REVIEW: Huawei Watch GT 2, the smartwatch that will make you rethink your routine

O Huawei Watch GT 2 recently arrived in Brazil with the FreeBuds 3, the headphones "true wireless“. with a new high quality standard, the smartwatch manages to balance the sporty and technological profiles, without leaving the style aside. he can be a smart watch and also a way to encourage you to practice physical activities. With so many functions, adjustments and screenings, even the most sedentary will be intimidated to get off the couch.

It is worth investing in this novelty, thinking that the first GT Was it released recently here? And, more importantly, how does it stand out from the competition? This is what we will present in full in this review.

Aesthetics and durability

There are two screen sizes: 46 mm e 42 mm. We tested the first one, which differs not only in diameter, but also in terms of finishing with 0-24 hour marker. THE AMOLED screen 1.39″ is breathtaking. If you're already used to using some other smart sports watch, even if it's from a different manufacturer, we guarantee that the quality of the GT 2's screen will impress you. Even against the sun, the display is effortlessly visible.

As a whole, the Huawei watch is much lighter than it looks: without the strap, the 46mm model weighs 41g and the 42mm version weighs 29g. The proportions are ideal for exercise and routine use, without getting in the way. In Brazil, we only had the version Sports (black or orange fluoroelastomer bracelet), while in foreign countries there is a version of leather e metal.

The strap is extremely comfortable and the rounded-edge adjustments do not pinch the skin in any way, which helps a lot in the task of not bothering you when taking him to bed - we will discuss this in detail when talking about the use of GT 2 in routine. The bracelet can also be changed very easily: it's just a small lock on each side.

The display is “3D glass“, according to the manufacturer, and was “carved by gemstone processing technology makes it durable and resistant to water and dust“. Speaking of water resistance, it survives up to 50 meters below the surface. In the workouts available on the Huawei watch, we see the option to swimming, so it's no surprise the high quality of the materials.

Four of the dials from the factory are open to customization (via watch), so you can change tracker thumbnails if you want to quickly view “steps taken” instead of “heartbeat”, for example. The included dials are well refined, adapting well to their tastes and profiles, being a good match to the elegance of the product as a whole.

Speaking of “durability”, another interesting point is battery life, which is certainly a key point for those looking for a smartwatch, and that’s what we’ll highlight next. Spoiler: She's also out of the ordinary.

Battery

One of the biggest highlights of the watch (and what impressed me the most) was the battery life. After fully recharging it, I used the GT 2 for about 6h with Bluetooth on, checking the time and functions occasionally, and she still remained at 100%. The next morning I checked and it had only drained 2%, as shown in the image below.

In the specification area of ​​the website of them, the official duration of the 455 mAh battery It is "14 days for common use“but we say it can last much longer. In our tests, the battery ran out only once. In conventional, routine use, the watch has worn 40% in about 10 days.

With GPS and Bluetooth turned on, connecting the Huawei device to the smartphone, the battery drains a little faster: three full days (120 hours), with the screen on all the time and active BPM/steps/stress meters. An evolution of the previous model is the “always on display” function, as the screen can be activated to stay on for up to 20 consecutive minutes. Another option is to activate a preset lock screen, with limited dials, so your locked screen may be different from the design you like the most, quite obviously.

With the connection to the USB (Type A – Type C) of the notebook, it recharged 3% per minute. That is, the battery reaches 100% in half an hour. This is great in case you plug it in at the last minute and can use it for several days without worry. The magnetic charging base attaches to the base of the watch at a very specific angle (but just get the hang of it, no problem), connecting to the device/Powerbank wanted.

Application and connectivity

When the watch is turned on for the first time, it has already appeared as a Bluetooth device on the cell phone, without further complications. To pair and work properly, it was necessary to download the app Huawei Health, companion that is available for Android e iOS (we tested it on the first operating system).

After opening Health, there was the instruction to download more app called “Huawei Mobile Service” (yes, with grammatical translation error). Login was easy, via mobile number for verification, and your HUAWEI-ID is generated according to your email of choice and link with Facebook or Gmail.

The entire procedure is very useful to help you stay on top of your status and improve your workouts, even if you change devices – whether smartphone or smartwatch. Even if, in particular, you haven't tested it, through the tab you Customer Service of them it is stated that such an app also works by dealing with “dice of third-party smartphones and wearables“, not just Huawei exclusives. Because the interface is quite user-friendly, is the recommendation for you who already have a smartwatch.

Talking about the watch-cell phone relationship, it's all done automatically (both are updated when the smartphone's Bluetooth is turned on). Even not showing emojis, when opening the notifications screen of GT 2 you will even see those that you have already dismissed from your cell phone. It is possible to clear and delete all simultaneously on the watch, without being able to interact with each of them (only reading).

By changing a dial via the app, which has a much larger library than the ones included by default, you can choose your favorites and they will be downloaded directly to GT 2. If you change the pattern via Health, the clock pattern changes instantly.

However, in the relationship of displays between the app and the smartwatch itself, there is a slight contrast. GT 2 is quite selective when translating device dials, as it chose “velocimeter” and ignored the translation of “explorer“. On other occasions, literal translation in the app can also be well funny in some instances. For example: in the step counting area, there is the meter “61 stages” (from the original “steps"), which in English also means steps - but they chose the wrong translation.

Smart watch worthy functions

The smartwatch has two physical buttons. when pressing the button top, there are a number of functions apart from the training which (amazingly!) bring the GT 2 closer to a digital watch. (https://chacc.co.uk) Are the things you want most, like stopwatch, timer and alarm, and some more differentiated ones, such as barometer, compass and even flashlight. In this last application, the screen is all white and illuminates very little, even with brightness adjustment – ​​and we can admit that it ends up being quite useless.

The bottom button, in turn, can be programmed to serve as a shortcut to one of the built-in apps. In the routine, I alternated between relaxation e sleep monitoring and I didn't regret it. Most of the functions are merely curious to watch users who are used to tracking everything on their cell phones, being a full plate only for those who miss a wearable of respect when taking walks. Or those whose profession is to stay tuned in the current atmospheric pressure.

Day-to-day use

At home, the most “end” that I tested was to connect the Huawei device to the smartphone, playing Spotify songs via speaker. The play/pause and music forward/rewind command worked flawlessly, which was very practical for when I was in the same room as speaker and didn't want to pick up the phone. The same works in a situation where you find yourself in pool with the clock, listening to music with a Bluetooth speaker on the edge (can control the music without getting out of the water).

The “Find Cell” mode is humorous. When activating, you hear a beep (bell) followed by a female voice calling “I'm here!” (“I am here”), directly on the smartphone. With those who often lose their cell phone at home, it can be a useful feature.

I admit a surprise when looking through the types of training available: I was surprised by a speaker design. It even plays songs from the GT 2 itself, it's just not worth thinking that the quality and experience will be excellent (at least, not without headphones).

There 2,2 Gb of internal space, which becomes useful when pairing it with a Bluetooth headset to listen to music, without needing a cell phone. The built-in player works reasonably well, with delay between play/pause notable, but not to the point of bothering. Just to give you an idea, 2Gb equals about 500 songs (128Kbps) in the standard metric of 3-5 minutes – which can keep you entertained for over 30h.

Bluetooth finds any speaker (it even found my smart TV!), which doesn't restrict it to just earbuds, even though the Chinese manufacturer obviously recommends FreeBuds 3, a “household” product.

Another highlight worth mentioning is the possibility of receive and make calls straight from the clock, thanks to speaker and built-in microphone. In the app, you add a contact to your phonebook and it will go straight to the GT 2, which is great, since syncing with the phone's complete phonebook may not be so pleasant.

After getting used to the routine of “staying on” in my activities, I started to notice a simple navigation restriction. The interface is still excellent, but a simple shortcut could be improved.

On all main screens (only with touch, without activating the sub-menus of the top button) you can't give a swipe from bottom to top, with the intention of checking additional information from each screen. For example: on screen "activity record“, it shows a minimalistic version of the activity log part. In the “complete” version, accessed with the side button, you can check calories lost, distance traveled, average steps taken, hours/minutes of activity with a weekly average.

The shortcut is really just a fast way to check their status. Therefore, you need to press the top button, scroll down the list of items to the “activity log” and select it to open the same window, with the only difference that (now) you can check all info. She is almost identical. It cost to do a simple swipe,Huawei?

Use for physical activities

Training customization is certainly the greater prominence when dealing with the sports functions of GT 2. In each preset, which we show in the gif below, you can click on the side gear and configure a arches (distance, time or calories burned) and sticky notes (distance/time interval), as well as a “training effects” function whose icon is a flexed bicep, which already gives a good clue of the level of effort it needs, when activated.

Reminders are nothing less than sound warnings occasional, with male voice (in English) a little robotic – but nothing compared to today's virtual assistants. Depending on what you enable in the settings, it will give announcements about distance and heart rate in a very specific way. If the training is focused on a certain goal, it will tell you “your rate is below average, pick up the pace” or something similar, being somewhat motivating.

Selecting the workout itself with a tap on the name/icon, you must press the bottom button to start it. The mechanical touch gives an interesting feedback to the touch proposal, because that way you can't start a workout "by accident", especially if you leave the screen on.

In the training application itself, there are a series of screens. In the case of a walking, it shows heart rate, elapsed time, the aforementioned “training effects” (aerobic training, as a reference to your previous workouts), step, cadence, among others. You can see the time on all screens, which is very well thought out on the design side.

At the end of the workout, there is complete information: date/time, distance, duration, calories burned, average speed and pace, steps taken, step cadence, heart rate and a few others. On the smartphone, you can see the running status, showing the map commute, which is pretty cool (and unstapleable!), as well as dozens of trackers that might be of interest to you in the long run.

There was only one problem: in three of the five tests of training, by swiping and checking extra information during the activity, the screen stuck midway between the swipes (with numbers cut out at the top and bottom of the display). Even blocking the screen, pausing and proceeding with the training, the error insisted on continuing. The solution was to end the workout, with no other navigation issues happening in the main menu, and restart it.

Evolution of Huawei Watch GT?

A previous version, launched internationally at the end of 2018, took a long time to reach Brazilian lands. Fortunately, his successor arrived just a few months after he hit the markets. However, the question is: is it worth making the switch? Below, we list the differences between the two versions.

GT 2 Evolutions:

• Can answer and make calls;
• You can control the volume of songs with its own player;
• Speaker integrated;
• There is the function "always on display“, being able to keep the screen on for up to 20 minutes;
• Larger internal memory (more than 2 Gb of music);
• Bluetooth 5.1 (headphone connection);
• New training, leisure and customization functions;
• More unified design between screen and coating;

More of the same:

• Battery can still comfortably last four weeks, if you take into account moderate use and regular activation of the trackers;
• Same type of interchangeable bracelet;
• Connection to the Huawei Health app on the smartphone;
• Built-in apps and trackers work in virtually the same way;
• GPS works reasonably in different conditions;
• Navigation by physical buttons and touch is very similar;

Absences (still):

• Cannot control the cell phone volume;
• Does not run third-party apps, only internal ones;
• There is no payment via NFC;

Conclusion

The Huawei Watch GT 2 works as an excellent gateway to the world of wearables, whether you're a walks on sundays or a lover of your warm bed – which is still good, whenever possible. The many internal functions and connections to your smartphone make it a perfect partner for everyday life, controlling music and showing you notifications of new messages.

However, if you already have the first GT or a smartwatch that has similar functions, I'm sorry to inform you that it's not worth the exchange. Today, the first GT is still 40% cheaper (and can be found for up to half the price of the successor). the competitor Samsung, for example, has a SmartWatch for the same audience profile, with the same screen size (46mm) and better integration with Android and third-party apps – for a similar price.

So, unless you're really going to use the built-in speaker and the practical functions we've mentioned throughout this review, if you already have a smart watch, I think the exchange is expendable. But if this is your first contact with this world smart, it manages to be a full plate.

You can find the Huawei Watch GT 2 at official dealers on models of luxury (1,39″ fabric) per R$1.699 e sporty (1,2” fabric) per R$1.499.