Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Review

Price When Reviewed

Not to be had in the USA

‘Pro’ branding has occupied the smartphone house for a couple of years at this level, however it’s a long way much less prevalent within the smartwatch marketplace. Huawei is certainly one of just a handful of big-name wearable makers to provide up ‘Pro’ branded timepieces, with the 1st such providing in its Watch GT collection arriving again in 2020.

Fast-forward 18 months and the most recent access – or somewhat entries – within the collection are right here to proceed the way laid out by means of the Watch GT 2 Pro, particularly of their use of recent design aesthetics, enhanced by means of top class fabrics.

The most evident distinction between the former Pro and this era is that there are actually two variants to choose from, providing extra selection from what’s – most definitely now greater than ever ahead of – certainly one of Huawei’s maximum necessary shopper product classes at the international degree.

Design and construct

• 46mm titanium frame or 43mm ceramic frame
• Dive-proof as much as 3ATM
• User-replaceable bands

The Watch GT 2 Pro got here in one 46mm casing dimension, however with the GT 3 Pro collection, as with the usual GT 3 line, you currently have the opportunity of 2 sizes to choose from. Both GT 3 Pro fashions are a fragment greater than their vanilla opposite numbers however the primary differentiator isn’t dimension, it’s fabrics.

2020’s GT 2 Pro traded a stainless-steel casing for a titanium one and the bigger 46mm (46.6mm) GT 3 Pro follows go well with. In truth, the design of the 46mm type is obviously knowledgeable by means of its predecessor, with the primary distinction being the shrouded lugs that perspective away sharply from the flat entrance, at about 45°. It’s a definite sufficient adaptation that units the 46mm GT 3 Pro aside from each its predecessor and nearly all of the opposite smartwatches in the market, with out feeling over-engineered.

While the titanium-bodied GT 3 Pro is a herbal evolution of the former Pro-branded Watch GT, the smaller 43mm access is a thrilling new addition that comes clad in a subject matter that, within the context of the trade, is reserved nearly solely for the posh watch marketplace: ceramic.

The abnormal caveat to the GT 3 Pro as a couple of timepieces is that your most well-liked subject matter may be tied to casing dimension. As such, for the ones not sure whether or not the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium Edition or the Watch GT 3 Pro Ceramic Edition is cross, make sure to’re pleased with the design and subject matter at paintings firstly, ahead of purchasing.

There’s no denying that each variants of the GT 3 Pro really feel just a little particular in-hand. Not best do they each be offering distinct styling however using titanium and ceramic throughout each fashions additionally comes with a couple of further advantages: those fabrics are markedly more difficult dressed in in comparison to stainless-steel, hypoallergenic, corrosion-resistant, and impressively light-weight.

In this actual example, each GT 3 Pros are just a little heavier than their vanilla siblings however neither feels in particular bulky or uncomfortable to put on.

At a look, the end of the Ceramic Edition (which best is available in white) may well be unsuitable for greasy plastic however boasts a novel lustre when held towards the sunshine, to not point out polished ceramic is considerably extra immune to scratches and scrapes in comparison to plastic (even if it’s susceptible to chipping and cracking if no longer sorted).

While the type of the Titanium Edition looks as if a dressed up usual 46mm GT 3, the ceramic type sports activities a markedly other design in comparison to the 42mm GT 3, ditching the curved-edge quilt glass for a flat entrance accompanied by means of a definite seashell patterned bezel, rendered in gold or silver, relying at the strap you go for at acquire. That steel accessory additionally extends to the rotating crown and button, discovered at the proper facet of the watch’s frame too.

Speaking of straps, there are two permutations of the Ceramic Edition, one with a white leather-based strap (the place the casing options silver accents) and one with a ceramic hyperlink strap, carrying a chic butterfly clasp and (at the side of the casing) gold accents.

As for the Titantium Edition, there are 3 strap choices to choose from: black fluoroelastomer, gray leather-based, or a titanium hyperlink strap. Unlike the Ceramic Edition, the place a device is integrated in-box, each the strap and the person hyperlinks at the titanium hyperlink band be offering tool-less adjustment, with spring-loaded pins which can be designed to make the act of doing away with or including hyperlinks more uncomplicated. While it’s more effective, the method continues to be difficult, with shorter nails making the method in particular difficult.

Like the remaining Pro, sapphire crystal protects the show and a ceramic again additionally options throughout each variations of the GT 3 Pro, with the underlying {hardware} providing equivalent sturdiness to the usual type. Huawei has, then again, upgraded the road’s water resistance, making those rather distinctive within the smartwatch house by means of being dive-proof as much as 30m.

Display and audio

• Circular AMOLED show with 326ppi
• Dynamic watch faces for day & evening
• Integrated microphone & speaker

Behind that impressively resilient sapphire crystal lies both a 1.43in or 1.32in round AMOLED show (relying on casing dimension), with the similar 326ppi pixel density as the previous couple of generations of Huawei smartwatch (throughout each the GT collection and numbered entries just like the Watch 3), in addition to competitors just like the Apple Watch.

It’s a perfectly vivid, vibrant and persistently responsive show that’s simple to look and is derived paired with a smattering of customisable controls. It includes a well-timed tilt-to-wake setup by means of default (which is excellent, as there’s no strategy to modify sensitivity anyway) in addition to controls for brightness (together with auto-brightness), sleep, and screen-on occasions.

Huawei has made a concerted effort to tailor the plethora of watch faces integrated at the GT 3 Pro to characteristic devoted always-on show alternates that also be offering a equivalent taste and format to their usual look, a degree of consideration to element that different smartwatch makers must have in mind of.

Some of the watch faces additionally strengthen customisable headaches for metrics like battery lifestyles, center charge, and climate, with the UI additionally changing you to which watch faces would possibly draw extra energy than others, which is a small however helpful attention that, once more, can be excellent to have to be had on rival wearables.

Like the GT 3 line, the GT 3 Pro additionally options an built-in speaker and microphone, with the previous serving up unusually transparent sound that may be heard over normal din (equivalent to highway noise), making it usable for listening to growth updates all over workout routines whilst out operating, for instance.

With onboard garage facilitating offline track playback, you’ll additionally play tunes in the course of the GT 3 Pro’s speaker they usually don’t sound horrible however it’s a long way from the perfect strategy to revel in tunes or podcasts, so Bluetooth earbuds are most definitely the sensible plan of action.

As for the microphone, it’s basically used for on-wrist calls or, in case you’re paired to a Huawei smartphone particularly, interplay with the person enjoy’s assistant Celia. Quality is once more practical (equipped it’s no longer too noisy within the background) and must best be used in case your phone is out of achieve.

Software and lines

• HarmonyOS
• UI borrows from Wear OS and watchOS
• Varied notification quick-action strengthen

Running on Huawei’s personal HarmonyOS 2.1, the Watch GT 3 Pro provides a almost an identical person enjoy to the opposite GT 3 watches, at the side of the corporate’s first HarmonyOS watch, the Huawei Watch 3.

Harmony’s wearable guise borrows from equivalent platforms, like Google’s Wear OS, with swiping down, left, up, and proper summoning brief settings, widgets, notifications, and the watch’s assistant, respectively. Meanwhile, by means of default, urgent the rotating crown brings up a decidedly watchOS-like apps grid (even if a listing view may be to be had).

While it makes for a most often pleasnt and wealthy enjoy general, there are some quirks to concentrate on, like inconsistent brief movements on notifications, equivalent to conversations from more than a few other social apps you might have. Meanwhile the voice assistant best purposes if in case you have the GT 3 Pro paired as much as a appropriate Huawei phone, making its ever-present place to the left of the primary watch face just a little worrying in case you’ve paired it to every other producer’s Android phone, or an iPhone.

The GT’s line’s status underneath the Watch 3 signifies that even if the Pro collection provides probably the most maximum top class {hardware} from Huawei’s present smartwatch portfolio, top-tier options like its on-wrist AppGallery app retailer and eSIM capability (for phone-free calls and information utilization) aren’t a part of the equation right here.

Fitness and monitoring

• Tracks 100+ recreation modes
• New free-dive monitoring
• ECG & NFC are marketplace explicit

Fitness is the place the GT line puts its focal point, with a well-recognized line-up of sport-centric options as discovered at the vanilla Watch GT 3. The GT 3 Pro is provided to trace the whole lot out of your steps for your sleep (together with sleep levels like REM), with the likes of center charge, rigidity, blood oxygen and pores and skin temperature too.

In some markets (particularly Huawei’s native land of China) ECG capability may be at the desk (at the side of NFC), then again approval from native scientific our bodies is needed for this option to be enabled all over the GT 3 Pro has introduced (suggesting the capability may well be ‘unlocked’ in markets the place it isn’t recently to be had had been Huawei to hunt the related approval).

Pair all this with an stepped forward TruSeen 5.0+ sensor for higher accuracy when logging metrics like SpO2 and the GT 3 Pro provides probably the most maximum complete monitoring of any smartwatch recently in the market.

Via the significant other Huawei Health app, that knowledge comes dressed with further perception too. Sleep knowledge, for instance, is complemented by means of tips on the right way to support your conduct for extra sure effects (or just to let you know you’re already heading in the right direction).

Along with the upgraded hardiness of this newest Pro collection, Huawei has additionally added to the prevailing 100+ recreation modes that the GT 3 line already introduced by means of dive monitoring that may log attributes like dive intensity and curve; increasing on an already spectacular collection of trackable actions.

Where Huawei hasn’t fairly ventured with any of its wearables is against the world of supplementary process knowledge and perception, equivalent to dietary consumption, one thing usually discovered on extra complicated multisport watches from manufacturers like Polar.

Performance and battery

• Responsive person enjoy
• Convenient, brief charging
• Strong longevity

Given the GT collection’ marginally decrease status in comparison to the likes of the Watch 3, I used to be anticipating middling efficiency from the person enjoy, particularly as that was once what the corporate’s earlier Lite OS-powered watches incessantly doled out.

In observe, the GT 3 Pro proves pleasantly snappy, with easy UI animations for sure serving to the watch stay clean and responsive to a point coming near top class smartwatch marketplace leaders just like the Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 circle of relatives.

Interaction by the use of the touchscreen, rotating crown, and facet button seldom proved problematic, with best the occasional extend or stutter as I moved across the UI.

As for battery lifestyles, the 2 other casing and show sizes lead to differing battery longevity. Huawei quotes as much as 7 days of ‘conventional’ utilization from the 43mm Ceramic Edition and as much as 14 days from the 46mm titanium type and in observe, that proved proper at the cash, the place earlier Huawei watches have incessantly fallen an afternoon or so in need of the corporate’s claims.

Even with half-hour of GPS-based monitoring an afternoon, the 46mm Titanium Edition must nonetheless serve up 8 days of what Huawei calls ‘heavy use’, which is spectacular, to mention the least.

If you’re new to wearables, small adjustments in utilization – like tweaking display brightness or timeout, enabling GPS whilst going for a run, or turning consistent center charge monitoring on or off – can all have sizeable affects on a watches longevity and that’s simply as true right here. Still, Huawei has discovered a very good stability of health options, instrument fluidity and battery lifestyles that’s difficult to search out somewhere else.

Recharging the Ceramic type introduced it to 75% fee in simply half-hour, with a complete fee in underneath an hour, whilst the Titanium type takes a short time longer. Charging takes position by the use of a well-recognized magnetically attachable wi-fi charging puck that attaches to the watch’s ceramic again in any orientation.

Charging is, for essentially the most phase, painless, even if the Ceramic Edition did generally tend to bitch about desiring the again of the watch to be wiped clean to permit for charging consistency, even if the watch was once field recent.

Price and availability

Both fashions are that can be purchased direct from Huawei’s web page (Titanium Edition/Ceramic Edition), with some areas additionally providing availability thru native shops, equivalent to Amazon (Titanium Edition/Ceramic Edition) and Currys (Titanium Edition/Ceramic Edition) in the United Kingdom.

Perhaps one of the divisive facets of the Watch GT 3 Pro is its worth. For a get started, in contrast to the usual GT 3, the ceramic bodywork of the smaller 43mm Pro renders it costlier than its greater titanium-clad counterpart, whilst the number of strap that you just pair along with your most well-liked GT 3 Pro can up the price much more.

Titanium type pricing:

• Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium Edition (46mm) w/ fluoroelastomer strap: €369/£299
• Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium Edition (46mm) w/ leather-based strap: €369/£299
• Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium Edition (46mm) w/ titanium strap: €499/£429

Ceramic type pricing:

• Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Ceramic Edition (43mm) w/ leather-based strap: €499/£429
• Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Ceramic Edition (43mm) w/ ceramic strap: €599 (or €699 in some areas)/£499

In each circumstances, the hyperlink strap of each and every type’s respective signature subject matter makes for the priciest pairing, whilst the black fluoroelastomer strap to be had with the 46mm Titanium Edition is likely one of the maximum inexpensive choices within the vary (and coincidentally the most suitable option for many who wish to figure out whilst dressed in their GT 3 Pro).

The silver lining for the ones get rid of by means of the fee is that Huawei doesn’t use a proprietary strap design like Apple, so whilst you’ll go for any of the corporate’s personal EasyFit 2 bands, you’re no longer limited to them.

Check out our absolute best smartwatch roundup to look what the GT 3 Pro line is up towards.

Verdict

When it comes all the way down to it, nearly the whole lot that makes the Huawei Watch GT 3 such an completed pair of smartwatches may be true with their Pro-branded siblings.

The array of metrics those wearables can monitor and the first-party capability afforded to that knowledge is wealthy and sundry, whilst battery lifestyles and function stroll a cautious line that make sure that a robust stability.

Sure, HarmonyOS has its quirks and probably the most extra nuanced capability of those watches stays walled in the back of Huawei exclusivity however the underlying enjoy is arguably sensible, albeit acquainted.

Considering the extent of capability on be offering the GT 3 Pro line is pricey, however there simply aren’t many possible choices prepared to toy with such sumptuous fabrics, that means there’s little else in the market to choose between.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro provides itself up to those that need luxurious and connectivity of their timepieces, with no need to fork our 4 figures for the nearest selection in entries like Hublot’s Big Bang E or the latest Tag Heuer Connected. Even at its costliest, the Ceramic Edition undercuts Apple’s top-tier titanium-bodied selection, making it perfect for iPhone customers who favour Huawei’s round stylings over Apple’s squircles.