The bike buddy – Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro Review

Huawei does not provide any information on the Watch GT 7 Pro’s carbon footprint. The packaging contains some plastic components. Information on software updates is also missing.

To set up and use the Watch GT 7 Pro, the Huawei Health app must be installed on a smartphone - it’s available for iOS and Android. A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was used for this test. After turning on the smartwatch, a QR code appears; once scanned, you’ll be prompted to select your smartphone brand. You’ll then be redirected to the appropriate app store to download the software.

A Huawei account is required during the setup process. During setup, you’ll need to grant various permissions for both the Health app and the smartwatch. Overall, the setup is self-explanatory, but it does take some time.

In addition, for every app opened on the smartwatch, you must separately accept the consent for data processing and a warning regarding the distinction from medical devices. To do this, each app must be opened individually; otherwise, it won’t work.

The smartwatch is operated via the touchscreen, the crown, and the button. The button assignments can be customized in the menu.

Huawei offers the “Health Insights” feature in the health app and on the smartwatch. The software displays a value for “Physical Fitness,” for example. The value can range from 1 to 100. Additionally, the numerical value is accompanied by a color-coded scale. This information is intended to help the wearer assess how intensely they can exercise that day.

However, the software also provides weekly averages for various metrics, such as workout duration or sleep heart rate. The app highlights changes and identifies trends.

The Watch GT 7 can also measure body temperature, vein stiffness, and emotional well-being.

The Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro can measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. The smartwatch is also said to be capable of recording ECGs and detecting cardiac arrhythmias through pulse wave analysis. We’ve written a separate article here about the health monitoring capabilities of smartwatches.

To better evaluate the Watch GT 7 Pro’s readings, we compare them with those from reference devices. For heart rate measurement, we use a Polar H10 chest strap as the reference device. For resting heart rate, there is a deviation of 1.72 percent, or one beat per minute.

We measure the exercise heart rate at three different times. The average of the three measurements shows a deviation of 0.37 percent. The highest deviation in a single measurement is six beats per minute.

A Braun Pulse Oximeter 1 is used to measure blood oxygen saturation. The average deviation across three measurements is 1.04 percent. The highest deviation in a single measurement is three percentage points. The devices display the same values for two measurements.

The Watch GT 7 Pro does not offer blood pressure measurement.

The Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro’s sleep tracking is comprehensive. The smartwatch provides information on total sleep duration and breaks it down into deep, light, and REM sleep. Times and percentages are provided for each phase. A reference guide helps with interpretation. There are also the categories Low, Normal, and High, each with a corresponding color code.

In addition, total sleep is rated with stars and a point score. The software highlights changes in sleep patterns and identifies trends. Additional information is provided on deep sleep continuity, sleep stability, respiratory quality, heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate. Sleep sounds are also analyzed using a paired smartphone.

The data can be displayed for days, weeks, months, and years. Personal notes can be added as a sleep log.

Huawei is promoting the Watch GT 7 Pro as a fitness companion. In addition to the usual features, the Watch GT 7 Pro is designed to excel particularly in skiing, golf, and cycling. The smartwatch provides access to maps of 3000 ski resorts worldwide, including run and lift numbers, names, and colors. It is also said to measure G-forces and compare descent times with those of friends and previous runs. Due to the season, we weren’t able to test the skiing features.

However, we did test the new cycling mode. You can save different bikes on the smartwatch. This selection is important for virtual performance tracking. You can also import routes from the Health app and complete them as workouts. The Watch GT 7 Pro then displays not only workout data but also the route, including the direction of travel and remaining distance. At high speeds, the software warns of approaching tight turns.

During the workout, the software provides an analysis of the climbs and shows how many meters of elevation remain to be conquered. Overall, the presentation of the workout and navigation data is very good, and the display is extremely easy to read.

The tile view can be customized for different sports. You can also set a goal for each workout. Depending on the sport, the smartwatch suggests a warm-up routine and, after the workout is complete, appropriate stretching exercises—each with visual guidance on the smartwatch display and voice prompts.

In addition, the Watch GT 7 Pro displays the current training load and suggests appropriate rest periods. The Running Ability Index is designed to provide an assessment of running performance. The smartwatch also provides a general training index that includes trends, VO₂max, estimated times for running distances based on your current fitness level, and lactate threshold values.

The Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro supports all common satellite systems. Completed routes are accurately mapped by the smartwatch. Training routes can be exported as GPX, TCX, and KML files. It is also possible to import routes. Petal Maps comes pre-installed on the smartwatch. If the app is also installed on the paired smartphone, navigation using the smartwatch is possible.

In addition, the Watch GT 7 Pro offers offline navigation if the corresponding maps have been downloaded in advance via the Health app. This allows for both return route navigation and navigation along the shortest route during training - without needing a smartphone connection.

Huawei claims up to 21 days of battery life with light use and 12 days with typical use. In our test, we enabled all measurements, the always-on display, and workout detection. This allowed us to achieve a battery life of 10 days, despite particularly intensive use at the beginning of the test and during setup.

If the built-in navigation is used during workouts, the battery life depletes much faster. When a workout is started, the smartwatch informs you how many hours of training are still possible with the current battery level - a clever feature. The Watch GT 7 Pro should also last a week even with multiple workouts.

Charging is wireless via Qi; a compatible charging puck with a USB-A port is included, but a power adapter is not. In our test, we used an Anker 335 power adapter. After 30 minutes, the Watch GT 7 Pro went from 10 to 56 percent charge. A full charge of the 876 mAh battery takes about 90 minutes.