Gadget Review: This smartwatch, priced under Dh1,500, makes a serious fashion statement – News

Many decades ago, when Huawei made its global debut as the latest Chinese brand on the market, its lack of focus and quality at the time made me point out that its Huawei (loosely pronounced “who we are”) brand was the right one. Description of a brand in identity crisis. It had luxury pretensions and prices without the dynamism and perfection of luxury brands.

Cut to 2023 and I was forced to eat humble pie. When Huawei gave us its latest Watch GT4 to test, the first thing that caught my eye was the premium quality and I was surprised by how substantial the Huawei Watch GT4 was in the looks department.

Design

This elegantly designed 46mm smartwatch has a unique octagonal dial with a stainless steel frame that gives it a premium feel. The metal strap our test piece came with was equally excellent in its execution, beautifully brushed, with the edges of each link meticulously shaped for a rounded smoothness. And the heavy, substantial click-activated closure is something you’d expect from a premium watch maker, not a smartwatch.

The design makes the GT4 suitable for both casual and formal settings, although you’ll need wrists the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger to wear the 46mm size. Huawei offers a 41mm variant, but while it fits most wrists more comfortably, it naturally suffers from a smaller screen size.

The display on our GT4 was a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 466 x 466. The colors were vibrant and the resolutions were sharp.

The GT4 will undoubtedly find favor with fitness enthusiasts thanks to its comprehensive health and fitness tracking. With a variety of sensors, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and SpO2 measurement, it covers the basics exceptionally well.

Characteristics

The watch also features advanced fitness tracking features such as GPS, workout detection, and a wide range of pre-installed exercise modes. Whether you like running, swimming or yoga, the Huawei Watch GT4 is equipped to be your fitness companion, providing you with detailed data to help you achieve your health goals.

One of the features we found really useful and enjoyable was Activity Rings 2.0, which tracks your movements throughout the day, including the number of times you stand up. And if you meet your movement goals, the watch rewards you with a virtual medal within the Huawei Health app, gamifying the process of staying active.

If you are a really active person, an amateur athlete, this is your watch. There are trackers dedicated to specific sports (tennis, table tennis, paddle tennis, badminton, etc.) that measure various parameters depending on the sport you are playing.

If you like running to music, you’ll also appreciate that you can upload tracks to the watch using the Huwawei Health app and then listen to them with Bluetooth headphones or through the GT4’s small built-in speaker, which really impresses with sound that’s far beyond its size.

Another impressive feature was the battery life. We got around six days on a full charge, meaning you can use it all week without worrying about the battery.

The only major complaint we have with the device is the limited app ecosystem it includes. The GT4 runs on Huawei’s own operating system, which restricts compatibility with third-party apps. This means you won’t have access to a lot of apps commonly found on other smartwatches.

However, the Huawei Watch GT4 impresses with its eye-catching design, longer battery life, and comprehensive health and fitness tracking. At Dh1,399, it’s a compelling option for a stylish smartwatch that can integrate seamlessly into an active lifestyle.

Huawei has managed to strike a balance between form and function, ensuring that this smartwatch is not just a piece of technology but also a fashion statement.

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