The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is a great smartwatch that many of us can’t buy

Last year, as Google and Samsung expanded the field of Android smartwatches, Huawei announced that it will launch the Huawei Watch 3 with a new proprietary operating system called Harmony OS 2. It’s a big surprise that Huawei is back again with the Huawei Watch GT3 Pro.

Last year’s Watch 3 was a good endeavor and reminded me of many of Samsung’s Tizen smartwatches. And I haven’t had a GT 3 Pro for a long time, but what I’ve seen so far continues its overall mood. GT 3 Pro is available in two versions, a titanium model and an all-ceramic model. The former features a 46.6mm case with a 1.4-inch OLED display, while the latter is smaller at 42.9mm with a 1.3-inch display. Both are equipped with sapphire glass, are IP68 water and dust resistant, and are swim resistant up to 5 ATMs (164 feet). Battery life is estimated to be up to 14 days for titanium models and up to 7 days for ceramic models.

Image: Huawei

In terms of specs, both watches have all the sensors you would expect from a premium smartwatch. This includes optical heart rate sensors, SpO2 sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes. It also has a barometer, temperature sensor and magnetometer. As far as new features are concerned, the watch has a new freediving workout mode and GPS built-in. It also has EKG functionality, but only in countries where Huawei has been properly licensed by the regulatory agency.

Huawei is in a strange situation when it comes to consumer technology. Thanks to a presidential order issued by former President Donald Trump in 2019, the company is banned from using US technology in gadgets. This includes Android and Wear OS. In other words, it’s a proprietary OS. So while you can test the Watch GT 3 Pro, it’s not the smartwatch that you can actually buy in the United States. (However, it is possible if you live in Europe.)

Photo by Victoria Song / Zavage

It’s a shame because Huawei has been in the wearable space for a long time and made some great smartwatches along the way. I’m playing with the titanium version of GT3 Pro, and it’s a great smartwatch. The display is vibrant and the app loads quickly into HarmonyOS 2. The beauty of the watch is not mine, but it appeals to those who like watches with a more masculine and traditional look. That said, I’ll get an alternative strap for my workout. Metal link straps do not handle sweat well and tend to loosen. This is not suitable for heart rate accuracy. Adjusting the links was also a hassle, and it took a tremendous amount of time to reduce the watch to a size that fits my wrist.

However, you can also see that there are some of the same issues as when testing the Huawei Watch 3. So while you can see the bones of a good smartwatch, you can’t take advantage of it because of where I live. feature. For example, voice assistants are not available. This is because Harmony OS2 does not use Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. It uses a proprietary assistant called Celia that requires you to have a Huawei phone — I can’t even buy it. Similarly, without the support of a real third-party app, I’m sticking to my own Huawei app, making it a flashy pants fitness tracker rather than a true smartwatch.It feels like a kind of elevated Fitbit many Boots a more premium build quality and more attractive OS.Hell, Fitbit Did it If something similar comes out, it will be popular.

Photo by Victoria Song / Zavage

However, this is less important if Fossil and other third-party watchmakers take advantage of Google’s Wear OS 3. Like Samsung’s Tizen watches, Huawei wearables are locked into their own ecosystem. As Wear OS 3 becomes more widely available, other third-party watchmakers will have access to popular apps such as Google services and Spotify. This is great for all Android users. However, Huawei watches are still perfect for those who have a Huawei mobile phone.

In a nutshell, Huawei watches are stuck. Even in the absence of a third-party app ecosystem, we could see many digging into the excellent performance, health tracking, and analog aesthetics of watches. But at the same time, no watch is as innovative as triggering a wearable FOMO.At the end of the day you haven’t missed that many.