Review | Huawei Watch GT 4 review: lacks Google, Spotify – but has at least a 5-day battery life and is cheaper than Apple and Google smartwatches
- The Chinese electronics giant’s GT 4 smartwatch, like its smartphones, are victims of US sanctions, with no Google or Spotify, and no Apple or Google Pay
- On the plus side, the GT 4, has a battery life of five to six days, a great fitness tracker, and is US$100 cheaper than smartwatches from Apple or Google
Huawei’s smartphones, despite offering some of the most advanced hardware available, have struggled to stay relevant in many countries, since they lack full use of Google software because of US sanctions against the Chinese manufacturer.
It would be safe to assume that a Huawei smartwatch would be an equally hard sell to Android users, given how dependent most are on Google services.
Yet Huawei’s latest flagship smartwatch comes surprisingly close to Western rivals like the Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch, albeit at far lower prices.
We tried out two versions of the Huawei Watch GT 4, which look equally elegant: a powerful one in a 46-millimetre case made of stainless steel with a titanium coating, and a smaller 41mm watch.
The manufacturer calls the latter the “female version”, but no slim-wristed man should feel uncomfortable ordering this model.
To use the watch you need the Huawei Health app, which is available in Apple’s App Store. It’s a little more complicated for Android users because the app isn’t in the Google Play Store.
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You can either download the app using the QR code on the packaging or download the App Gallery application from Huawei and install the Health app from it.
The GT 4’s display is bright and high-contrast, even in always-on mode. However, neither version of the Huawei watch comes close to the brightness of the Apple Watch 9.
When it comes to tracking fitness activities, the GT 4 not only counts calories and steps, but also has special recording modes for over 100 sports. The watch also measures the user’s heart rate very accurately.
The battery life is really impressive. In our test, the smaller watch only had to be recharged after five days, while the larger model lasted for six days without charge.
This is significantly better than the latest Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch 2, which both fall short of the two-day mark.
However, the GT 4 also has some serious weaknesses when it comes to the apps and services you can use.
It does have an NFC chip, and so it’s theoretically ready for the supermarket checkout. But neither Apple Pay nor Google Pay can be used on the GT 4 because of limitations imposed on Huawei by the US and other countries.
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Nor does the watch work with music streaming services like Spotify. Google’s Pixel watches, meanwhile, will let you download Spotify tracks and play songs through your earbuds so you can leave your smartphone at home while going for a run.
If other apps are essential for you, you may want to check first how well they work with Huawei’s watch.
These limitations may be a pain, but the watch’s low price might help you get over that.
The large version of the Huawei Watch GT 4 is available for just under US$350). The smaller 41mm version costs just under US$250.
This is significantly less than the starting price for a new Apple Watch (US$399) or new Pixel Watch (US$350), which cost even more if you want cellular data on your watch.
Huawei’s Watch GT 4 is certainly a viable alternative for anyone scared off by the price of some smartwatches, especially if you are able to live without support for a few apps.
