Huawei Watch GT2 Pro pre-review: quality battery, questionable English
The Huawei Watch GT2 Pro entered the market today. Our short weekend test has shown that the watch is quite versatile and has good battery life. But seriously – what’s up with the Stress Test?
As you’re reading these words, the Huawei watch GT2 Pro is being presented to the European public. Five days ago, video journalist Stephanie Tresch got her hands on a preliminary version of the watch for quick testing. So, keep in mind: this is not a complete review because we’re missing long-term performance data.
We did have enough time to do a superficial test of the main features, though. And to find some bugs and get a few good laughs out of the software, which hasn’t yet been released internationally.
A brick for your delicate wrist
It’s a difficult change to adapt to. The fine ladies’ watch that once adorned Stephanie’s wrist is gone. It’s been replaced by a piece of hardware weighing 52 grams – over twice the weight of her 23-gram ladies’ watch. And there’s the 46-millimetre diameter which makes the thing look very dominant, if not downright clunky on her wrist.
But on a small wrist, it’s the details that can make or break it. Details such as the free loop that keeps the excess strap out of your way. The free loop on the Huawei watch strap has a kind of tooth-like protrusion on the inside, so you can hook it into place. If anyone knows the actual name of this type of loop, please put us out of our misery and let us know in the comments. In any case, it’s a nice feature that you’d normally only find in sports watches.
Aside from that, the Huawei Watch GT2 Pro is quite the under-statement. Simple, black, and with a standard clock face borrowed from a traditional watch.
The 256-kilometre bug
Let’s assume you’re a real hardcore ultra-marathoner and you decide to do the full 100 km in Biel 2.65 times in a row, uninterrupted. You’d better not move a single metre more than that, because if you do, the data collected by the Huawei Watch won’t be visible in the Huawei Health app anymore. Because this is the point when the watch kind of goes rogue.
First, the Chinese-English speaker – who keeps you up to date via astonishingly nice-sounding speakers – forgets the number of kilometres. A kind of metamorphosis occurs: «You have driven Two. Hundred. And. Fifty. Kilometre. In. Three. Hour. Seven. Minute. And. Six Second. Recent. Five kilometre...» Suddenly, all that becomes: «You have driven. Kilometre. Recent. Five kilometre...», followed by a detailed report on your performance and pulse and stuff. Well, one thing is certain: this is most definitely Chinese software. Because in the Chinese language, there’s no plural when describing measurements. So, there’s no minutes or kilometres. The speaker and listener just recognise it’s a plural as soon as there’s a number in front. Hence the somewhat entertaining «one kilometre», «two kilometre», and so on.
That’s an easy fix, and likely to already be patched up in the release version that’s launching in Switzerland on 2 October.
But the 256-kilometre bug will probably remain. That bug exists because the internal memory can’t process the large distance. It continues recording for at least 462.08 kilometres, mind you, but you can’t see it in Huawei Health. The app simply crashes. From 265 kilometres on, the watch continues counting in steps of five, but the choppy robotic voice now sputters: «Forty. Four. Kilometre.»
There was one pleasant surprise, though: the battery. It keeps up decently. More than just decently, in fact. After 5 hours, 18 minutes and 43 seconds of continuously measuring GPS, pulse, altitude, speed and calories burned, the battery – which started off fully charged – still has 76% of its capacity left. Twenty-four hours later, the battery is still at 65%. That’s without measuring anything else, but after rifling through all conceivable settings. And this entire spiel on a 455 mAh battery. Impressive.
Huawei advertises that the watch will last up to 30 hours in GPS mode. Wrong. Unless the Huawei Watch GT2 Pro gradually shuts off feature after feature as the battery goes down. Because based on the above battery consumption, the watch will run out of juice after 15 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds of GPS tracking.
The one setting to spare you repeated annoyance
The watch’s battery-saving methods are not always all fun and games, even if the device easily survives a three-day trip to the Nürburgring for a 24-hour race. Because it turns out that the clock face is set to «auto» by default. This setting is confusing, because somehow, the screen always goes black after just a few seconds. So, you raise your arm, look at the watch, your mind momentarily wanders and bam: the screen is black.
This isn’t only annoying if you need to quickly deliberate on your next appointment; it’s also irksome if you’re trying to quickly read a WhatsApp message. The auto-thinking clock assumes that you’re no longer paying attention to it. And so, the AMOLED display goes black.
But there’s an easy fix:
- Swipe Down
- Settings
- Display
- Advanced Settings
- Sleep
- 20 seconds, or whatever time works for you
Of course, this shortens battery life. So, the question is: do you prefer longer battery life of user-friendliness?
Sleep and other intimate inquiries
Though falling asleep while wearing the watch was difficult at first, it’s actually perfectly possible to sleep well with the Huawei Watch GT2 Pro on your wrist. Each morning, you have a sleep analysis report waiting for you. It might be able to shed some light on why you’re already on your twelfth cup of coffee at 8 a.m. and still bloody tired.
But the Stress Test sort of comes out of left field. It’ll ask you a good dozen questions that you might expect from your psychologist, but not really from your watch. «I have nothing to look forward to. True or false?» If you weren't stressed out before, you sure are now. The result: you’re experiencing a certain level of stress. How surprising.
Also stress-inducing: the GT2 Pro’s cradle charger. It’s strangely wobbly, despite having a built-in magnet. The magnet is just a touch too weak. So, when it’s time to recharge your watch every few days, be careful. It’s definitely a good idea to double-check that it’s actually charging.
Well, this’ll have to do for now. But if you want long-term performance data or have specific questions, let us know in the comments below.
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Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
