Heart disease and diabetes risk assessment on your wrist
Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News
MANILA— Huawei watches have always been one of my favorite fitness-focused wearables thanks to their great design and generous number of features.
From a price-to-functionality calculation, Huawei fitness watches generally punch above their weight class, and the GT 7 Pro continues that hallowed tradition. There are a lot of things to like about this watch.
But just to be clear, this is not a Wear OS device—it runs Huawei’s Harmony OS 6.1, which is a proprietary system developed by Huawei. It connects well enough with Android and iOS, but it doesn’t have the same apps as smartwatches that run on Google or Apple ecosystems.
Running and cycling addicts may wonder if the watch has Strava. Because if the run or ride isn’t on Strava, did it even really happen, right?
Don’t worry, Huawei has got you covered there. To use the GT 7 Pro, you’ll need to install the Huawei Health app on your phone, which you can connect to Strava. While there is no native Strava app on the watch, the sharing of data between Huawei and Strava is pretty fast. And despite not having the world’s most used fitness social media app, the GT 7 Pro’s native health, fitness apps and tracking systems are top notch, probably some of the best in the market right now.
I’ve been testing the flagship GT 7 Pro smartwatch for two weeks now, and so far, I am quite impressed with what the watch has to offer. As someone who bikes, runs and does weights almost regularly, the watch has become practically a fixture on my wrist, even when I’m sleeping.
In terms of design, the GT 7 Pro doesn’t seem to have changed much compared to last year’s model. The biggest difference is the new Easycross strap design, which lets you tuck the strap under the wrist for a cleaner look.
Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News
Otherwise, this is still the same sleek design from last year, with a titanium alloy case, a ceramic bezel, and a sapphire glass display. The combination of these three materials makes it tough but still classy, not too rugged. You can rock this with casual, semi-formal wear.
With 3,000 nits of brightness, you won’t have any trouble reading this watch’s enormous 1.47-inch AMOLED color screen even under the midday sun.
Another great thing about this gadget is the extensive selection of free watch faces. While a lot of Wear OS and iOS watches have put their best watch faces behind paywalls, the available free watch faces on the GT 7 Pro are very nicely designed and functional.
SERIOUS HEALTH TRACKING
Unlike the standard version which I tested last year, the GT 7 Pro watch has extra health tracking features for people who are serious about monitoring their overall wellness, and not just fitness.
It can detect possible pulse wave arrhythmia, or irregular heart rate, and even has an ECG function that can warn you about arterial stiffness.
It can even assess your risk for coronary heart disease and diabetes. According to Huawei, the watch can monitor heart rhythm, detect potential abnormalities, and provide insights for ongoing heart health management.
The watch also uses its heart-rate sensor to record about 21 seconds of blood-flow signals from your wrist. AI then cleans and analyzes the signal for patterns that may be linked to diabetes and estimates whether the user shows a potential diabetes risk. Huawei claims that its heart health and diabetes risk tracking systems have been recognized in international medical studies.
Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News
You need to download these health features on your phone’s Huawei Health app and sign up for these health analytics, but there is no extra cost for these added analyses.
FITNESS TRACKING
When it comes to fitness tracking, the GT 7 Pro is probably one of the best watches right now. The Quantified Scientist tests smartwatches from different manufacturers like Amazfit, Apple, Coros, Garmin and others against medical-grade equipment for heart rate tracking, sleep tracking and overall fitness. Huawei watches always come out above average in terms of accuracy in heart rate tracking for most activities.
The GT 7 Pro can also track dozens of sports, from pickleball and badminton to triathlon and, of course, running and cycling.
GPS is very good. I rarely had to wait more than 3 seconds in UP Diliman, where I usually run, to get a GPS signal. I also love how it auto-pauses tracking when you stop, which is great when you’re having a 1-hour coffee break after climbing Antipolo on your bike.
The color interface of Huawei watches for tracking workout effort is also among the most intuitive. Green, yellow, orange, red—you don’t even need any explanation to understand how much effort you’re putting into your exercise.
The GT 7 Pro also has very good battery life. According to Huawei, it can last for up to 21 days, although I haven’t used the watch long enough to see that. I got it with 60 percent charge and used it over a week with lots of running, cycling, walking and weight training thrown in, and on the eighth day it still had 14 percent charge.
According to Huawei, it can last up to 12 days given typical usage, or up to 7 days with always-on display enabled, and up to 51 hours in the trail running mode.
WISHLIST FEATURES
As much as I like the GT 7 Pro, there is still a lot I would like to see on it. Here are some features which I think could use some improvement.
Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News
Route setting — Doing this on the Huawei Health app and watch is clunky. If you want to make a cycling or running route, you need to do it in another app and then download the GPX file. It would be nice if you could draw routes on the Huawei app itself.
Maps — I guess part of the reason for the clunky route setting is that Huawei’s Petal maps system only works on Huawei phones. Why not make it downloadable for Androids at least?
Music — You can download music files into the watch, but I’m not sure if anyone still does that in this day and age. It would be much simpler to just control your Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube music app on the watch. While Huawei has a Spotify control app for the watch, it costs P149. Why not just make it free? And why is there no Podcast app?
Photo — The included camera control app on the watch is OK. But it’s about as functional as a Bluetooth remote. It would have been really nice if Huawei could’ve included a camera app that could show previews of your shot.
VERDICT
But these are minor complaints. The GT 7 Pro is still one of the best health-focused smartwatches right now. It can definitely give Garmin a run for its money, and can hold its own against some of the heavy-hitting Wear OS and Watch OS devices out there.
GPS is very good, fitness tracking is excellent, and the addition of health-monitoring features that assess your risk for heart disease and diabetes are definitely welcome, especially for Titos and Titas who are looking for more than just Strava stats on their device.
Huawei has yet to announce the price for the GT 7 Pro, but the company said it is offering the following promos.
September 25–October 1: Pay a P500 deposit to enjoy P6,000 off.
October 2–31: Enjoy an Early Bird Voucher offering P5,500 off.