The Huawei Watch GT 3 is an excellent smartwatch for those who use it mainly for health and fitness tracking. Its battery life is outstanding and it feels premium and classy. Think of it as a very capable fitness tracker. But if you want more out of your smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 are better options. Alternatively, consider the more lifestyle-oriented Huawei Watch 3 if you wish to stay in the Huawei ecosystem.
Quick specs
- Stainless steel front and plastic rear
- 1.43-inch AMOLED screen (46mm) and 1.32-inch AMOLED screen (42mm)
- Available in 42mm and 46mm sizes
- Requires smartphone with HarmonyOS 2+, Android 6.0+ or iOS 9+
I tested a 42mm version with a lovely 1.32-inch circular AMOLED screen and a nice white leather strap. Huawei also has a 46mm model with a 1.43-inch display. A fluoroelastomer strap option is available, too. The GT 3's build quality is superb. Its stainless steel front case feels solid and well-made. And if I didn't check the specs sheet, I wouldn't have known that the smartwatch's smooth and glossy back is actually plastic. Like the Huawei Watch 3, it has a rotation crown and function button at the side. This crown has haptic feedback for a more tactile experience. I find it handy for scrolling through content, especially when my fingers are damp and cannot be registered by the touchscreen. But my vote for best feature is the vivid screen, which is bright enough to use in broad daylight.
The GT 3 runs Huawei's own HarmonyOS platform. It uses the same revamped interface (a grid of app icons) as the Huawei Watch 3. It is responsive and stable with no lag or crashes during my testing. Swipes and taps are registered without missing a beat. The GT 3 has all the basic smartwatch functions, from tracking your sleep to your heart beat. You can also enable SpO2 monitoring or continuous skin temperature measurement, though I usually skip them to conserve the battery. Huawei says there are over 100 workout modes in the smartwatch. It's frankly overkill for me as I only use the smartwatch for my walks and jogs. But the GT 3 seems a bit more accurate at tracking the distance and also faster to get a GPS lock than the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro.
However, the GT 3 falls behind its competitors in several ways. For instance, you can get notifications from WhatsApp, but you cannot reply, unlike the Apple Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The same goes for NFC payments and the Celia voice assistant — I couldn't get them to work with my non-Huawei Android smartphone. Third-party apps are supported via the Huawei Health app in your phone — there isn't a standalone AppGallery store in the watch. But the app selection is even worse than that for the Huawei Watch 3. I counted just 28 apps, including several non-English ones that I couldn't understand. None of the apps were familiar to me. In other words, the GT 3 lies somewhat in between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker.
There's a silver lining, though. The Huawei Watch GT 3 offers excellent battery life. My 42mm review unit is said to offer up to seven days of uptime while the larger 46mm is supposed to last up to two weeks. The GT 3 definitely lives up to those claims in my testing. In fact, it lasted over a week for me, though I only wear it when I'm out of the house. The battery actually depleted by just 3 percent after a 30min exercise routine. Also, the GT 3 supports Qi wireless charging, so you can even replenish it with a reverse-charging smartphone. You can get it now starting from S$298 at Shopee and Lazada.
Review unit provided by Huawei.
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Verdict
CAN BUY...BUT
Buy it at Shopee
Available at Lazada