Metal ticky
As well as two
standard shades of
stainless steel, you get
a titanium option for
the 46mm version
or rose gold for
the 42mm.
TESTED HUAWEI WATCH GT 2Don’t let the ‘Watch’ part fool you: while
the GT 2 is a handsome wearable for
fitness tracking, it’s not all that smart
QThe Watch GT 2 is a beauty:
round and sleek with a giant, bright
screen. It’s a smartwatch we’ve
loved having on our wrist... except
it isn’t really a smartwatch at all,
just a very fancy fitness tracker.
Running Huawei’s Lite OS, there’s
no app ecosystem, but it does offer
up to two weeks’ battery life.QChoose between a suave but
sizeable 46mm with a speaker
and call functionality or a 42mm
version minus those features. Both
have zingy AMOLED screens, but
the 46mm has higher resolution
plus double the stamina and RAM.QLite OS is easy to navigate, but
limited compared to Wear OS. It’s
lacking a voice assistant, while
message notifications give you
truncated snippet previews. You
get staples like a timer, alarm and
stopwatch, but performance lags
behind Apple and Samsung. Still,
it’s perfectly usable, and a drop in
smoothness for better battery life
will suit many people.QHuawei has upped its tracking
game, adding stress monitoring
to the mix as well as a barometer.
There’s detailed sleep tracking
too, although it couldn’t tell when
we woke up in the night unless we
got out of bed. Heart monitoring is
accurate and there are 16 workout
modes to select from, plus links to
Apple Health, Google Fit and My
Fitness Pal – but not Strava.The Watch GT 2 is having an identity crisis. We’re impressed with the design, the
tracking skills and the battery life... but it’s undeniably less functional than an Apple
Watch or a Galaxy Watch, and it doesn’t play nicely with third-party apps so won’t be
one for serious fitness fiends. If you’re OK with those compromises, it’s cheaper and
probably better-looking than most, if not all, its competition.Sexy on the
outside, not so
sophisticated
on the inside
Basil KronfliPretty in sync
STUFF SAYS The best-looking tracker money can buy – but it’s not a smartwatch ++++,
Screen 1.4in 454x454 (46mm) or
1.2in 390x390 (42mm) AMOLED
Processor Kirin A1 Storage 4GB
Battery life Up to 2 weeks
Sensors Accelerometer, gyroscope,
geomagnetic, HRM, ambient light,
barometer Water-resistance 5ATM
Dimensions 46x46x10.7mm, 41g;
42x42x9.4mm, 29gQ Alive and ticking
If you have automated heart and
stress tracking turned off and
don’t fire up a lot of workouts,
you may be able to hit Huawei’s
claimed two-week battery life.
If you actually plan on using your
wearable, it’s more like one week.Q Slim tickings
Our GT 2 was the 46mm Sport
Edition and it looked glorious.
The watch has a dial etched into
the frame and two crown-like
buttons on the right, and it isn’t
obnoxiously chunky. And the
rubber strap feels comfortable.from £179 / stuff.tv/WatchGT2Tech specs