Go smart with your watch

Huawei's Watch GT 2 could be your guide and workout buddy

Huawei's continuing its push into the wearables category, and this time it has another souped-up follow-up to its flagship smartwatch line.
The Watch GT 2 - we have the 42mm version - retains the looks of its predecessor, the Watch GT, bringing back that classic timepiece build; it has a bezel-less design with really smooth curves. There are two buttons on the right that you will use to navigate through it, plus a speaker on the other side that's loud enough when you go walkie-talkie. It comes with a black sports strap, but you have sold-separately options that can add flair.
Oddly, it doesn't have a third-party apps, which limits functionalities. Notifications, however, are available. And it runs on Huawei's very own LiteOS.
Of note: Distinguishing this 42mm version from the 46mm one is a numbered bezel found in the latter. Inside, it's powered by Huawei's first self-developed wearable chipset, the Kirin A1. With it - and boosted by artificial intelligence - the Watch GT 2 can achieve faster transmissions, wider range, rapid computing, ultra-low power consumption and really long battery life.
Even if you're new to sweating it out, the Watch GT 2 will support you all the way as it boasts a professional experience on workouts such as swimming, mountain climbing, triathlon, rowing machines and even just plain walking and running. It also has a smart coach that'll guide and push you even further.
The other side of that is health, which matters now on wrist gadgets. Foremost of these features is a heart rate monitor that alerts you if you cross a recommended threshold, which you can set. Huawei is very confident in this 'smarter health management' feature it says will be helpful for those with heart failure and bradycardia (heart rate that's too slow).
It also has sleep monitoring. Huawei harnesses AI in the Watch GT 2 to iden tify sleeping issues and offers suggestions - 'hundreds' of them - to rectify these. Of course, all of these are accessible on the Huawei Health app, which provides detailed analysis of all the data you've produced.
And you won't have a problem with battery life: Huawei promises up to seven days of uninterrupted use. But, this will vary on how you use it. Using it as it is - with the heart rate and sleep monitors on, plus checking in on the Health app every now and then - I was able to churn out almost five days of juice from it.
I tried working out for about an hour and saw that the battery dropped 18 per cent; if you do the math, that'll still amount to about five days, and obviously the more you use power-heavy features, the faster it'll drop.
If you want even more battery life, you can opt for the 46mm version - which boasts a staggering battery life of up to 14 days.

AND SO.
Pretty solid wearable from Huawei. The Watch GT 2 ticks all the boxes when it comes to health ­- and it's stylish, as well. But the lack of third-party app support kind of drags it down; having this can make a whole lot of difference because there are times that your phone is away from you and you may have to do certain actions straight from your wrist. It's a good companion for all the health buffs. And thank you, Huawei, for making me hit the gym - even for just an hour or so.

THE LOWDOWN
Display: 1.2" Amoled, 390 x 390 HD
Platform: LiteOS
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
Sensors: Optical heart rate, air pressure, geomagnetic sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS
Battery: Up to seven days
Durability: 5ATM (water-resistant up to 50m)
Weight: 29g (w/o strap)
Price: Dh749
Pros: Long battery life, comprehensive tracking, digital coach for workouts
Cons: No third-party app support limits functionality, no NFC
Author's Rating: 4/5
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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