Huawei’s latest looks good, lasts for weeks, and doesn’t skimp on fitness and cycling stat tracking. The 46mm Watch GT 6 mimics the design and software features of the Watch GT 6 Pro (R7 000), but lacks the gold and titanium colourways of its more capable brother. You'll get a very similar experience from both of Huawei's new wearable trackers, whichever you opt for.
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Design
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Features
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Battery
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Tracking
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Value
There’s a new trio of devices from Huawei on the market. We’ve been testing the lavender-hued 41mm Huawei Watch GT 6, the smaller, fashion-friendly sibling to the Pro, but you’ll find performance similar to its 46mm sibling. Our review watch is more fashionably lifestyle-based, but don’t be fooled. It still delivers serious fitness tools.
A bright AMOLED display and battery life that make Apple and other smart watches look like they run on borrowed time are the key highlights, and the Chinese company doesn’t disappoint here. As ever, it’s packed with software smarts with some new cycling skills thrown into the mix.
Cyclists get FTP (functional threshold power) estimates on their wrist without forking out a fortune for pricey pedals, plus great GPS accuracy, on par with high-end bike computers. If that’s not enough for you, there are more than 100 exercises supported and tracked, even if you’re wearing the outfit-friendly version of the Watch GT 6.
Daywalker
Expect a 1.46in AMOLED with a sharp 466×466 resolution and up to 3,000 nits of brightness. Translation: no squinting on a midday run in Jozi sun, even with sunglasses on. The always-on mode does drain it, but Huawei’s clever variable refresh rate tech means you’ll barely notice.
The Watch GT6 Pro uses Huawei’s iconic octagonal design, wrapped in 316L stainless steel instead of aerospace titanium. The stock GT 6 features five colours, two sizes, and plenty of strap choices. Scratch-proof Sapphire glass up front and a ceramic rear keep it tough enough for whatever sport you favour.
Cosmic Harmony?
Huawei’s HarmonyOS is smooth, familiar, and stuffed with widgets, notifications, and health cards. You can take calls, check calendars, snap photos, pay with Huawei Wallet (in countries where it’s supported), and stash music on the 64GB of internal storage. Broad support means it’ll work with whatever you have handy.
Downside? The AppGallery is limited compared to Apple and Google stores. The good news is that we had no problem downloading Huawei Health to IOS and workouts now sync straight to Strava. However, at the time of writing, we were still struggling with Training Peaks.
Huawei promises between 40 hours (continuous GPS) and three weeks (light usage) of uptime between charges, depending on how you use the GT 6. During our two-week assessment, it visited its charger a single time, and that was with an hour of GPS-tracked exercise each day. Not bad.
Sensor-tive soul
Huawei has made a big deal of the GT 6’s tracking since its Paris reveal. All the previous boxes have been ticked, with step, movement, heart rate, and SP02 tracking all covered in typical Huawei style. The company reckons there’s even more accuracy this year.
Heart rate tracking is bolstered by on-wrist EKG and even an arterial stiffness check, which activates at the touch of a button. It’s a fine way to tell you that it’s time to lay off all those burgers. Don’t go to bed angry (probably about the burgers). If you do, the Watch GT 6 tracks that admirably. Stress tools and guided breathing maintain your Zen, and it’ll detect up to 12 moods. Yes, it knows when you’re grumpy.
There’s one more feature: fall detection. We’d advise you not to test it, but if you do pitch over, Huawei’s fall detection will broadcast a message out to your emergency contacts so they can come and give you a hand.
Huawei Watch GT 6 verdict
The Huawei Watch GT 6 shows you needn’t go Pro to get killer battery life, polished health tracking, and a slick design on your wrist. Our lavender version sports loads of fashion cred, but still supplies the endurance and accuracy Huawei is known for. Even the fashion pieces are serious bits of on-wrist sporting equipment, and the R5,000 price tag is acceptable for most sporting fanatics.
