Huawei Watch GT5 Pro review: Just a stylish sports watch?

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro review: One-minute review

The best smartwatches are those that manage to perfectly blend smart functionality, sports tracking, and health metrics. In my experience, smartwatches shine in one or maybe two of these areas but rarely all three. That is true of the Apple Watch Series 10 and the recently released Huawei Watch D2. Could the GT5 Pro buck the trend?

The Watch GT5 Pro, you guessed it, is the advanced or “pro” version of the Huawei Watch GT5, a more expensive watch aimed at serious fitness enthusiasts. Enhancements include dedicated golf and diving modes as well as the ability to measure both ECG and arterial stiffness. The build quality is also superior with a titanium case and sapphire glass.

The watch is similarly sized to the GT5, with 42mm and 46mm options available. Finishes are more limited though, with black and grey titanium options for the 46mm size and white or ceramic white for the 46mm size. Having worn the GT5 and GT5 watches for over a month each, I can tell you that the GT5 Pro is technically better than its more affordable alternative.

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro review: Specifications

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: Price and availability

• 42mm £329.99 / 46mm £399 in the UK
• Not available in the US, 46mm available in AUS
• Also available in China

The Huawei Watch GT5 Pro 42mm costs £329.99 (US $599 / AU $745), while the 46mm alternative is available for £399.99. Case and strap finishes include black, grey titanium, and white. If you’d like a more premium ceramic white case and strap, then that’ll set you back £499.99. Note that this is only available in a 42mm size.

The GT5 Pro is only available in the UK and China, with a distinct lack of presence in the US due to Huawei’s ongoing ban in the country. We were also able to find the 46mm Pro in Australia for $599, but not the 42mm version.

• Value score: 4/5

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: Design

• Stylish design that oozes quality
• 1.32 / 1.43 inch AMOLED display
• Rugged and waterproof

It's rare that I wear a watch as expensive as this one. It's not that I haven't worn a lot of smartwatches over the years but, more often than not, they occupy a lower price bracket and look more modern rather than traditional. I’ve lost count of the number of looks and comments I received from friends and strangers who were surprised I was wearing such a premium watch. Suffice it to say, this is a head-turning design.

The model I tested came with a case and strap that are made of aerospace-grade titanium, with the display covered by sapphire crystal glass. Everything from the octagon-shaped face to the linked strap communicates class and style—something you'd obviously expect at this price. If you'd like to look even classier, you could always opt for the more expensive white crystal option instead.

At 1.43 inches, the AMOLED color display is an identical size to the GT5. I would have expected a slightly larger screen even if that meant reducing the thickness of the octagon bezel. Despite that, the display itself performs excellently and thanks to a 5ATM / IP69K water resistance rating, it continues to function when submerged, making it fine to swim and even dive with.

As with most smartwatches, the physical controls are located on the right-hand side. These include a rotating crown and a secondary functional button. They are both perfectly positioned and operate as expected, although there is plenty of room for Huawei to have added an additional button as seen on the Mibro GS Explorer, which would speed up navigation options.

I love Huawei's new charging cables. The magnetic circular design clips onto the back of the watch with ease and there's no need to line up any pins. Just clip it on and it begins charging.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: Features

• Pro-Level Sports functionality
• ECG analysis
• Huawei TruSense

The GT5 Pro can track a wide range of sports, but Huawei has worked particularly hard at providing specific features for diving, trail running, and most extensively golf. In Golf Course Mode, it is possible to view over 15,000 course maps that span the globe, with 3,000 of those in the UK alone.

Maps are obviously pretty small, even on the 1.43-inch display, but Huawei has managed to pack an impressive amount of data into the space. This includes a 3D-effect course map that features greens, fairways, bunkers, and water hazards. Additionally, if you use the Huawei app, you can also track your scores and review your trajectory.

I love all this functionality and data, but you will have to consider whether wearing a watch like this while playing golf will hamper your swing. Due to the strap design, it can be difficult to get a close fit. As a result, I experienced some watch movement mid-swing.

Huawei’s health-tracking functionality is getting better all the time, especially now that Huawei’s TruSense is fully up and running. TruSense is Huawei’s umbrella term for all its health and fitness indicators.

The GT5 Pro offers beat-by-beat ECG analysis for cardiac health thanks to the built-in electrode technology. It can be a bit fiddly, but measurements are taken by holding your finger down on the side button for 30 seconds.

I wasn’t a fan of wearing the large and metallic smartwatch overnight but if it doesn’t bother you, then you can take advantage of Huawei’s comprehensive sleep tracking functionality. The GT5 Pro can track heart rate, SpO2, respiratory rate, and any abnormal breathing with data and graphs available through the iOS/Android Huawei Health app.

As well as heart measurements and sleep tracking, the GT5 Pro is also able to estimate period, ovulation, and fertile times based on high-level physiological data and a deep learning algorithm.

You can use the GT5 Pro as an extension of your smartphone, although functionality is admittedly limited without a Huawei handset. You can receive notifications and reply to texts using the Celia keyboard on the watch or simply speak into the watch’s microphone to input text. Typing is fiddly but possible, but I suppose this is what to expect from a 1.43-inch screen. When taking calls, I did find that the watch wasn’t always able to pick up a ‘name’ even if the number was in my phonebook.

• Features score: 4/5

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: Performance

• Not a typical sports-watch design
• Accurate and reliable GPS
• Fantastic battery life

One of the biggest selling points of the GT5 Pro is the pro sports functionality. Being able to track specific sports, including golf, diving, and trail running, is impressive. I wasn’t able to fully test every aspect of these features but my experience of viewing courses and swing tracking was positive. Golf enthusiasts will love the performance of the GT5 Pro, although I think a number of the more quirky features will only get used once.

I also used the GT5 Pro to track other types of exercise, including runs, walks, and bike rides. GPS tracking was reliable, with routes accurately drawn on the map. After various workouts, it was clear that the smartwatch had done a reasonable job of not only mapping my exact routes but also tracking relevant health data.

The GT5 Pro includes the ability to auto-detect exercise, which is perfect for me. I was keen to see how effective this was because I’m terrible at remembering to set my watch going, and I rarely want to cycle through the options and wait for GPS to kick in before beginning a workout. Unfortunately, the GT5 Pro is no better than the standard GT5 here. Auto-detection is sketchy at best and certainly can’t be relied upon. When it did work, it was as simple as pressing a button to accept the workout but this didn’t happen anywhere near often enough.

Despite being generally positive about the watch, I was left with one irksome feeling. My issue is not so much related to what the watch is capable of but more about whether the design helps or hinders participating in these sports. The bottom line, for me, is that I don’t think the watch’s design is suited to the sports it’s trying to track. The model I tested had a case and strap that were both made of titanium. It’s therefore not particularly comfortable, especially when you start to sweat. The chain link strap design also doesn’t lend itself to a tight fit, which is essential for exercising without distraction. Don’t get me wrong, it looks fantastic but it doesn’t feel great to wear when exercising.

Tracking heart rate and SpO2 was quick and easy to carry out, although stress monitoring seemed a little hit-and-miss as the watch failed, on numerous occasions, to pick up when I was feeling particularly stressed. I don’t see this as much of a problem, as I imagine most people determine their stress levels based on how they feel rather than on what a watch tells them.

The Huawei interface looks absolutely fantastic on the round watch face of the GT5 Pro. When cycling through menu items, each one increases in size as it approaches the middle. You can choose for an adaptable grid layout but I oftentimes find the icons on their own are insufficient to know what they represent. Icon and text are the way to go in my experience.

Touch-screen performance is excellent and I found myself operating the smartwatch using the display most of the time. It wasn’t that the crown and secondary button didn’t function well, but it was just easier to swipe and touch the screen instead.

Battery life on the GT5 Pro is impressive. Official figures state 14 days for the 46mm version and 7 days for the 42mm alternative. These are the maximum figures that drop with more intense use. With medium use, I found that the watch would last between five and seven days. This included 24-7 monitoring and exercise tracking every day or two. I was never down for long though, with the ability to charge from empty to full in around an hour.

• Performance score: 4/5

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: Scorecard

Should I buy the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro review: Also consider

Fitbit Luxe
Fitbit was one of the first to kickstart the fitness wearables trend, and it’s still going strong with various models. In our Fitbit Luxe review, we said it’s one of the company’s best models. Note, however, that there have been a number of controversial changes to Fitbit services of late, including the axing of much-loved features, casting doubts over its longevity.

Suunto Race S
One of the best watches for runners or athletes in general. Fantastic tracking features and a long battery life provide users with everything required to exercise.

Read our full Suunto Race S review

Huawei Watch GT5 Pro: How I tested

After wearing the GT5 for around a month, I swapped it straight for the Pro version. This helped me critically appraise the differences between the two and determine whether the ‘Pro’ title was warranted. Having worn the GT5 Pro for more than two months, I had plenty of time to test almost every feature available. I also connected the smartwatch to Huawei Health to experience the full ecosystem.