design is where these two smartwatches differ the most. They not only look different, but Huawei used different materials to make them a reality. The Titanium model is made out of titanium, for the most part, though it has sapphire glass on the front, and ceramic on the bottom. The Ceramic model combines nanocrystalline ceramic and sapphire glass. The result is, well, two extremely premium watches that do look different, but are equally premium.
Huawei used ceramic & titanium
The Ceramic model is white-colored, while it has some gold accents, while the Titanium model is essentially gray. Both watches have the same buttons. There are two of them, and the top one doubles as a rotating crown. Both buttons sit on the right-hand side, and we didn’t have problems with accidental presses or anything of the sort. Not only due to their placement but the design as well.
Clicky buttons & excellent rotating crown
The buttons are quite clicky, and the rotating crown is well-tuned, and it does give off haptic feedback when you rotate it. Both watches also have a speaker, and some microphones, in case you’d like to talk with someone through them. Each of the two watches comes in a single color option, but with different straps. The Titanium model comes with a silicone band, a Gray Leather band, and a Titanium band. I reviewed the latter. The Ceramic model, on the flip side, comes in White Ceramic and White Leather options. We reviewed the former.
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium:
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Ceramic:
The bands feel great & offer great locking mechanism
We essentially got the most premium variants of these bands. The Titanium band can easily be adjusted. You can remove its links, as many as you want, and all you need is your fingernail. It functions in a similar way removing a quick switch band would, you just have to do it under the right angle. When it comes to the Ceramic band, well, you’ll need a screwdriver. Luckily, Huawei provided one in the box, so removing links from the band is not a problem at all.
Both watch bands have really good locking mechanisms, even though the process is slightly different. Once they lock in, though, you’re good to go. We didn’t have any problems with accidental detachments, or anything of the sort. Once it’s locked, it’s locked, you’re good to go. The entire band and locking mechanism also feel really premium.
Sharp & colorful displays with great touch response
I’ve been praising Huawei’s display choices for a while now, when it comes to the company’s wearables, of course. In the past, their displays were okay, but the touch response was iffy. That’s no longer the case, and it hasn’t been for a long time. The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro smartwatches have really sharp displays, with really punchy colors, and both watches have excellent touch response.
The Titanium model comes with a larger display
The Titanium model includes a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, while the Ceramic model includes a 1.32-inch AMOLED panel. Both displays offer a resolution of 466 x 466, which is quite high for their sizes. Everything looks nice and sharp, actually. They also offer an Always-On Display (AOD) mode, in case you were wondering. When it comes to the displays on the two watches, I really have no complaints. Not only are they sharp, colorful, and responsive, but they do bright enough outdoors.
The software has improved immensely, but it still needs work
The performance has actually been really good for me. That has been the case for a while with the company’s smartwatches, actually. I haven’t really noticed any lag, everything felt really smooth, regardless of what I was doing. The app selection is really not great, though, so if that’s what you’re here for, you’re out of luck. I always claimed that apps are not really necessary for smartwatches, as long as the built-in software is good enough. That is the case here, and then some.
The built-in music player does a great job, and you can access it in several different ways. It even allows you to set where do you want to play music from, your phone, or the watch. The moment you start playing, the widget on your watch will update, and you’ll have all the controls you need. The weather widget is also great, not only does it look good, but it provides all the info you may need.
Widget pages are completely customizable
You can edit widget pages on the watch itself, the ones you access by swiping from right to left. You can get plenty of them there, or just a couple, whatever suits you better. You can make this watch really fitness-focused, if that’s what suits you.
Speaking of software, before you even start using the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro, you’ll need to download the Huawei Health app, but not from the Play Store. We all know about the US ban at this point, so let’s just skip over that. You’ll need to grab Huawei’s AppGallery app from the appgallery.huawei.com website. Once you do that, and log in, you’ll be able to download the Huawei Health app, the latest version. That’s the app you’ll use to connect the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro, to update it, and to customize it.
The Huawei Health app works much better than it used to
The app is actually really good. It’s very fluid, and has a lot of options. You can change your watch faces from the app, and look for new ones. Controlling a bevy of health options is also a possibility, the same goes for notification controls, and so much more.
The lack of apps is noticeable
One major downside when it comes to software, other than the lack of apps, is the ability to access a voice assistant. I, personally, do not use a voice assistant at all, not in my house or on my phone. So, this is obviously not a problem for me, but it may be for use. If you’re used to having Google Assistant, for example, on your watch, that’s not going to be possible here.
Notifications have been improved, but there’s more to do
Huawei brought notifications on its smartwatches a long way over the last couple of years. They’ve become a lot more useful. They’re not only grouped now, but you can send quick replies and emoticons from your watch. They are still not perfect, though. You cannot call upon a keyboard, and proper icons are not displayed for all apps. Even for some really well-known apps you won’t get a proper icon, but a generic one, which can be annoying. Not only because the proper icon is not displayed, but because the watch will group that notification with other notifications under that generic icon.
I was unable to use the Huawei Wallet app due to my location, which is odd
Do note that you may not be able to make payments with this watch. It does come with an NFC chip, and a payments platform, but I was unable to access the Huawei Wallet app. When I tried to add my cards, I was told that my country is not supported at the moment. That may change down the line, but there you have it. That is a bit odd as both watches are available to purchase in my country.
The battery life is excellent, especially on the larger model
One of the major selling points for Huawei’s smartwatches thus far has been the battery life. The same goes for the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro. It actually applies more to the Titanium model, actually. I was able to get around 10-11 days of use with the device, while the Ceramic model provided about 4-6 days of use. It will all depend on your usage, of course. You may be able to get a bit more if you’re not using some features the watch offers. Regardless, this is a lot better than what most of the competition offers. You can forget about charging your watch every night, there’s simply no need for it.
Wireless charging is supported, and the charger included
When you do get around to charging, though, you’ll be glad to know that both models come with a wireless charger. They actually include a wireless charging cradle, or a stand, whichever term you’d like to use. The watch magnetizes to that cradle, and you’re good to go, there’s no need to align it or anything. In terms of charging speed, it’ll take you less than an hour and a half to fully charge the Titanium version, while the Ceramic model will charge noticeably faster due to the smaller battery.
There are over 100 workout modes at your disposal
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro smartwatches come with over 100 workout modes. I only used a couple of them during the review, though, of course. There are all sorts of workout modes included here, but I only delved into fast walking, running, and cycling. The watch did a good job of tracking everything, I have to admit. I cannot say how it works with other workout modes, though, of course.
It did a good job tracking my steps, but not perfect
It also did a good job of tracking my steps, even though riding an electric scooter managed to mess things up a bit. When I was on it and going quite slow, I managed to fool the watch. The same didn’t happen while I was driving my bike, which is quite interesting.
Sleep tracking does need to be improved a bit
Huawei does need to improve sleep tracking on the watch, though. It’s generally okay, but it usually fails to recognize when I wake up in the morning, until I actually get up from the bed, open the Huawei Health app, or start using the watch. It should be able to tell. It doesn’t even pick that up when I start using my phone, which is quite odd. Granted, its sleep tracking is much better than on a number of other watches I’ve tested, and the wakeup part is my main complaint.
‘Healthy Living’ feature is quite useful
Inside the Huawei Health app, you’ll find something really interesting fitness-related. It’s called ‘Healthy Living’, and it’ll essentially group various activities you do throughout the day there. That includes your workout results, steps, how much water you’ve consumed, and so much more. Some data you’ll need to enter yourself, of course, but it can be quite useful.
The speaker is not bad at all
If you’re a fan of making voice calls via your watch, you’ll like the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro. This smartwatch, in both versions, comes with a speaker, and microphone. You can easily make calls as long as the watch is connected to your phone, of course. To make things even better, this is one of the best speakers I’ve experienced on a watch, and the microphone also did a fairly good job. The sound was not as good as it would be if I talked from a phone, but still, it sounded good enough.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro are premium, statement watches
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is not perfect, and that goes for both variants. The app support is still not the best, if you care about that, and you don’t get access to a voice assistant here. You also won’t be able to make payments through the watch in some regions, depending on where you live, while the ECG is also not supported in all regions.
They have a lot going for them, despite shortcomings
Both of these watches do have a lot going for them, though. The software has been much-improved, while they both offer excellent display, and top-notch build quality. The battery life is truly excellent, trumping the competition, and both watches charge wirelessly. The performance has been excellent overall, very smooth, and I had a good experience with the Huawei Health app as well.
It’s up to you to decide what’s important to you, but the bottom line is, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro watches are really compelling offerings. They’re not cheap, though, not at all, so think twice before pulling the trigger.
2022-06-22 15:04:56