Huawei Smartwatch Delivers 2 Weeks of Battery Life

Here’s a great new Huawei product you can buy in the United States: The Huawei Watch GT smartwatch delivers premium looks and materials, fitness and wellness tracking, and two weeks of battery life in normal usage.

It costs $200 to $220 depending on model and is available now to preorder from Amazon.com and Newegg.

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“Named after grand tourers, a performance and luxury car capable of high speed and long-distance driving, the Huawei Watch GT uses an innovative dual-engine and smart power-saving architecture that enables it to switch between performance and efficiency modes depending on an individual’s activity to maximize battery life,” the Huawei announcement notes. “Huawei Watch GT features two-week battery life with typical use.”

Everything in that quote needs a bit of explanation.

The “dual-engine and smart power-saving architecture” refers to Huawei’s use of the Cortex M4 embedded processor, which is designed for small, power-constrained devices like smartwatches. “Cortex-M4 brings advanced intelligence to battery-powered embedded and IoT devices,” the Arm website says of the chip.

The battery life claims will, of course, be the subject of some debate. But Huawei says that the Watch GT will deliver wildly varying battery life depending on usage. It can achieve up to 30 full days of battery life when not used for exercise tracking. And as little as 22 hours in a marathon scenario with GPS, heart rate monitoring and running mode all activated.

Aside from the battery life, I’m most intrigued by the device’s software, which is powered by LiteOS, not Google’s Wear OS (formerly called Android Wear). LiteOS is a bit of an unknown, but like the hardware on which it runs, it’s supposed to be quite efficient, and it is optimized for memory-constrained environments. According to Huawei, LiteOS is a lightweight Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and it uses this system across a wide range of products.

From what I can tell, the Watch GT isn’t a full-featured smartwatch like Apple Watch but is rather a device that focuses largely on fitness and wellness tracking, similar to a high-end Fitbit. It supports indoor and outdoor exercising, including swimming, tracks just about every fitness metric imaginable, including VO2max, plus sleep. Its watch-like looks and premium design will appeal to many, as will its affordable pricing.

If you’re interested in purchasing the Huawei Watch GT, I’d appreciate you do so via one of these affiliate links:

Huawei Watch GT Sport, graphite black with black silicone strap – $200

Huawei Watch GT Sport, stainless with saddle brown leather/silicone strap – $230

The Huawei Watch GT is compatible with both Android and iOS and will be available on February 19.

This post contains one or more affiliate links. We only recommend products and services that we believe are of high quality and helpful to readers. Making a purchase through an affliate link is one small way you can support Thurrott.com, and doing so does not result in any additional cost to you.

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Conversation 17 comments

  • evancox10

    16 February, 2019 - 11:04 am

    <p>I can almost guarantee that the battery life will be measured in weeks, not days. I have worked on and shipped chips to a major fitness smartwatch maker with the Cortex-M4 as the CPU, and yes battery life is excellent. This is achieved by duty cycling the CPU: keep it basically shut off for 100 ms, then turn it on for a few ms to process data, update the watchface, etc. Power draw in the lowest power mode can be as low as 1 to 3 uW (microwatts). In full active mode, power usage is ~10,000x that, around 10-11 mW (milliwatts). (Example chip I've worked on https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/microcontrollers/MAX32620.html )</p><p><br></p><p>This is why the battery life changes so much when you have GPS on and it's constantly recording. You can no longer keep the chip shut off most of time, the duty cycle is much higher.</p><p><br></p><p>But the CM4 is a microcontroller-class CPU, it does not have an MMU, so it is literally incapable of running a modern OS like Linux or Windows. You need to go to the Cortex-A class chips for that.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      16 February, 2019 - 1:41 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405310">In reply to evancox10:</a></em></blockquote><p>Even with everything turned on and recording the odd training session of an hour or so every couple of days, I am getting over a week out of the watch. I'm guessing turning off constant syncing and messaging will greatly extend the battery life. But recharging every week or so is fine for my needs.</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    16 February, 2019 - 1:36 pm

    <p>I'm getting 8 – 9 days out of mine on a charge – constant Bluetooth, some training, constant heart rate and messaging turned on.</p><p>If I turn off the BT and messaging, it lasts much longer. But over a week is realistic.</p><p>More information in my review from last week in the<a href="https://www.thurrott.com/forums/general-discussion/hardware/thread/hauwei-watch-gt-843&quot; target="_blank"> forums here</a> .</p><p>It is a great little device, very much a fitness tracker with messaging, as opposed to an all-out smart watch.</p><p>The only downside so far is the calorie counter, it only registers calories burnt during excercise, so the daily basis calorie burn is not included – for example, I have exceeded my 10,000 steps today and it is showing 240 calories.</p>

  • Alexander Rothacker

    Premium Member
    16 February, 2019 - 2:02 pm

    <p>Looks great, price is great, my only gripe I see so for is the lack of support for ANT+ accessories, like heart rate straps, bike power meters and cadence sensors.</p><p><br></p><p>Im also not sure of this is a touch screen watch or not? I prefer buttons so I can operate it with gloves on. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      17 February, 2019 - 2:34 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405335">In reply to earlster:</a></em></blockquote><p>It has a touch screen and buttons. You can start a training session with the buttons, but it looks like you need to confirm the end of the training by touching the screen.</p><p>Try reading my review in the forums here (see my post below). It is very much a hobbyist fitness tracker with a decent messaging capability. It is for someone who wants to do some casual sport, it isn't designed for the serious sportsman who wants additional accessories, such as hear monitor straps or cadence sensors. For that, you will need to go up a class of products to true sport fitness trackers, like Garmin, TomTom or Polar, for example. This product is aimed squarely between the budget fitness trackers, like the smaller FitBits and full blown fitness trackers, like the Garmins, Polars and TomToms.</p>

  • Xatom

    16 February, 2019 - 7:29 pm

    <p>As an added bonus the Chinese intelligence services can track you even when you visit the can. Only people who would buy this leave their doors unlocked and wave 100$ bills on a subway.</p>

  • mestiphal

    16 February, 2019 - 10:40 pm

    <p>I was about to get this watch, but instead went with the TicWatch, which unfortunately looks cheaper with it's plastic body (well it is cheaper too); but having Wear OS it has access to the full set of apps, at this point getting the Huawei would have felt like getting a Windows Phone.</p><p><br></p><p>Also, when I'm excising I like to hear music, with the TicWatch I can store a small amount of music for the outside, or while at the gym connect to WIFI and play all my music. the Huawei does not offer music playback.</p><p><br></p><p>Come to think of it, Paul, it would be great if you could get your hands on a couple different units for trial, and do reviews on the Samsung, Huawei, and Mobvoi watches, or at least tips and tricks, would like to know what else I can do with my watch that I have not thought of</p>

    • Bats

      17 February, 2019 - 12:15 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405432">In reply to Mestiphal:</a></em></blockquote><p>I believe you made the right choice and a smart one.</p><p><br></p><p>I am very leery with (computing-related) products that come with it's own proprietary software. You just don't know what the future holds with LiteOS, especially when the watch is dependant on the phone. What if Android Q or the next version of iOS breaks the connectivity between phone and watch? LOL…then you're stuck. However, it's probably different with Samsung though, because they have proven to be totally invested in their wearable lines. </p><p><br></p><p>As for the Ticwatch……</p><p><br></p><p>I was looking into that for me. LOL…I have several Android Wear watches 4 Huawei watches, 2 LG Urbanes (gold and silver) and the LG Watch R. I really have no interest of buying a new watch, because …I love my watches. I get so many compliments from people when I wear them, particularly the LG Urbanes (silver and Ltd edition Gold). However, I was able to get the sporty and modern Huawei Watch 2 for only $100 and I love the fact that I can pay for stuff using Google Pay from my wrist, rather than my phone. I see a lot of Apple Watch users do it and I just think it's so cool. All my other watches can't do it. The Ticwatch can. Therefore, Congrats on that purchase. </p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      17 February, 2019 - 2:42 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405432">In reply to Mestiphal:</a></em></blockquote><p>It depends on what you want. It sounds like the TicWatch suits you better. I use BT headphones in the fitness studio and cabled headphones when walking the dog, both attached to my phone. The fitness studio is small enough that I can leave my phone on the table in the center of the room and I am always within BT range. Most of the others in the studio do the same.</p><p>I looked at a couple of WearOS devices, but I couldn't find any offering over a week of battery life. That was one of the important criteria for me.</p><p>I agree though, Paul should try and get some loaners and do a roundup of Fitness Trackers and a roundup of Smart Watches.</p>

  • Bats

    17 February, 2019 - 12:33 am

    <p>LOL…this Huawei Watch is pointless. I do not recommend people buy this watch. Why? NO GOOGLE PAY (or even Apple Pay). <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I can you tell ya know (because I am pretty much right all the time), that LiteOS has no future without any of those NFC payment systems.</span></p><p><br></p><p>Some people might think, "Uh……I don't need Google Pay." (LOL) Trust me, you do. </p><p><br></p><p>If people are still not paying for stuff through their phones, then you might as well go to Ebay and buy a cheap Windows Phone.</p><p><br></p><p>If you are paying for stuff, through your phone, then you need a watch that can do the same thing. It's not only cooler, but safer because your wallet and your phone is less exposed. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      17 February, 2019 - 2:38 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405446">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>It is a fitness tracker, not a mobile payment platform. </p><p>Apple Pay was officially released back in December, over here, but it only supports accounts with 2 of the bigger banks in Germany.</p><p>Google Pay is also not much of a thing here. Most people pay with cash or with NFC debit cards. I do use my bank's app for paying with my phone sometimes, but most of the time I pay cash. But the Wear OS watches aren't compatible with my banking app, so no use.</p>

    • Jarrett Kaufman (TurboFool)

      19 February, 2019 - 3:44 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405446">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>Listen, I really want a watch that can make payments too, but your assertion that anything that can't is guaranteed to failure is ridiculous. Almost nobody cares about this feature currently, and many people who have it don't even know they do. It is not a make-or-break feature at this time. Considering how few people even use Google Pay/Apple Pay and still use their physical cards, paying for things with your phone is not a caveman move compared to watch. </p>

  • Daekar

    17 February, 2019 - 7:06 pm

    <p>Damn, those are beautiful. I could see myself wearing one of those once my solar-powered Casio finally bites the dust. Of course, going by the average, that will be a decade from now…</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      17 February, 2019 - 11:57 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405528">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>The battery in my last Casio exceeded the manufacturer's 10 year expected life expectancy, I bought it in 2000 / 2001 and the first battery died last year!</p>

  • locust infested orchard inc

    17 February, 2019 - 8:05 pm

    <blockquote><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/wearables/199660/huawei-smartwatch-delivers-2-weeks-of-battery-life#405446&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Bg</p>

  • jim_may

    19 February, 2019 - 12:52 am

    <p>Does it have a heart rate sensor?</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      19 February, 2019 - 4:07 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#405825">In reply to Jim_MAY:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes. Seems to be about as accurate as the FitBit I had before (I wore them both for a day and they were both within a couple of beats of each other).</p>

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