Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro review: Sleek and sporty with bags of stamina

Price When Reviewed

Unavailable in the US

Best Prices Today: Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro

The Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro joins the Watch GT 6 as the latest instalment to Huawei’s mid-range smartwatch with added design flourishes.

This is a Huawei smartwatch that’s more capable than the cheaper Watch Fit and also offers many of the same features you’ll find on the Huawei Watch and Watch Ultimate, at a more agreeable price.

For this generation of the GT, Huawei is clearly focusing on making its one to appeal to outdoor enthusiasts that might be casting an eye at the Apple Watch Ultra 3. So there are enhanced features for runners, cyclists, golfers and skiers on offer. 

You’re also getting a boost in battery life with new features for those who care a bit more about their general mental well-being as opposed to hurtling down a ski slope with more real-time metrics.

We praised the Watch GT 5 Pro for its looks and performance and the GT 6 Pro is set to serve up more of the same.

Design & Build

• Now available in a single case size
• Three strap options
• Diveproof up to 40 metres

The Watch GT 6 Pro sticks pretty closely to the look of the Watch GT 5 Pro, which isn’t a bad thing.

One important thing has changed, however. You now only have the option of a 46mm case size. The smaller 42mm model available with the GT 5 Pro is gone for now, at least for this version.

Huawei retains an octagonal case design to help offer more of a distinctive look

In that 46mm size, it’s bigger than the biggest available Google Pixel Watch 4 size (45mm) and the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, for context.

Huawei retains an octagonal case design to help offer more of a distinctive look. I wouldn’t say the all-black version matched with a pretty standard fare fluoroelastomer strap particularly stands out.

Especially compared to the all-titanium or new version with the woven strap. It’s clearly a well put together smartwatch that’s not too chunky or too slim and does offer a good amount of that titanium alloy to pull together the highly-constructed design.

The same two physical buttons are laid out on the right side of the case. The top one is a digital crown which can be pressed and twisted to scroll through screens, with the bottom pusher one there to give you quicker access to features like the many available sports modes on offer.

Huawei remains unmoved on the level of protection you get against water. So that’s making the Watch GT 6 Pro suitable to be submerged in water up to 50 metres depth to make it suitable for swim tracking and is fit for recreational diving up to 40 metres once again.

While this version of the Watch GT 6 Pro might not be the most eye-catching or radically different from the last Pro, it’s certainly a smartwatch that feels really nice to wear.

Screen & Audio

• Larger AMOLED screen than Watch 5 Pro
• Up to 3000 nits peak brightness
• Bluetooth calls only

While the design has largely stayed the same, Huawei has improved things in the screen department.

There’s now a larger, 1.47-inch AMOLED screen. That’s up from the 1.43-inch one included on the same-sized 46mm Watch 5 Pro.

Not only is there a 5.5% larger display, but it’s also a brighter one too, going from a peak brightness of 1,200 nits to one that can hit 3,000 nits. It means you’ll be able to use the watch in bright outdoor conditions much more easily.

even when not cranked up to the maximum brightness setting, it’s been easy to glance at in most lighting conditions

Huawei does a smart job of masking the black bezel around with hour markers and making sure there’s plenty of screen here to let watch faces and menus spread across.

The firm’s smartwatch displays have always impressed for sharpness and that doesn’t change on the GT 6 Pro. Yes, it’s brighter, but even when not cranked up to the maximum brightness setting, it’s been easy to glance at in most lighting conditions.

The display is protected from scratches with sapphire glass, which is commonly found on more rugged outdoor smartwatches. Given Huawei is making a bigger play with the GT 6 Pro to be more outdoor-friendly without adding bulk, the display has remained thankfully scratch-free in my testing.

If you want to make calls with the GT 6 Pro, you’ll need to do it when paired to your smartphone over Bluetooth. Only the Huawei Watch 5 offers that added cellular connectivity if that’s something you crave.

The built-in speaker and microphone is actually one of the better setups you’ll find for handling calls. There’s plenty of volume, the clarity is strong and it’s pretty straightforward when you want or need to make or accept a call from your phone.

Software & Features

• Runs on HarmonyOS 6.0
• New video watch faces
• Customisable watch faces

I’d say what you get in a smartwatch doesn’t feel hugely removed from what I’ve experienced on the last GT series smartwatches. The latest version of Huawei’s HarmonyOS is at the heart of it all.

It worked well, connected predominantly to my Samsung smartphone, barring the seemingly constant software updates that I needed to deal with.

From the watch, you can swipe in all directions to get to the menu or a piece of data. Swipe right and you’ll find a stream of widgets, swipe the other way and there’s widgets dedicated to individual screens. The top physical crown button gets you into the main menu screen, which can be displayed either in a list or what Huawei calls its Hex grid.

Scrolling through that grid or list gives you a quick sense of what smartwatch features are at your disposal. The already mentioned Bluetooth calls, phone notifications, ability to control music playback and load your own music on via the Huawei Health app.

There is Huawei Wallet to offer support to add payment cards, though that doesn’t appear to be enabled in the UK.

Huawei does a better job of than most other smartwatch makers in terms of variety and trying to get a bit more inventive

You do also have access to the Huawei AppGallery store, where rather than finding the top tier apps you will find in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you will find apps that can offer better support for some more high profile smartphone apps.

There’s an unofficial controller app for Spotify, fitness ones like Fitify Workouts or simply turning your device into a dice. I’d put this level of app support in the same bracket as Amazfit’s storefront. By that, I mean there are ways to enhance the features on your Huawei smartwatch, but it ultimately lacks the polish of more established ecosystems.

I should mention the watch faces, which I’d say Huawei does a better job of than most other smartwatch makers in terms of variety and trying to get a bit more inventive. There’s a good bunch of preloaded ones that are nicely customisable and do now support the ability to include video watch faces.

There is a watch face store where you will have to pay for most faces, unless you choose to sign up for a watch face VIP account. That gets you access to all faces for a £4.99 a month or on a £49.99 a year subscription. Who is paying this much for watch faces, I don’t know.

If you’re a cyclist, runner, golfer or love to go skiing, then you’ll likely appreciate most of what’s new on the GT 6 Pro

Fitness & Tracking

• Pro-level cycling, trail running, golf and skiing metrics
• Improved GPS performance
• Emotional well-being tracking

While Huawei made a big deal about introducing more health features to the last GT series, the pendulum has certainly swung in the direction of all things outdoors and sporty.

If you’re a cyclist, runner, golfer or love to go skiing, then you’ll likely appreciate most of what’s new on the GT 6 Pro. Additionally, there’s also a bit more to look out for on the health and general well-being monitoring front.

Starting with those added sports features, there’s a lot for cyclists to dig into. Huawei has introduced a virtual cycling power meter for outdoor cycling and will now also connect to third party power meters, speedometers and cadence sensors. An additional new sensor measures gradient for those hillier rides and added an FTP test, which is a way to assess your cycling fitness. 

There’s also the promise of slicker automatic cycling detection and on the safety front, Huawei has also added a fall detection mode that can trigger an SOS alert, with Huawei promising a fall detection accuracy of 90%. I’m not a cyclist, so can’t vouch for these features, but this more cycling-centric update seems to follow Apple’s decision to improve functionality for two-wheeler fans in its most recent WatchOS updates.

I can talk a little more from a running perspective, where there’s promised improvements with GPS accuracy compared to the GT 5 Pro. That’s helped by a new antenna architecture and positioning algorithm to offer a 20% improvement in GPS accuracy.

I’ve been using it alongside the Garmin Forerunner 970, which is one of the best-performing sports watches for GPS and the GT 6 Pro more than held its own. It locked onto a GPS signal nice and quickly and peering down at key metrics like pace and distance covered showed the GT 6 Pro delivered strong GPS performance overall.

There’s more on the running front, especially for trail runners, as Huawei has sped up importing routes from third party app Komoot and upped the room for saving routes up to 50. Given Komoot has recently been acquired by an investment group, how valuable that integration is going to be long-term remains to be seen, however.

If you’re into golf or skiing as well, there are improvements with the user interface when you get tracking and, in general, richer data to delve into. 

there’s plenty for those that want to turn to the Watch GT 6 Pro to monitor their wellbeing

Away from sports tracking, there’s a few notable new health additions mainly led by the ability to measure your emotions through using the onboard TruSense optical sensor setup that sits around the back of the watch.

These different emotional states, which can range from telling you you’re relaxed to being very anxious, are nicely presented on the watch and felt in line with my emotional states during testing.

Add to the already present heart rate, ECG, skin temperature, SpO2 and solid sleep tracking and there’s plenty for those that want to turn to the Watch GT 6 Pro to monitor their wellbeing.  

Battery Life & Charging

• Up to 21 days in light use
• 14 days in typical use
• Up to 40 hours in GPS battery life

Huawei’s smartwatches have impressed when it comes to keeping you away from that same circular charging cradle over the years. This is an area that has improved on the GT 6 Pro over the 5 Pro. 

You can expect up to 21 days, up from 14 days in daily use. In heavier use, that drops to 14 days, which is up from 9 days on the GT 5 Pro. Huawei doesn’t state a battery number with the screen on at all times, but in our testing, it’s just shy of a week.

The battery life on the Watch GT 6 Pro is very good. Daily drop-off with the raise to wake display mode often saw battery drop by a few percent. When I swapped to the always-on display mode it was closer to 15% drop, which works out to about 6 days.

The GPS battery numbers are strong too. Huawei says you can enjoy up to 40 hours of GPS battery life. For over an hour’s use the battery dropped by 4%, which doesn’t quite add up to those 40 hours, but nonetheless is a good level of GPS battery.

These numbers are really impressive and blow the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google out of the water.

When you do get low, you’ll need to grab a pretty robust proprietary charging cradle, which magnetically clips to the back of the case back. Getting from 0-100% took around an 1.5 hours, so that’s an increase on the charging time on the Watch GT 5 Pro.

Given you’ll be charging less in general, that’s not a bad compromise.

Price & Availability

The Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro was officially announced on 19 September alongside the Watch GT 6.

The Watch GT 6 Pro pricing starts at £359.99 and gets more costly depending if you opt for the all-metal version. There’s a £30 off launch offer, too.

The base price of the Watch GT 5 Pro was £279, so that is a jump in price, but it’s still very affordable compared to the Ultra-type models from various rivals.

It’s available to buy now from Huawei as well as retailers such as Amazon.

In the context of other ‘regular’ smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 11 costs £399, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 starts at £319 and the Google Pixel Watch 4 sits at £349.

So it’s actually cheaper than some other flagship smartwatches, even if it has crept up in cost compared to the previous GT Pro.

As far as we know, the watches won’t be available in the US.

Check out our current 10 best smartwatches you can buy.

Should you buy the Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro?

The Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro remains a solid smartwatch for both Android and iPhone users. Especially if you value having a lot of battery life and a pretty extensive array of sports and health features without paying over £500.

I’m not sure it’s going to be an instant upgrade for Watch GT 5 Pro owners as that still offers a good all-round package for what will invariably now cost less money now that the GT 6 Pro is on the scene.

I still don’t think the GT 6 Pro is necessarily a better smartwatch than most of the similarly priced competition. If you’re happy with something that’s more weighted towards tracking, and gives you most of those core smartwatch staples, then may be worth taking a look at the Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro.

Specs

• 1.47-inch AMOLED display
• 3,000 nits peak brightness
• Heart rate, ECG, skin temperature and SpO2 sensors
• Sapphire glass
• Compatible with Android and iOS
• Dual-frequency GPS
• Up to 21 days battery life