Huawei Watch GT 3 review: Glimpses of perfection

(Pocket-lint) - The Huawei Watch GT 3 is simply a precise coagulated offering for those who privation a smartwatch that's predominantly for tracking wellness and fittingness - that's however it separates itself from the much premium pitched Watch 3 range.

With the committedness of epic artillery beingness - which is nary joke, this ticker truly tin spell and spell and past immoderate - the GT 3 is simply a hugely appealing prospect. But arsenic it runs connected Huawei's software, not Wear OS, does it suffer immoderate prospective features that clasp it backmost from perfection?

Love astatine archetypal sight

• Dimensions (46mm): 45.9 (diameter) x 11 mm (thickness)
• Case sizes: 46mm oregon 42mm options
• 5ATM waterproof (to 50 metres)
• 22mm quick-release strap
• Stainless alloy case
• Weight: 42.6g

If there's 1 happening that tin beryllium said for Huawei's caller harvest of fitness-focused smartwatches, it's that they're precise good-looking. There's a radiance and polish to them that you don't get from astir of the different tech manufacturers. While galore look similar watches designed arsenic pieces of tech first, Huawei's look similar real watches. 

It's the decisions made successful shaping and materials that does it for us, particularly present successful the 46mm model. The larger of the 2 ticker sizes features a azygous portion of solid connected top, featuring an indexed, angled bevel each the mode astir the display. The level gives mode seamlessly to the bezel, which past slopes down and joins the polished stainless alloy case. It's an workout successful precision - and 1 that's highly attractive. 

Opt for the smaller 42mm exemplary and you'll get an wholly antithetic shape, 1 that's overmuch much similar the modular Huawei Watch 3. This smaller exemplary has a curved solid lens, giving it a overmuch rounder appearance. 

The lone downside to the plan of the 46mm exemplary is that it volition beryllium a spot excessively ample for immoderate wrists. This reviewer didn't find its size an contented astatine all, but we ideate it'd look rather oversized connected immoderate smaller arms. 

Despite that, it inactive retains a sleek and slim look and feel. It doesn't look comically ample arsenic it's not astatine each bulky. Compared to the chunkier Watch 3 Pro it seems precise slim. 

Taking its power from the Watch 3 series, the Watch GT 3 has ditched the GT 2's two-button layout and adopted the rotating crown. This is good positioned astatine the apical of the case's side, acting arsenic a scroll instrumentality for assorted parts of the interface. That means you're not forced to usage the touchscreen each the time. The bottommost fastener is simply a slim, low-profile backmost button, that's besides acceptable (by default) to motorboat into a workout tracking session. 

Because of their positions astatine the apical and bottommost of the circular case, these buttons ne'er get successful the way. And we've ne'er had immoderate incidents of pressing them by mishap erstwhile our wrist is bent back. It's good considered - and that's not thing each shaper gets right. 

Turn the GT 3 implicit and there's a akin level of attraction to item connected the underside. Again, thing a batch of manufacturers don't peculiarly look to attraction about. It's polished, astir seamless successful the mode the rear casing ramps up to the dimple successful the mediate that contains the neatly positions LEDs and sensors (which measurement assorted heart/blood-related metrics). 

There are nary exposed pins oregon interaction points, due to the fact that the ticker charges wholly wirelessly utilizing a magnetic disc that snaps easy onto the back. 

Even the quick-release plan of the straps, bands and ticker lugs are good designed. One lug connected either broadside of the ticker has a tiny groove successful it, truthful you tin anchor the ticker strap's pin successful the other broadside and simply propulsion the different into spot to fto the spring-loaded pin bash its happening and popular into place. You don't request to beryllium fiddling for ages to get it into the close position. 

As for set and strap compatibility, again that's nary worry. The Watch GT 3 is compatible with immoderate 22mm strap, truthful if Huawei's ain straps don't instrumentality your fancy past it's precise casual to find 1 elsewhere that works for you. Saying that, the brownish leather strap that shipped with our 'Classic Edition' exemplary is elegant and works good with the shiny metallic case. Other variants see the 'Active' exemplary with a fluoroelastomer strap and the 'Elite' mentation with a stainless alloy nexus band. 

Display

• 1.43-inch circular AMOLED surface (46mm model)
• 466 x 466 pixel resolution
• HarmonyOS 2.1

In immoderate ways, the wholly circular AMOLED show connected the Watch GT 3 is 1 of the champion smartwatch screens connected the satellite close now. Because of its awesome sharpness, colour and brightness, it conscionable looks bully each of the time. The opposition is precocious too, which means you tin work it intelligibly successful beauteous overmuch immoderate condition. 

While not the fastest and smoothest around, the refresh complaint isn't arsenic mediocre arsenic you'll find connected earlier GT models. Animations are mostly reasonably creaseless here. Of course, erstwhile you travel from having utilized 90Hz/120Hz smartphone screens day-in and day-out for the past 12 months, you bash spot immoderate precise flimsy stuttering - but it's ne'er to the constituent of being achy to see. 

Being a comparatively ample surface besides means plentifulness of country for accusation and detail. That means determination are tons of antithetic options disposable to watch-face designers for scale and complication designs, which besides means there's plentifulness of country for information during workout sessions too. 

What we similar astir Huawei's ain interface - based connected HarmonyOS 2.1 - is however elemental it is to understand. There are customized cards - oregon widgets - to the close of the ticker face, each with a elemental and charismatic interface. You tin take up six of these cards, which see features specified arsenic weather, satellite phase, your regular activity, bosom rate, and slumber data.

A bully surface is thing without decent ticker faces. In this section we find the Huawei is thing of a mixed bag. On the positive side, determination are hundreds and hundreds disposable to instal connected the watch. Many of them are paid for, though, but determination are plentifulness of escaped options arsenic well. 

Where Huawei misses different instrumentality is successful customisation options. Even with its homemade styles, there's conscionable precise small customisation available. Some faces volition fto you alteration the information shown successful the complications and that's it. No changing colours schemes, scale styles oregon accents. Others faces don't fto you alteration anything. It's a acold outcry from the customisation abilities of the Apple Watch oregon Samsung's Wear OS-based Galaxy Watch 4. 

And that's not each that's missing from the Huawei's smartwatch kit bag. The GT 3 whitethorn amusement you smartphone notifications, but that's each it truly does. You can't truly interact with them each that overmuch connected the screen. If each you usage your smartwatch for is to work your notifications, that's not a problem, but you volition request to prime up your telephone to really reply. 

Huawei's ticker is besides missing contactless outgo enactment (in the UK anyway, wherever we're based), arsenic good arsenic immoderate enactment third-party euphony platforms. You tin manually enactment euphony connected by sending euphony files crossed from the app, but you can't instal Spotify, Deezer, Tidal oregon Apple Music. 

Given that there's a afloat colour AMOLED surface - similar with astir existent smartwatches - that means it's disconnected astir of the clip successful bid to maximise artillery life. The raise-to-wake functionality is mostly reliable, truthful you tin spot the clip whenever you similar conscionable by raising your wrist. However, you tin ever activate the always-on mode, which shows the clip each of the clip - but besides truthful negatively impacts the battery. 

Fitness tracking

• TruSeen 5.0 sensor
• HR/SpO2/Sleep tracking
• Running Ability Index
• Advanced moving plans

If there's 1 standout country for the Huawei Watch series, it's successful fittingness and workout tracking. Not lone due to the fact that of the hardware capabilities of the ticker itself, but besides due to the fact that of the versatility of Huawei Health and its offerings. But portion Huawei boasts astir 100+ workout modes, it's truly the runners who volition payment the astir from Huawei's watch. 

The GT 3 has much airy sensors successful its heart/blood monitoring system, which has made it much reliable and close than erstwhile models. In regular use, you mightiness not spot a immense quality successful results betwixt this merchandise and the Watch 3 series, but comparison it to older Watch GT models and you'll spot improvements. 

The Watch GT 3 tin way your bosom complaint each day, everyday, portion besides perpetually tracking your humor oxygen saturation (if you alteration it). Best of each it tin bash some of those without important artillery drain. It's besides got dual-band GPS for much precision successful way and region tracking during running/outdoor exercise. 

Compared to our Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire - which we wore connected our different wrist during investigating - we recovered the Huawei tracked distances, bosom complaint and cadence consistently. As you'd expect, the information didn't precisely lucifer betwixt the 2 watches, but it was precise close. Heart complaint was lone 1 oregon 2 beats per infinitesimal different, arsenic was cadence (in steps per minute). When it came to distance, the quality was down to the specified metres.

There are added benefits for runners successful the GT 3 too. New for 2021 is what Huawei calls a 'Running Ability Index', which takes your information - similar distance, bosom rate, effort, gait - and determines however beardown a runner you are, past gives you thing tangible that you tin usage arsenic a metric for improvement. And if you don't cognize however to improve, you tin instrumentality vantage of Huawei Health's grooming plans for distances from 5km up to a marathon. 

In aboriginal versions of bundle this grooming program volition sync to the ticker from your phone. As it stands, utilizing a pre-release mentation of the Huawei Health app, this diagnostic wasn't functional. 

Performance and battery

• ARM Cortex M processor, 4GB storage, 32MB RAM
• 14 time artillery (46mm model)
• Wireless charging

Most smartwatches volition dice aft astir 36 hours distant from their charger. For the astir portion that means you person to complaint them each nighttime which, successful turn, besides means you can't deterioration them to way your sleep. Huawei's watches are antithetic though. 

A afloat artillery connected the Huawei Watch GT 3 volition get you astir 2 weeks (14 days) connected a afloat complaint erstwhile being utilized successful its regular smartwatch mode. That's based connected mean usage with the always-on show switched off, and it's not immoderate impossible-to-reach artillery beingness promise. It's a realistic impression. 

After a afloat week utilizing the GT 3 our artillery was down to 48 per cent. That's utilizing it with its 24/7 bosom complaint and SpO2 tracking enabled, and having utilized it for 3 moving sessions (one of which was 50 minutes long). During the nights we wore it to bed, too, truthful it tracked our slumber throughout. It's truthful good, you'd person to effort really, truly hard to get it to dice wrong a week. 

Essentially, you get Garmin Fenix levels of artillery life, but with a afloat colour AMOLED touchscreen. Granted, it's with a surface that's disconnected until you rise your wrist to aftermath it, but it's awesome nonetheless. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 1 December 2021.