In the recent years, smartwatches have become more common and with it more companies are entering the competitive race of smartwatches hoping to land themselves in your wrist. Huawei, in 2019 Q1 had only captured 6.4% of smartwatch market but it rose to unprecedent height by capturing 15.2% by Q1 of 2020. With 2.6 million smartwatches shipped in Q1 of 2020, Huawei became the #2 company in shipping the most smartwatches. Needless to say, Apple ranked #1 with enormous volume of 4.5 million units shipped. So, all of this begs the question – are Huawei watches any good to justify the shipment volume? If so, are they good for frequent travelers?
Watch Fit (left), GT2 Pro (middle), and GT2e (right)
Why You Should Buy Huawei Watches
The biggest selling point of Huawei watches is price. The second biggest selling point is the battery life. You only have to charge the watch 2-4 times in an entire month! The battery life along is the reason why a Huawei watch, not Samsung Active Watch 2, sits in my wrist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the Active Watch 2 but you won’t catch me charging watches on daily basis.
The Basics Compared – Look, Feel, and More!
As of writing this article, I have access to 3 different 2020 watches released by Huawei, namely Huawei GT2e, Huawei Watch Fit, and Huawei GT2 Pro. There is another variant as well, namely the Huawei GT2, but I don’t happen to have that one.
At the core of things, all these watches function in very similar fashion. For instance all Huawei watches run on lite OS so they interfaces look about the same. It isn’t identical since some interfaces have more detailed on GT2 Pro. And obviously the interface on Watch Fit has to look different to match its rectangular dial.
can you spot the differences? 
air pressure vs barometer
| GT2 Pro | GT2e | Watch Fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery | 445 | 455 | ?? |
| Battery Duration | up to 14 days | up to 14 days | up to 10 days |
| Internal | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory | 32 MB RAM | 16 MB RAM | ?? |
| Weight | 52 g | 43 g | 21 g |
| Dimension | 46.7 x 46.7 x 11.4 mm | 53 x 46.8 x 10.8 mm | 46 x 30 x 10.7 mm |
| Display Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display Size | 1.39 inches, 12.5 cm2 | 1.39 inches, 12.5 cm2 | 1.64 inches, 7.7 cm2 |
| Resolution | 454 x 454 pixels, 1:1 ratio (~326 ppi density) | 454 x 454 pixels, 1:1 ratio (~326 ppi density) | 280 x 456 pixels (~326 ppi density) |
| GPS | yes | yes | yes |
| Accelerometer | yes | yes | yes |
| Barometer | yes | yes | no |
| Compass | yes | yes | no |
| dust and water resistance | yes | yes | yes |
| sweat resistance | yes | yes | yes |
On the health side of things, all the watches are capable of continuously measuring heart rate, stress levels, as well as sleep tracking. All of them can also measure SP02 levels which is pretty cool given the pandemic.
Then you have the ridiculous volume of exercises these watches support. Some of these watches support more workout modes than other but overall all of them should be able to satisfy most people’s workout needs.
| GT2 Pro | GT2e | Watch Fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Exercies | 100+ | 100+ | 96 |
| Professional Modes Exercies | 17 | ?? | ?? |
| Custom Modes Exercies | 85 | ?? | ?? |
| Animated Trainer | no | no | 12 workout courses |
| Golf Mode | yes | no | no |
| Skiing and Snowboarding | yes | no | no |
The Huawei Health App
If you’ve committed to a Huawei smartwatch then that likely means you are also committing to the Huawei Health app, so I think it is worthwhile taking a moment to talk about it. The said app is available in iOS, Play Store, as well as Huawei AppGallary.
As you can see above, the Huawei Health app can provide more or less “continuous data” on daily relevant data like heartrate, steps, and stress. I think the graphs are to the point and give me more or less everything I want to know. You can also get similar data tracked for SP02 and weight. Unfortunately, you can’t access these graphs on your smartwatch.
Below are some of the data you can see for an “outdoor walk” activity.
What is Huawei GT2e All About?
Buy Huawei GT2e from Amazon (affiliate link)
The Huawei GT2e came after GT2 and its all about being sportsy and costing less than GT2. Because, it was released back in March 2020, you can now occasionally find it for around $100, which IMO is a really good price.
Needless to say, it removes certain features to achieve the low price point. For example, there is no speaker on this watch so you can’t hear music directly from the watch. You can however connect it with a Bluetooth speaker, say earbuds, and listen to music that you have stored on the watch.
What is Huawei GT2 Pro All About?
Buy Huawei GT2 Pro from Amazon (affiliate link)
GT2 Pro is all about the having a “pro” watch that looks and feels like a “pro” watch. Seriously. The back of the watch made of ceramic, the frame is made with titanium, while the dial itself is made of sapphire glass. Here is how Huawei GT2 Pro (46 mm) looks compared to the aesthetically pleasing Samsung Active 2 (44 mm under armour edition).
GT2 Pro (left) 
Active Watch 2 (right)
Obviously, you do get some added features like wireless charging but wireless charging can be a mixed bag. Wireless charging is great when you are travelling because you don’t have to carry yet another charging accessory but boy do I miss how fast wired charging is. When travel is almost non-existent, for me, the benefit of wireless charging smartwatch starts to evaporate.
The other big feature is the presence of a speaker. Yes, you can take calls on this device. You can also call a few set of saved contacts directly from the phone. I never saw myself as someone who would call using a smartwatch but then I did and…the speaker is great!
What is Watch Fit All About?
Buy Huawei Watch Fit from Amazon (affiliate link) [green] [black]
Huawei Watch Fit is meant to give you a minimalistic smartwatch experience at an affordable price. At least that is how I perceive this device. It is super light to a point that it almost feels like fitness band. The look of this device goes against the traditional round watch faces that Huawei, and many others, tend to develop. Watch Fit does not even have a secondary button that is present in other Huawei watches but then again it is the only Huawei watch to be have fitness trainer feature.
If Huawei Watch Fit “fits” your style then you most likely end up loving this product. For example, people with smaller hands wrist size may prefer this over other Huawei watches which typically carry 46 mm dial.
Obviously, the lower price, different design, different sets of feature, etc comes with a price. The biggest being the fact that the battery will only last up to 10 days, as opposed to up to 14 days in other typical Huawei watches.
Shortcomings of Huawei Watches
Huawei watches excel in many forms but there are a few areas that they are lacking in. For example, you can’t download apps which means you can’t run Spotify or YouTube Music. Although you can view notifications, you can’t reply back to messages. Also, these watches have no SIM capability nor do they support NFC contactless payment outside of China.
Closing Thoughts
If you can look past the few shortcomings, Huawei watches can be extremely attractive buy. I personally think GT2e is the best bang for the buck. With GT2e you get all the usual Huawei watch features at an excellent price. Alternatively, if you prefer rectangular shaped dials and/or smaller dials, then Huawei Fit is worth looking at. I would reserve recommending GT2 Pro to those who want a smartwatch that also looks and feels premium.
Needless to say only having to charge 3-4 times a month is amazing for frequent travelers. It is freaking amazing for those of us who frequently take long flights. You can access music stored in your watch for however long your wireless headset lasts.
