Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is the best smartwatch of the moment
The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is a smartwatch with an excellent health system, GPS and sports tracking in a design that does not leave one indifferent and that does not seem like a continuation of the past.
A year after trying the Huawei Watch GT 4, one of Huawei’s most advanced smartwatches, the new Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro returns to my wrist. And yes, although the design is very similar, with certain differences, the technology it uses is new, and Huawei is very proud of it.
The world of smartwatches, like that of mobile phones and other devices, is saturated. Few brands can boast of being among the top five international manufacturers, and Huawei has established itself as one of the best-selling brands, according to market research companies such as Canalyst.
Little is said about Huawei in the world of watches, but it is rare to find a brand that puts so many good products on our wrists year after year, and that is a reality, whether we like it or not.
This year, the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro comes with the Huawei Watch GT 5 and the differences are significant aesthetically, such as the titanium details, a brighter screen or a design more similar to what we understand as a traditional watch with a titanium link strap that gives it that extra classic touch.
Traditional watch design, titanium and looks good on large wrists
This is a 46 mm watch and, with the titanium design, it is not very suitable for thin wrists. That’s what the 41 mm and 42 mm Watch GT 5s are for. But if you’re someone who likes big watches with metallic tones, the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is exactly what you’re looking for.
Huawei has given the front of the screen a more octagonal design, with a titanium casing that can be combined with a silicone strap or a titanium link strap. The latter is the most elegant combination, perfect for wearing all day or on special occasions. Of course, if you want a good fit, especially for sports.
The GT 5 Pro has two side buttons, a digital crown on the top and a button on the bottom which, although configurable, opens up for sports activities.
The 1.43-inch AMOLED display is the star of the design. It’s large, bright and supports a variety of watch faces, some of which are customizable and others compatible with the always-on display mode. Viewing angles are not the best, but from the front and under direct sunlight, the screen achieves a high level of brightness for problem-free viewing.
It is an elegant, large watch with a refined design. It even has traditional luxury watch details, with a blue and red two-tone minute bezel.
The titanium bracelet has a new adjustment system that allows you to take it off or put it on with a button. The good news is that it actually uses a standard 22 mm accessory, so you can put any strap on it. If you do sports, you might want to use a silicone strap to make sure it fits you properly.
HarmonyOS for watches improves in design, but also in compatibility with iOS and Android
Huawei has used its HarmonyOS operating system in this watch. The software is not perfect. HarmonyOS still has a long way to go to work well on devices like the iPhone. I don’t know if it’s a Huawei or Apple problem, but some notifications arrive hours late, even after they have been deleted from the phone, or the weather information is not updated automatically.
At the software level, we have the traditional limitations, especially the lack of real multitasking. For example, you can’t go out and open another application while you’re doing a sports tracker. You have to go out and open something as simple as the weather app.
The integration with Android is certainly much better, although it has improved a lot on iOS.
Finally, you can download maps from iOS to use them offline, load custom routes for outdoor sports, see all your health information, export the data you want, integrate your runs with Strava… In short, Huawei has made sure that you don’t lack any data, so that you can then do what you want with it.
It doesn’t have an app store, which is somewhat incomprehensible given the capabilities of this watch, and for now, and although it has NFC, there is no compatibility with any Spanish bank for making payments.
When it comes to sports, Huawei has improved the way it presents the relevant information you need during your activity with different screens that you can customize.
Offline maps are a great help and very detailed when practicing outdoor sports such as hiking, mountain biking or trail running. You not only have a preview of the routes you download from your phone, but also a real-time route with lots of information or a panoramic view with the next important points.
Very complete health system and more options for athletes
Huawei introduces the new TruSense 6.0 health system in the GT 5 Series watch, a set of sensors that have been completely redesigned, including new optics for the sensors. Basically, this system is capable of detecting heart rate and blood oxygen levels more accurately in all skin tones, with a significant improvement in light penetration in dark skin.
It also includes an algorithm update, although this is more opaque because it depends on each body and its activity to know its physical level from a smartwatch.
What I have seen during my weeks with the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro on my wrist is that they have managed to create a complete body information system on a par with the most recognized brands in the world of professional sports smartwatches.
Information about skin temperature, pulse, hours and areas slept, weight, stress level tests, blood oxygen levels, step count. It’s nothing that other watches don’t have, but it’s all very well presented from the app.
Although Huawei has made a lot of noise about its new sensor system for this Watch GT 5 Pro and GT 5, the truth is that in my case, with a light skin tone and with easy access to the veins on the wrist for monitoring the pulse and oxygen level, I don’t see a relevant change compared to the Watch GT 4.
When it comes to sports, this is where it really stands out, thanks to three main factors: improvements in “classic” sports such as running or cycling, an improvement in its dual-band GPS system and the TruSense system with its sensors and algorithms.
Of the hundred or more sports it can measure, I have used four: walking outdoors, running outdoors, spinning or stationary cycling and swimming.
I have no complaints about the heart rate data it collects, which is in line with what other watches that I consider good collect, such as the Apple Watch Series 9 (which I use for comparison in all my tests). But especially for outdoor activities, it’s the GPS tracking that counts.
With the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro, the brand has redesigned the position of the dual-band GPS antennas so that they emit in the shape of a clover. To be honest, I have no idea what they mean by this, but what I do notice is a good record of position in the open air without obstacles, such as in the countryside. In the city, walking on pavements in front of buildings, the deviation of the GPS is almost always present, although to a lesser extent than in the Watch GT 4. This repositioning of the antenna is supposed to improve the signal between buildings, but honestly, I don’t see any difference compared to the competition, such as Apple or Samsung.
In my tests with an Apple Watch Ultra 2, Huawei performs better in areas with lots of buildings. Outdoors, the differences are minimal.
When swimming in an open pool, the watch accurately marks the lengths, the distance of which you can choose if you swim in a non-standard 25-meter lane, like mine, which is 30 meters.
Where the GT 5 Pro has fewer problems is when it comes to recording information during a swimming session. This is normal, the arm hardly moves, which helps it collect better data from the wrist. Of course, I miss the ability to add cadence or speed sensors, something that the Apple Watch includes.
They promise 10 days of normal use, but it doesn’t last a week.
Huawei claims in its marketing campaign and in its specifications that the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro 46 mm, the model I analyzed, has a battery life of up to 10 days of normal use or up to 14 days in power saving mode.
The reality is that, as with any battery-powered product, it depends on how you use it, but it is very difficult to achieve the figures Huawei claims.
From my tests, I can assure you that the battery didn’t last more than 5 or 6 days with normal use, including activity sessions of approximately one hour with GPS and with the screen always on. And 5 days is not bad for a watch of this type, if Huawei had been more realistic with its claims about the battery, I wouldn’t have thought it was a problem.
The new charging system is also important. With its magnetic charger, you can have a fully charged battery in less than an hour. This means that if you charge your watch at, say, 25%, you’ll have enough battery for days in just over half an hour.
Conclusion: Is the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro worth it?
I have no doubt that it is. Like last year with the Watch GT 4, I sincerely believe that the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is one of the best smartwatches you can buy, whether you have an Android phone or an iPhone.
The battery life is good, the design is excellent, it has good GPS, a health system so comprehensive that you have all the information at your fingertips. Huawei has not only improved an excellent watch like the GT 4, but has also caused a lot of problems for the competition because, for 379 euros in its titanium edition with silicone strap, it seems to me an almost perfect product. And if you can, for 499 euros with the titanium bracelet, it is a classic design perfect for any situation.
It is a pleasure to find products that, although not perfect (because nothing is), set the bar so high for the rest of the competition that they can only strive to reach it.
2024 is proving to be an excellent year for smartwatches, and we, as consumers, can only say that we have better products, more competition and, as in the case of this Watch GT 5 Pro, compatibility with both mobile platforms.
