Huawei Watch GT 2e Review – Best Smartwatch for under P7,000

IT’S TIME…. for me to share my Huawei Watch GT 2e review! I shared my unboxing and first impressions post of the GT 2e two weeks ago and I’m really lovin’ this new smartwatch from Huawei. I really couldn’t believe that it has a lot of functions mostly found in the Watch GT 2, but for a much lesser price. We explore these functions and its other features in my Huawei Watch GT 2e Review.

We suggest reading our Unboxing and First Impressions of the GT 2e HERE.

HUAWEI WATCH GT 2E SPECS:

OS:LiteOS
Display: 454x454 HD 1.39" AMOLED Display
Wireless Connections:Bluetooth 5.1, BLE / BR / EDR
Memory:4GB Internal Storage, 32MB RAM
Battery:455 mAh
SRP:P6,990

THE LOOKS AND FEEL

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The most recent smartwatch I got prior to the Watch GT 2e was the HONOR Watch Magic, the Huawei Watch GT’s more affordable version. It looks like a legitimate premium watch thanks to its tachymeter. The GT 2e on the other hand doesn’t have a tachymeter, which is strange because I thought sporty watches should have one. Instead, the outer rim of the watch has numerical digits. Simple but not too plain, and it still looks premium.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

Not only it looks premium, it feels like it too. The Watch GT 2e is made of durable stainless steel that could withstand all your physical activities. The buttons on the right side of the GT 2e aren’t the same as the GT 2 or the Watch Magic. These rectangular buttons which are slightly recessed are used to turn on/off as well as access the menus of the smartwatch and different workout modes. The second button can be reconfigured to other functions.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The lugs of the GT 2e are also different. They’re using an integrated type of lugs so I’m not certain if you can use straps similar to the GT 2 or any other third party straps for that matter. What I’m sure of is you can change to other GT 2e straps offered by Huawei. Speaking of straps, it is made of TPU and has some holes in it, which lets your skin breathe as well as let your sweat out during workouts. These are perfect for users wearing during sports activities or physical workouts. The design and the colors of the straps suggest that too.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The watch doesn’t feel heavy on my wrist and it’s comfortable to wear. I’m not sure if it has something to do with the watch, but I never experienced any itchyness after wearing for two weeks.

THE DISPLAY

Huawei Watch GT 2e

One of the things I like about the Watch GT 2e is its large display. It has a 1.39-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 454×454. Colors are rich, screen is bright and readable even under the bright sun. It’s also a touchscreen and it’s easy to navigate through the menus.

I am not certain about the durability of the display, but so far I don’t see any scratches after some accidental mishaps involving the watch.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

I also love how I can change watch faces on the Watch GT 2e. There are lots of designs available in the Huawei Health app (which is needed to activate Huawei wearables) so you can personalize it according to your mood for that day.

THE PERFORMANCE

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The Watch GT 2e has to be paired initially with a smartphone for it to work. It can be paired with any smartphone – iPhone or Android but of course it’s best to pair it with a Huawei phone to enjoy its ecosystem. The Huawei Health app is needed to be paired with the watch and good thing it is already pre-installed in my Huawei P40 Pro. Setup was quick and easy, and upon pairing it immediately downloaded a software update to make sure the watch will work perfectly on my first day of use.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The watch can be navigated with a swipe of a finger. With the watch turned on, swiping down will show the shortcuts to important functions while swiping up will show the recent notifications from the phone. Swiping left or right can let you go directly to the other functions like heart rates, sleep, etc.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

Let’s discuss the workout mode. It can track data precisely for 15 professional workout modes involving different types of walking, running, swimming, hiking, biking and even triathlon.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

In addition, you can add your own custom workouts involving your own sports activities. They’re categorized under Indoor, Fun, Sports, Water, Winter, and even Extreme! This is a limitation for other smart fitness bands or watches I’ve used in the past. Like for example, a friend of mine who’s a martial arts instructor, wanted to measure his data while doing his burpees. However, the smartband he was using was only limited to a few exercises and cannot be customized.

These are the custom workouts available in the GT 2e:

INDOOR – Strength, Spinning, Stepper, Air Walker, HIIT, Aerobics, Group Training, Yoga, Pilates, Cross Fit, Functional Training, Taekwondo, Boxing, Free Sparring, Karate, Fencing, Belly Dance, Jazz Dance, Latin Dance, Ballet, Core Training, Body Combat, Kendo, Single Bar, Parallel Bars

FUN – Street Dance, Roller Skating, Martial Arts, Plaza Dancing, Tai Chi, Dance, Hula Hoop, Frisbee, Darts, Archery, Horse Riding, Hunting, Kite Flying, Tug of War, Swinging, Star Climbing, Obstacle Race, Fishing

SPORTS – Badminton, Tablet Tennis, Tennis, Pool, Bowling, Volleyball, Shuttlecock, Handball, Baseball, Softball, Cricket, Football, Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Gateball, Hockey, Squash, Sepak Takraw, Dodgeball

WATER – Sailing, Surfing, Rafting, Dragon Boating, Canoeing, Rowing, Water Scooter, SUP

WINTER – Ice Skating, Ice Hockey, Curling, Bobsleigh, Sledding, Biathlon

EXTREME – Skateboarding, Rock Climbing, Bungee Jumping, Parkour, BMX, Orienteering, Parachuting, Auto Racing,

Eighty-Six (86) custom workouts are covered by the Watch GT 2e. UNBELIEVABLE!

Aside from workouts, the GT 2e can also measure heart rates, SpO2 and stress levels. Heart rates are almost accurate and the same can be said with SpO2. Every time I have my dialysis treatment, our nurses would check my SpO2 with a Pulse Oximeter which they clip on my finger every hour. I turned on my GT 2e’s SpO2 feature and both the watch and the Pulse Oximeter showed almost similar results.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

My favorite function of all is SLEEP. I’ve always wanted to measure my sleeping patterns and there were some smartwatches I’ve tried before that couldn’t track my sleep properly. I didn’t have that kind of problem with the Watch GT 2e and in my two weeks of usage, it was able to record my sleep with accuracy. Huawei promoted proper sleep before when they launched the first Huawei Band four years ago.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The watch can also be your MP3 Player while working out. Pair it with your favorite bluetooth headphones and you’re good to go. The watch is capable of storing up to almost 4GB of songs, but the process involves transferring the files from the phone to the watch via the Health App. While I’m fine with listening to music files on the watch, I just wish it supports Spotify because I rarely store music files on my phone. Also, I am sure there are people out there who have created a workout playlist on their Spotify accounts.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

Lastly, the Watch GT 2e has another useful feature for taking photos. It can be used as a remote shutter for smartphones which is perfect if you’re traveling alone. The photo above was taken by my Huawei P40 Pro with the watch.

THE SOFTWARE

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The aforementioned Huawei Health App stores all the data that was gathered by smart wearables like the Watch GT 2e. Under the Health tab it gives the user a quick glance of his steps, workout, SpO2, heart rate, sleep and stress levels.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The Watch GT 2e has GPS on so it can track your route and save your route for reference. Workout mode in the Huawei Health App records the distance, duration, average pace and calories. For additional details like average cadence and stride, you can access the details tab in the record.

Huawei Watch GT 2e

Details of my sleep are very detailed. It explains what kind of sleep I had the night before and gives me suggestions on how to improve my sleep quality.

Unfortunately, the Watch GT 2e doesn’t support apps like what we see in other Android smartwatches. It would be great if Huawei Mobile Services can also be applied on future Huawei Smartwatches and make them even “smarter.”

THE BATTERY LIFE

Huawei Watch GT 2e

Battery life is every smartwatch owner’s problem. As I’ve mentioned in my first impressions post, most smartwatches can only reach up to 5 days of usage. This is the major strength of the Watch GT 2e. Its Kirin A1 chipset consumes less power yet helps the watch get connected all the time.

My first day of usage was on May 16. On May 29, the watch has 4% left in its battery meter. With its long battery life, some may think that charging the watch might take a long time. This is not the case with the Watch GT 2e as I was able to fully charge the smartwatch in a little over an hour.

Unfortunately, you can only use the magnetic dock that comes with the package. I wish that Huawei also applied wireless charging on the Watch GT 2e like the Freebuds 3 so I can charge it with my other Huawei devices like the P40 Pro or the MatePad Pro. They are promoting their ecosystem anyway, so I hope they’ll consider it in the future.

DR’S CONCLUSION

Huawei Watch GT 2e

The Huawei Watch GT 2e is highly recommended for those who are looking for a smartwatch that can precisely track down their exercises or any physical activities which common smartwatches can’t do. No need to worry about charging because its two-week battery life IS REAL! For the price of P6,990, I think this is the best smartwatch you can buy right now.

PROS:

  • Large touchscreen display
  • Lots of supported workouts
  • Can be used a remote shutter for smartphones
  • Long Battery Life
  • Price

CONS:

  • Doesn’t support apps
  • Doesn’t support wireless charging
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