10-Feb-2019

Back in the day, I really liked my Pebble (and later Pebble Time) smartwatch because of the good battery life, always on screen and because it handled notifications really well.

In comparison, all new smartwatches have come up short.

Most recently I tried the Android WearOS Ticwatch Pro because of the - kind of - always on screen and good battery life. But I did not like how it handled notifications and I also got an allergic reaction to its metal back.

Right now I'm using the Huawei Watch GT. It's not an Android WearOS device but instead it is running Huawei's own "LightOS". It has very little RAM, only 16 MB, an unimpressive CPU, no WiFi and you can not install any applications - you can only use the apps that come preinstalled. What it does have is Bluetooth, GPS/Galileo, heart rate sensor and a very good looking 1.4" screen. As a result of the lightweight hardware, the battery lasts for 2-4 weeks. And it really does. I'm now on my third week with this watch and I only recently charged it a second time. Despite the CPU being modest, the software works very well and feels responsive. And it does handel notifications well.

I also think it is one of the better looking watches out there with its chrome case, shiny gray bezel and tan leather/silicon strap (leather on top, silicon underneath). This is a very classic looking watch. The back of the watch is ceramic and I have not had any allergic reactions with this watch despite wearing it continuously for three weeks.

I'd like to have a watch with a simple USB C charging port but I'm not aware of any such watch on the market. Fortunately, this watch comes close. It has a round disk that magnetically attaches to the back of the watch, but this disk is small and has no built in cable but instead it has a USB C port. If you go on a trip, you only need to bring along this tiny disk and then you can use whatever USB C cable you have for your phone and other devices ... if you even need to bring the disk along since it will run for at least two weeks without recharging.

Huawei has had a lot of bad publicity because of accusations that it conducts spying and/or is an unreliable company. They are certainly aware of this and consequently want to be abundantly clear and transparent about what they are doing, such as asking for consent before the software communicates with servers in China.