Huawei Watch GT 2 Review - Best Alternative To Tizen & Wear OS Watches

The Huawei Watch GT ii has plenty of good sides, and one not then bang-up ane. As a disclaimer, I've used this watch for well over two weeks earlier I wrote this review. Information technology has been on my wrist for the whole duration of my day, and on several nights, so that I tin can check out the sleep tracking function. I don't accept a habit of wearing a watch while I sleep.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 did swell in most aspects, just it failed in the notification department, at least in my opinion. This review ended up beingness a fleck longer than I wanted information technology to be, just I wanted you to be actually well-informed earlier making a purchasing decision. That being said, permit'due south kick things off, starting with the pattern of the Huawei Watch GT 2.

Design is ane of the best aspects of the Huawei Sentry GT ii

The Huawei Spotter GT two offers great build quality. This watch is fabricated out of stainless steel (with a little chip of plastic), and it looks great. It is easily noticeable that Huawei paid some existent idea to the looks of this watch, so let's start with the basics.

This scout features a circular display, and there is some bezel around it, simply not that much. We reviewed the 46mm variant of the Huawei Scout GT 2, and have been provided with both silicone and leather straps, more on that later on. Just to exist clear, in that location are Sport, Archetype, and Elite editions of this watch in both 42mm and 46mm variants. This is the 46mm Classic Edition.

The watch feels extremely solid, it really does feel like it could be dropped quite a few times, and be perfectly fine subsequently. We do not recommend you to practise that, though, of course. This is non a rugged watch, by any ways.

Connexion points for the picket ring are angled downwards, and that only contributes to the overall design. Those connection points practice not accept away from the design itself, like is the example with quite a few other smartwatches out there.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 is also quite thin. This is one of the thinnest smartwatches nosotros've seen, and the best of all, that doesn't affect the battery life. We'll talk more about battery life afterward on, just spoiler alert, it's nifty.

The lookout man is also quite light, and that goes for the watch bands likewise. Both the silicone and leather spotter bands are extremely light, and yet they feel loftier quality. The watch itself weighs around 41 grams, while the smaller variant weighs in at 29 grams. This is without a strap, though, then proceed that in mind.

My favorite matter about this pattern, other than how thin and light the lookout man is, are its buttons. There are two physical buttons on the right, and they're the all-time ones I've used on a watch. Information technology's non even close.

Both of them have the 'T' letter of the alphabet shape, or a 'mushroom' shape, if you lot will, in lack of amend words for it. They're both made out of stainless steel, and are extremely tactile. At that place's no fashion you'll press these by accident, they do crave a sufficient corporeality of pressure in gild to avoid that. On tiptop of that, both buttons are placed really well, and so the chances of you pressing down on them by blow with the upper portion of your hand are minimal.

All in all, this is one of my favorite watch designs. The watch does feel high quality in the design department, while it's also quite sparse at the same time. The buttons are great, and the lookout man bands are spot on as well. There'due south really nothing to mutter about hither, presuming yous like light, metallic-made watches, that are as well thin, of course.

The performance is really good, merely the software needs work

Don't become me wrong, the software is good, but… information technology's not nifty. The two chief issues I have with the sentry are the way information technology handles notifications, and the fact it doesn't allow you to customize much of its software.

Let's go over the good parts outset. The operation is actually good. This watch is powered past the Kirin A1, which is Huawei's new processor for wearables. This processor also fuels the FreeBuds 3 fully wireless earbuds that the visitor released recently.

Now, that chip is manifestly plenty powerful for this watch. Nosotros did notice a stutter hither and at that place, merely that will hopefully be fixed via a software update. The most stuttering nosotros noticed when calling upon a music player via a special shortcut.

You lot can create a shortcut for a bunch of actions on this picket, merely assign the bottom physical button for that purpose. I assigned the watch's music histrion for that purpose, and information technology did not load as fast as I'd liked, though didn't happen all the time. In full general, the operation is actually proficient, and I really don't recall there's much to complain about hither.

This smartwatch comes with Huawei's very ain software on top. Google's Wear Os is not pre-installed here, and many would say that's a skilful affair. Well, that'south up to yous, actually. Huawei's software on this lookout is good, just it needs work.

Quite a few notification-related problems are nowadays

The style the lookout man handles notifications is peculiarly irritating, especially if you've used Tizen or Article of clothing Bone before. Notifications do come in fourth dimension, and that function works not bad, but… at that place are issues.

The lookout will not sync its notifications listing with your phone, at all. So, if you read some of those notifications on your phone, and remove them… they'll still exist on the watch. You also cannot swipe abroad and dismiss specific notifications from the list of notifications on the watch, yous demand to tap on a specific notification first… and then swipe it away.

If you want to dismiss all notifications on the picket, y'all can do that, but you'll demand to scroll through them all first. The 'Clear All' push is placed below all notifications, and if y'all accept many of them, that could take fourth dimension.

The spotter also doesn't grouping notifications together. Then, if yous receive notifications from a number of different applications, y'all won't be able to come across them in ane place. You'll demand to go through your notifications chronologically.

There's also no way to reply to bulletin notifications, at all. That goes for everything. So, if yous desire to send a quick 'OK', or a thumbs-up emoji perhaps, you can't practice that. Such features will hopefully be implemented soon. Speaking of emoji, you can't see them on the watch if someone sends them over, at all. That goes for emoticons as well. You won't even see what you lot received, simply will only see a bare message instead.

Speaking of received messages, you can't encounter y'all have unread messages (or notifications in general) on your home screen, regardless of the habitation screen setup you're using. The scout volition notify you that a message has arrived, when it arrives, and if you raise your wrist, you'll exist able to read it instantly. If you don't do it immediately, and raise your wrist, yous will accept no thought that an unread notification is available until y'all swipe from the bottom upwardly. At that place should be some sort of an indicator on the home screen.

Icons are also an issue, for some apps. The watch will not present the correct icons for some apps. For Facebook Messenger, for instance, the correct icon was represented on the watch. For Viber, not really. The watch used a generic letters icon for some reason.

The Huawei Scout GT ii works with any audio role player on your phone, just it needs a few tweaks

I've also had issues when it comes to running music direct from the watch, without firing upwards a music app on the phone. I oasis't had such bug with Tizen nor Wear Bone. I could but open upward the music widget on the watch, and a song would showtime playing from my cue on the phone.

Well, fifty-fifty if the correct app is gear up equally the default music app, the Huawei Scout GT two refuses to play it. Things would, maybe, be different with Huawei'southward very own music app, but I tried out this sentinel with the Play Music, equally that is my default music app. Considering the fashion Play Music operates, I actually don't accept the luxury of using some other app at the moment, so… that was kind of abrasive.

Also, I've encountered some issues while listening to a podcast. I utilize Pocket Casts app for my podcast needs, and when you fire it upward, yous'll have a running widget in your notification shade. Similar to the ane yous'll have if you heed to music. Interestingly enough, several notifications appeared on my phone regarding that podcast, the moment I started listening. I fired upwardly Pocket Casts, and four notifications were there notifying me that I'grand listening to a podcast. I don't know why four appeared, and non ane, just there you go.

At present, that was not the only trouble, for the whole duration of my listening time, those notifications stayed at the very top of my notifications cue, on my watch. So, whenever I received a new notification, I could not see it by raising my wrist, as the Pocket Casts notification would appear. I would have to open up the notifications cue manually, and scroll all the way down.

Huawei will hopefully introduce more customization features via future updates

When it comes to the customization, you do have quite a few sentinel faces to choose from. The matter is, you cannot really edit them. You cannot add new functions to a specific watchface, nor rearrange the lodge of existing ones.

These are features that are possible on the Wear OS, though information technology took a while for Google to make them available. And so Huawei will hopefully follow suit, and keep updating this watch with such functionality.

Some other customization-related issue that I noticed is the fact you cannot edit widgets on this watch. You can scroll through a bunch of widgets left and correct from your home screen. You'll find a music player there, a widget for heart-rate, and and so on. Only there's no way you tin edit those, not even though the visitor'due south application.

Other than that, the software is really proficient. You lot tin can swipe from the lesser upward to access your notifications, while you can practice the contrary to come across quick toggles. It's a somewhat like setup as on Wear Bone in that regard.

Other than the notification system & some minor software issues, this is a neat watch

The raise-to-wake function too works really well, equally you'd expect. It's sensitive, simply just enough, not too sensitive. It does, of grade, wake up when you don't want it to, at times, but that'due south what happens on every smartwatch.

Notifications arrive immediately to your wrist, with no delays. The watch synced perfectly with my phone, so I had no issues when it comes to receiving notifications, not whatsoever.

It'south too worth pointing out that the haptic feedback from the scout is really, really good. You lot can fifty-fifty tweak it to your preference in the Settings, just y'all'll never miss a notification, equally you would on some watches. If you feel like the default setting is too strong, y'all can always tone it downwardly.

Battery life is amazing on the Huawei Watch GT 2, you'll forget y'all even need to charge it

Battery life on this watch is… well, astonishing. That'southward not an overstatement whatsoever. Huawei says that this scout can last you about two weeks of use (the 46mm model, the 42mm one will terminal about a week less), and that's not a lie. Now, truth be said, the battery life will depend on what you're doing with the watch in all that time. If y'all're using an always on display selection, which is available, the bombardment life will take a hitting.

If you're heavy on fitness, and yous continue using the lookout man'southward fitness functions, GPS, and a eye rate sensor constantly, the battery will concluding you a bit less than 2 weeks. Me, personally, am not that large on fitness, nor anything of the sort. I simply tried out all those functions for review's sake, and didn't really use them later on. So, in my case, the battery actually crossed the two-week threshold, and I was astounded.

I'k used to Habiliment OS and Tizen watches, and battery life on those watches is cypher to brag about. Wear Bone devices unremarkably have to be charged upwards every twenty-four hours, while Tizen is somewhat better in that regard, and tin provide you 2-iii days of battery life. In one case over again, if y'all're heavy on the fettle side of things, you lot'll see weaker bombardment life on those platforms likewise.

If you do treasure nifty battery life, and really don't desire to recharge your spotter often, the Huawei Sentinel GT 2 is the fashion to go. This lookout lasts and lasts, and when do need to accuse it, you lot'll demand to attach information technology to the magnetic dock. Unfortunately, the picket does not charge wirelessly, it has connexion pins on the bottom, and the charging dock does seem a fleck cheap. Considering you won't be using it that often at all, very few people will care.

The lookout doesn't really accuse all that fast, but not many people volition heed because how long it lasts. It will accuse upward fully in a bit less than two hours, so y'all can merely put it on a charger at the end of your solar day, and pick it upwardly in the morning. After that, simply forget about charging it for about two weeks.

Fitness, heart rate, calling quality & more

When it comes to working out, you have plenty of choices on the Watch GT two. Practice notation that this is not a fitness watch, first and foremost, information technology's an all-around scout. So, if you're looking for a fitness watch, you lot'll need to look elsewhere. That being said, the Watch GT two does a expert chore when information technology comes to fitness, at least what I've been able to test.

As already mentioned, I'thousand not really into fitness, but I practice run on occasion, and have taken this guy for a spin. It did a really good chore in the navigation department. This sentry does take a GPS built-in, and it's quite accurate, if I may say. It likewise did a skilful job of measuring my heart rate while I was running, no issues there.

When it comes to other workout options, I've never really tried them. You lot practice accept a lot of them here, though, and it would have an age to test them all out. Yous have 13 pre-installed running courses that yous can try out, along with separated workouts of various other types. Those workouts include: outdoor run, indoor run, outdoor walk, indoor walk, outdoor bike, indoor bike, pool pond, open water swimming, climbing, hiking, and quite a bit more. For each of those exercises, you have some additional functions that you tin can delve into.

In terms of sleep tracking and walking measurements… well, it did an okay task. It managed to keep things relatively accurate when it comes to the number of steps I've taken on a specific solar day, though do notation that it does sometimes choice up random hand movements as steps. Sleep tracking went well besides, information technology was incorrect on several occasions, merely overall, it did a practiced job. I've never really used a watch which was extremely authentic when it comes to slumber tracking, so… yeah.

The watch also comes with quite a few pre-installed lookout faces. Unfortunately, y'all cannot edit those watch faces, at least not much. You lot cannot prepare specific touch points, or tiny activity widgets on them.

The spotter does come with a compass, and a built-in weather app. A stopwatch is hither as well, every bit is the alarm and a timer. You too become a Flashlight choice to activate the flashlight on your phone.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 does come with a speaker, and a microphone. Then, yous tin technically use this spotter to brand phone calls, but you shouldn't. I've never seen a watch that does a good job in that department, without a phone, and that is the instance here besides. The Huawei Lookout man GT two is far from the worse watch for making phone calls, but the speaker is tinny, and the microphone is not all that bang-up as well. Callers on the other side did say I sounded "muffled". So, in that location you have it.

So, what's the verdict?

The Huawei Watch GT 2 is a slap-up sentry. You lot should avoid it if y'all care much about notifications. The whole notifications organisation on this watch does not piece of work very well at this point in time. This can be fixed via a software update, though, every single result I've listed. But, at the moment, this is really not a good sentinel for receiving notifications and acting on them.

For everything else, though, the Huawei Picket GT 2 does the job, and it does information technology really well. Build quality here is not bad, and and then is bombardment life. This is one of the prettiest watches I've used, in my humble stance, and likewise one of the more durable ones. I've dropped the Huawei Spotter GT two twice, by blow, and that did not leave a marker at all. On both occasions, it dropped on a hardwood flooring.

Most of you will be able to become around 2 weeks of battery life with this lookout, and the brandish on it is as well actually, really good. It is visible in direct sunlight, and not many people will find complaints at that place, at all. The Huawei Lookout man GT 2 is a bit pricey, though, so… it's upwardly to you lot to decide whether it's worth it or not. In our stance, though, this is the best culling to Tizen and Wear OS smartwatches.