HUAWEI's open source WATCH GT smartwatch is coming to America
HUAWEI makes excellent products -- its laptops, tablets, and smartphones are some of the best. The company wisely focuses on beauty in technology, crafting devices that don't just work well, but look attractive too. The Huawei MateBook 13, for instance, is one of the most beautiful laptops I've had the pleasure of using. Its products are not just skin deep, however, as they are also backed by high durability and performance.
The company is hoping American consumers will also be interested in its wearables, as today, it reveals the previously announced HUAWEI WATCH GT is finally coming to America. While not the company's first smartwatch to hit the USA, it is definitely the most intriguing. It runs an open source operating system called LiteOS, and battery life can apparently reach two weeks. No, that is not a typo -- two weeks! It focuses heavily on health -- it can monitor fitness and sleep. Best of all, it is compatible with both iOS and Android, so it won't lock you into either platform.
"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. HUAWEI WATCH GT features two-week battery life with typical use including: all day wear and heart rate function activated, scientific sleeping function activated at night, 90 minutes of exercise per week and message notification. Used without exercise tracking in a more traditional watch scenario, the HUAWEI WATCH GT can stay charged for up to 30 days. In a Marathon scenario with GPS, heart rate monitoring and running mode activated, the average battery life is up to 22 hours," says Huawei.
The popular company further explains, "Beautifully designed, the HUAWEI WATCH GT is also resilient with a ceramic bezel design, stainless steel shell and DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) coating. The ceramic bezel undergoes a 23-step process that creates a hardness 6 times that of stainless steel and makes it resistant to scratches under the most extreme environments. Measuring a mere 10.6 mm in thickness and featuring a 1.39-inch 454 x 454 AMOLED high-resolution display with double crowns, the HUAWEI WATCH GT is vibrant and slim. Available with an Italian cowhide leather strap in Saddle Brown or a sporty Graphite Black silicone strap on the outside and skin-friendly elastomer silicone rubber material on the inside, the HUAWEI WATCH GT is breathable, sweat resistant and comfortable."
Huawei shares the following specifications.
| Appearance | |||||
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 46.5 mm x 46.5 mm x 10.6 mm | ||||
| Weight | Approximately 46 g (without the strap) | ||||
| Color | Black Stainless Steel, Stainless Steel | ||||
| Material | Metal + Plastic + Ceramic | ||||
| Strap |
Graphite Black Silicone Strap, |
||||
| Size | Wrist coverage range 14～21cm | ||||
| Button | Power button, function button | ||||
| Charging Port | Magnetic charging thimble | ||||
| Screen |
1.39-inch AMOLED color screen, Resolution: 454 x 454, PPI 326, The AMOLED touchscreen supports slide and touch gestures. |
||||
| System | |||||
| Operating System | LiteOS | ||||
| CPU | Cortex M4 | ||||
| Memory | Internal ROM 128 MB, Internal RAM 16 MB* | ||||
| Compatibility | |||||
| Operating Systems | Android 4.4 or later iOS 9.0 or later |
||||
| Navigation/Wireless | |||||
| Bluetooth | BT4.2，BLE | ||||
| GPS | Supports GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO | ||||
| Sensor | Accelerometer sensor Gyroscope sensor Magnetometer sensor Optical heart rate sensor Ambient light sensor Barometer sensor |
||||
| Battery | |||||
| Battery Life | 14 days for typical use (The typical usage scenarios are decided based on the user habits. The specific battery life depends on the user habits and usage frequency.) | ||||
| Charging Time | ≤ 2 hours (under 25°C ambient temperatures) | ||||
| Charger Voltage/Current Req. | 5V 0.5A/1A/1.5A/2A | ||||
| Others | |||||
| Packing List | Watch x 1 Charging cradle x 1 Charging cable x 1 User Guide x 1 |
||||
| Resistance Levels | 5 ATM water-resistant | ||||
Highlighting the fitness aspect of the device, the company shares the following:
The HUAWEI Watch GT supports a range of indoor and outdoor fitness activities including: indoor exercises, outdoor running, mountain climbing, cycling and open water swimming. Featuring three of the major satellite positioning systems -- GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO -- and a tracking algorithm, the HUAWEI WATCH GT provides comprehensive, precise positioning for distance tracking. It also comes with a fitness coach built-in with a scientific training system that includes introductory to advanced running courses and FirstBeat powered training effect analyses such as VO2max Fitness Level, Training Effect (Aerobic), Training Load, Training Status, Recovery Time Advisor, Personalized Plans (Running), Calories Burned, and Race Time Predictor.
As you can see, the HUAWEI WATCH GT is drop-dead gorgeous -- it doesn't look like a nerdy smartwatch. It would not look out of place sitting on the wrist of a fancy executive or CEO. Despite its good looks and impressive specs/features, it is priced quite reasonably -- $199.99 with a silicone strap, or for $30 more, you can opt for the beautiful brown leather seen above. You can pre-order starting today from Amazon [amazon_textlink asin='B07N8SYBHZ' text='here' template='ProductLink' store='betanews02-20' marketplace='US' link_id='068ca8db-45ae-4aae-8879-52af69634796'] -- it will begin shipping on Feb 19.