Although Huawei might be better known for their impressive smartphones that break the limit of mobile photography, but the past couple of years had seen the company getting increasing known for their smartwatches despite being a relatively new player in the field.
To carry on its success, the company has recently announced the next-generation Huawei Watch GT 4 series smartwatches that sport an even better-looking design as well as a myriad of new features. However, is it really the best option you can get in the market? Check out our full review of the Huawei Watch GT 4 (46mm) to find out!
True Classic Design That Stands Out From The Crowd
If I were to pick a brand with the best smartwatch design, it’ll be none other than Huawei. It’s one of the few brands which has never failed to impress me with classy and premium-looking smartwatches that look and feel so much like an actual timepiece whenever I wear them on my wrist.
This is so even for it’s affordable range of smartwatches like the new Watch GT 4 (46mm) which features a robust stainless steel case that will be paired with either a stainless steel strap, fluoroelastomer strap, composite strap, or a leather strap depending on your preference.
The model I’m holding on to comes with a brown leather strap that evokes a timeless sense of style and luxury on your wrist. It looks very much like the Watch 3 Pro (Review) which I’ve been using for the past two years, except it’s way lighter and features a more stylish-looking chronograph that complements the overall design of the watch.
Design aside, the Watch GT 4 is also extremely comfortable to wear for long hours. However, I would highly recommend you to swap it’s leather strap for a silicon strap during workout since exposure to sweat is known to cause discoloration or damage to the leather strap especially if you wear it over a long term basis.
Speaking of durability, it’s worth noting that the Huawei Watch 4 also carries a 5 ATM rating for water resistance. This basically means that the watch can be submerged at up to 50 meters in water, making it an ideal companion for water sports.
Excellent Display & Software
The 46mm model I’m holding on to comes with a slightly larger 1.43” AMOLED display (vs 1.32” on the 41mm model) which offers a top-notch viewing experience with it’s ultra-sharp 466 x 466 pixels screen resolution and vibrant colors. Also, the display has no issue getting sufficiently bright thanks to it’s impressive 600 nits peak brightness that keeps the screen legible under bright daylight.
That’s something important for those who does a lot of outdoor activities such as hiking and etc. Other than that, the Watch GT 4 is also loaded with other advance features including a reliable auto-brightness feature as well as support for always-on display with a good selection of AOD styles to pick from.
@playfuldroid Huawei Watch GT 4 (46mm) unboxing ? #HuaweiWatchGT4 #HuaweiWatch #Huawei #Smartwatch ? Hey Girls Hey Boy – DJ MURAT AYDIN
As far as software is concerned, the Huawei Watch GT 4 will be shipped with the company’s proprietary HarrmonyOS operating system out of the box. As mentioned in my past reviews, I really love the Grid-style menu in HarmonyOS which not only makes interaction with the watch more lively, but is also more intuitive for user to search for any particular app especially with it’s default 3 x 3 layout.
To further improves navigation, the Huawei Watch GT 4 also has a rotatable digital crown affixed to the upper-right edge of the watch that can be used to zoom in and out of the grid, or to scroll through a list. The bottom-right button on the other hand, serves as a quick shortcut for firing up the list of available workout modes.
Hassle-free Smart Life
Just like any other high-end smartwatches, the Huawei Watch GT 4 comes with a wide range of smart features that make your daily life more convenient and efficient. For instance, the Watch GT 4 allows you to answer bluetooth calls as well as reply text messages with preset text messages or emoji directly on the watch. This eliminates the hassle to reach for your smartphone during a workout or a morning jog.
Aside from that, the Watch GT 4 also supports independent music playback as the watch itself features a respectable 32GB storage which can easily hold more than 1,000 songs on the watch. In fact, you can also set custom playlist using the Huawei Health companion app and match them up to specific workouts.
All The Features You Need To Stay Healthy
As always, Huawei’s smartwatches have never failed to impress when it comes to the range of health tracking features they offer under the hood. For health monitoring, the Huawei Watch GT 4 comes with all the most commonly used features such as 24hr heart rate monitoring, around-the-clock SpO2 measurement, stress levels monitoring, sleep tracking, daily calories burnt, as well as steps tracking.
The main highlight however, lies in the new HUAWEI TruSeen 5.5+ system which futher enhances the accuracy of heart rate readings during strenuous workouts, by harnessing eight photoelectric sensors, two groups of light sources, a better AI algorithm, and curved glass lens. Besides heart rate reading, HUAWEI TruSeen 5.5+ also ensures accurate SpO2 measurement which is exceptionally important in today’s pandemic world.
Apart from the usual bunch of tracking features, the Watch GT 4 also comes with other interesting stuffs such as skin temperature measurement that offers some useful insight on potential fever or perhaps help to identify heat stroke when there’s an abrupt rise in temperature. While this may sounds gimmicky at the start, it’s actually a pretty useful feature that’s also available on certain high-end phone such as the Google Pixel 8 Pro (Review).
To support your workout routine, the Huawei Watch GT4 is packed with a great selection of workout modes including all the standard ones like outdoor run, indoor run, outdoor walk, indoor walk, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, pool swim, open water swim and hiking. On top of that, the Watch GT 4 also drafted in several new features like football, basketball, and padel.
Those data recorded on the watch can then be synced over to the Huawei Health App where it not only shows you the route covered, but also offers other useful information like your heart rate reading as well as your pace during the entire run. On top of that, it also comes with a useful feature known as Route Back Navigation that guides you back to the starting point if you happen to lose direction. Otherwise, you can also choose to share the travel route with your family or friends.
Unparalleled Battery Life
As with any other Huawei smartwatches, the Watch GT 4 is also backed by an excellent battery life which according to Huawei, is able to last up to two weeks under typical usage. Those numbers were proven to be pretty accurate during my own testing. However, we still have to keep in mind that the battery life may drop to a week or less if you turn on more battery-consuming features like AOD display or GPS.
In the event that the battery runs out, the Watch GT 4 can be quickly recharged from 0 to 100% in slightly more than 1.5 hours using the bundled charger. Otherwise, a short 10 minutes will be good enough to provide you with around four days’ battery life under moderate usage.
Verdict
The Huawei Watch GT 4 shapes up to be a perfect smartwatch for those on a tighter budget. Despite it’s affordability, the Huawei Watch GT 4 has pretty much everything we’re looking for in a smartwatch including a stellar design, good selection of workout modes, accurate health and fitness tracking, long-lasting battery life, as well as various smart features that simplify our everyday life.
For those who’re interested, the Watch GT 4 is available for purchase in Singapore through Huawei official store on both Shoppe and Lazada.
