Pundits have called it the smartwatch to beat in 2020, this could be somewhat truthful only when you look from certain angles. I’ve had the Huawei Watch GT2 for a couple of weeks now, there’s no doubt this is a piece of unmatched beauty, but with an underperforming economy and the stress we face with the current pandemic, should you still consider churning out a whooping Ksh. 25,000 for a wearable device you really don’t need?
Our take from the outside
From the outside, it looks amazing and this does not only mean the design, Huawei seems to be setting a new benchmark for smartwatches with it’s 2020 sequel immersing itself underneath the popularity GT series have commanded for a while. The evolution we’ve seen on the GT series is notable everywhere, we’ve moved on from the initial device which was more like a fitness tracker, GPS and some elements of a smartwatch. Fast forward to 2020, the tech giant has managed to come up with a device that’s robust, beautiful and spec-rich in various ways.
Our take from the inside
Huawei seems to be sticking with its fantastic metal construction that comes out even better than previous models. Despite some premium materials that includes plastic and stainless steel, the smartwatch doesn’t put on too much weight for you to handle at only 29grams without the strap. The dial’s thickness is just enough – not too big or small and fits perfect on most wrist sizes. Underneath is a microphone and speaker powered by a kirin A1 chip, 2GB RAM and 4GB storage with 2.2GB available free space that can be utilized for storing music.
For those who are font of water, the smartwatch is safe when submerged up to 50m and its band is gently on the wrist even while sleeping for those who would like to check their sleeping patterns. To set up, just head over to settings and if you have earbuds such as Huawei’s freebuds 3, just pair and you’ll be good to go. And depending on your usage, the updated Kirin chip ensures efficient consumption with an estimated 7days of usage
The display is just phenomenal with a 1.2inch AMOLED panel that supports both slide and touch gestures. You could control several features that consume power such as continuous heartrate tracking, sleep tracking, stress tracking as well as notifications and the always on display. But if you do sports and play music, expect an average of 3days of battery usage.
Software
The interface is a bit futuristic and differs from previous models with the top button acting as a home button and app launcher while the bottom one is programmable. Swiping left to right switches between the steps counter, music control, weather information and heartrate info while swiping down brings quick toggles.
Our take and conclusion
If you’re looking at the Huawei Smartwatch GT2, then you either really need it for specific reasons such as sports, fitness tracking or have some spare shillings to get the latest trendiest gadgets on the market. It’s great by all means, not just a priority for everyone especially if money is an issue.