Huawei's new flagship smartwatch is a joy to behold
What comes after the Huawei Watch GT, GT 2, and GT 2e? If your guess is a Huawei Watch GT 3, you might want to try again. Or we could just tell you what the freshly unveiled Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is all about.
Confusing and unnecessarily convoluted name aside, this bad boy has plenty of neat stuff going for it in terms of both design and health monitoring capabilities, although it's not entirely clear exactly what makes the new device so different from the regular Watch GT 2 to deserve the Pro moniker. Priced at €329 and up, the premium smartwatch is set to be joined by a significantly humbler €129 Huawei Watch Fit to select European markets this month, with no words on official US availability for the time being.
Sapphire, titanium, and wireless charging are the big new things
While the Pro label is generally associated with upgraded specs and under-the-hood improvements in the mobile tech scene, Huawei's "new flagship smartwatch" seems to be mainly about cosmetic refinements and build quality enhancements.
Although the Watch GT 2 is by no means ugly or cheap-looking, the Watch GT 2 Pro takes both its elegance and robustness to the next level by blending titanium with sapphire. In case you're wondering, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3 is also available in a special Titanium edition in certain European and Asian markets at a pretty substantial premium over standard stainless steel models.
As you probably already know, titanium is a considerably tougher material than stainless steel or good old fashioned aluminum, and in combination with a sapphire glass back and sapphire screen protection, this makes the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro strong enough for outdoor adventures sans adding too much bulk. And no, the titanium-made Galaxy Watch 3 variant doesn't come with sapphire glass despite its sky-high price, settling for an inferior Gorilla Glass DX technology as far as resistance to scratches is concerned.
In the absence of life-saving features like ECG monitoring or fall detection, Huawei's latest Android and iOS-compatible high-ender relies primarily on a standard heart rate monitor to at least improve the wellness of its wearers. Nonetheless, the company claims its proprietary TruSeen heart rate tracking technology is at "its most advanced", providing "more accurate readings" than ever before.
The Watch GT 2 Pro is also capable of "scientifically" supervising your sleep quality, as well as monitoring "all-day" stress levels and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels. Naturally, you get standalone GPS connectivity too and more than 100 workout modes to choose from, all in a stylish package with a sharp 1.39-inch AMOLED display in tow that promises to stay charged for up to two weeks under "typical user scenarios."
Speaking of, charging is done wirelessly for the first time on a Huawei smartwatch, which vastly improves this bad boy's convenience as you no longer need to carry the company's proprietary charger with you wherever you go. That's especially handy given that the Watch GT 2 Pro can track everything from skiing to snowboarding and swimming, catering to frequent travelers and all sorts of sports enthusiasts.
For €329, you're looking at ordering a "Sport" edition with a silicon band, while a "Classic" flavor featuring a leather strap is set to cost an extra €20. Although it definitely seems unlikely we'll ever see the smartwatch officially released stateside, the original Huawei Watch GT did come to the US, so you never know.
The Huawei Watch Fit can also do a lot of things without breaking the bank
While the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro is cheaper than both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 5, it can certainly be considered extravagant by the company's standards. That's where the ultra-low-cost Watch Fit comes in, packing a lot of smarts into a slim and sleek body tipping the scales at a measly 34 grams.
Even though this is by no means the most eye-catching wearable device in the world, with a somewhat awkward elongated rectangular display measuring a whopping 1.64 inches in diagonal, the green, pink, orange, and black strap color options are definitely a nice touch, improving the aesthetic appeal of the "smart sports watch."
By the way, if the Huawei Watch Fit looks familiar, that might be because it's virtually identical to the recently unveiled Honor Watch ES. As such, you won't be surprised to hear that the "new" device echoes the 10-day battery life promise of its "cousin", as well as its inclusion of continuous heart rate monitoring technology, sleep tracking, and an SpO2 sensor measuring blood oxygen saturation.
We're fairly certain this thing is not headed to the US, aiming to give the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 and Fitbit Inspire 2 a run for their money on the old continent.
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