Huawei Watch GT 6 Review: Extremely Smooth Watch with Brutal Battery Life and Great Price

After three weeks with the Huawei Watch GT 6 46mm on my wrist, something I’ve suspected for a long time was confirmed: smartwatches have divided into two camps. In the first, you have full-fledged smartwatches with a rich app ecosystem, but you have to charge them every day. In the second, there are fitness trackers with weeks of battery life but limited software. The Huawei Watch GT 6 sits precisely on the border between these worlds – and it shows.

I tested them right after months with the Apple Watch 10 LTE, so I have a fresh memory of what life is like with a watch that can do everything but barely lasts a day. Before that, I used Pixel Watch 2, which offered a similar compromise – about 24 hours of battery life in exchange for the Google ecosystem. Huawei goes the opposite way: the battery lasts almost two weeks, but forget about Spotify, Google Maps, or Google Pay.

Design and Build

The Huawei Watch GT 6 looks better than its price suggests. The brushed stainless steel construction resembles premium Swiss watches, the rotating crown has pleasant resistance, and the serrated edges make control easy even with gloves. Dimensions of 46 × 46 × 10.95 mm are almost identical to the Apple Watch Ultra, but the weight of only 51.3 grams (without strap) is noticeably lower.

The tested variant with a brown leather strap looks elegant and pairs well with both a shirt and a running t-shirt. The leather is soft and doesn’t press, the buckle holds firmly. Huawei also offers variants with fluoroelastomer – these would be more practical for sports, but would lose aesthetically.

Sapphire glass protects the display from scratches. After three weeks of intensive wear, including accidental contact with doors and a car handle, it doesn’t have a single scratch. IP69 and 5ATM certification means the watch can withstand dust, water, and hot steam – I tested it in the shower, in the pool, and while washing the car, no problem.

The only thing that spoils the design is the thicker profile. While the Apple Watch 10 has a thickness of 10.7 mm and feels compact, the GT 6 with almost 11 mm protrudes more and occasionally catches on a jacket sleeve. It’s not a major issue, but you’ll notice it.

Display has brutal brightness

Here Huawei showed how it’s done. The 1.47-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 466 × 466 pixels (317 ppi) is sharp and, most importantly – incredibly bright. The peak brightness of 3000 nits is not a marketing number; it’s a functional advantage you’ll appreciate every day.

For comparison: Apple Watch 10 can manage a maximum of 2000 nits, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra reaches 3000 nits, but only in a small part of the display. Huawei achieves 3000 nits across the entire surface at APL 30% (when displaying an image where 30% of the screen is lit), which in practice means that even white text on a black background is perfectly readable in direct sunlight.

The Always-on Display mode works reliably; the display remains readable even at night but isn’t disruptively bright. Huawei offers dozens of watch faces, most are free, some premium ones cost a few crowns. The quality varies – some look like cheap imitations of luxury watches, others are simple and elegant.

Battery: 14 days of endurance

Here, the GT 6 crushes the competition. Huawei states up to 14 days of battery life with typical use for the 46mm model; in practice, I got 11 days. This was with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurement every hour, active sleep tracking, three running workouts per week (6 hours total with GPS), and constant notification reception from the phone.

For comparison: Apple Watch 10 LTE lasted me a maximum of 36 hours, Pixel Watch 2 barely a day. Galaxy Watch Ultra can manage two days. The difference is abysmal and changes the entire way of using them. You don’t worry if you have enough battery for a weekend trip, you don’t think about where to charge, you simply forget that the watch needs energy at all.

Huawei dosáhlo tohoto zázraku křemíkovou baterií s o 37 % vyšší hustotou energie. Baterie má nestandardní tvar přesně kopírující tělo hodinek, což zlepšuje využití prostoru. Technicky je to skvělé, prakticky to znamená svobodu.

Charging takes 95 minutes using the included magnetic charging stand. The cable has an old USB-A connector, which is a bit questionable in 2025 – most chargers already have USB-C. I had to get an adapter, which is an unnecessary complication.

Fitness and Health: TruSense Sensors vs. Reality

Huawei has equipped the GT 6 with an improved TruSense 5.5+ sensor system, which promises 98% accuracy in heart rate measurement during cycling and 95% during trail running.

For regular users, the accuracy is sufficient. For professional athletes, I recommend a chest strap; the GT 6 can connect to it via Bluetooth.

SpO2 measurement worked reliably, values ranged between 96-99%, which corresponds to my case. Sleep monitoring is detailed – the watch recognizes sleep phases (light, deep, REM) and even brief interruptions. The Huawei Health app offers a sleep quality score and recommendations on how to sleep better.

The Emotional Wellbeing feature measures stress levels based on heart rate variability. It sounds like a marketing gimmick, but surprisingly it works – when I was stressed due to deadlines, the watch detected it and offered breathing exercises.

Sunflower GPS: on-point accuracy, but not always

Huawei developed the Sunflower 2.0 positioning system with dual-band GNSS support and connection to six satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC). They promise 20% higher accuracy than the previous generation.

Practically, this means fast signal lock (5-10 seconds) and accurate tracking in open spaces. A new feature for cyclists is also interesting – virtual power measurement without a power meter. The watch estimates your power based on speed, terrain incline, and weight.

HarmonyOS: Smooth System with Empty Shelves

The GT 6 runs on HarmonyOS 6.0, its own operating system. The interface is smooth, animations are fluid, and navigation between menus is fast. Huawei claims the system is 20% smoother than the previous generation and apps load 30% faster. In practice, this means zero stuttering.

The problem lies elsewhere: third-party apps are missing. The AppGallery for watches contains a few dozen apps, mostly fitness and health trackers. No Spotify, no Google Maps. The system includes several basic apps, including a calendar that mirrors entries from your default calendar, which is nice. There’s also a calculator, flashlight, compass, or Petal Maps.

Conversely, music playback from internal memory (4 GB available for media), controlling playback on the phone, Bluetooth calls (microphone and speaker work surprisingly well), and notifications from all applications work.

However, you cannot reply to notifications – you see them, you can delete them, but you have to type the reply on your phone. This is frustrating, especially if you’re used to Apple Watch, where you reply to messages by dictation or quick reply.

Payments and Practical Features: What Works and What Doesn’t

The GT 6 has an NFC chip, but it does not support Google Pay or Apple Pay. In the Czech Republic, this means only one option: Huawei Wallet, which currently does not allow bank card payments. You can load access cards or loyalty program QR codes into it, but you cannot pay at the checkout.

Fall detection works – I tested it with a simulated fall while running (I didn’t actually fall, I’m not crazy). The watch vibrates, asks if you’re okay, and if you don’t respond, it calls an emergency contact. A good feature for older users or people running alone in the wilderness.

Compatibility: Android and iOS, but with caveats

The GT 6 works with Android 9.0 and higher as well as iOS 13.0 and higher. In practice, this means you can pair the watch with almost any modern phone. I tested it with a Google Pixel 10 Pro, and it works without issues.

However: they work worse with iPhones. Apple blocks full access to notifications, so some apps don’t send alerts correctly. You also can’t control music in Apple Music from the watch. If you have an iPhone, buy an Apple Watch. The GT 6 is primarily for Android.

Final Verdict: A Compromise with a Clear Target Audience

The Huawei Watch GT 6 is a watch for people who prioritize battery life and fitness tracking over smartwatch features. If you don’t mind the absence of Google services, payments, and third-party apps, you’ll get a great product with weeks of battery life and a display that has no competition in this price category.

After three weeks of testing, I returned to the Apple Watch 10 because I miss watch payments, Spotify, and better integration with the iPhone. But I miss the GT 6’s battery life every day. Every morning when I charge my Apple Watch, I remember the GT 6, which I would charge once every two weeks.

For 5,669 CZK with a discount code, the GT 6 46mm are the best fitness watch you can buy. They are not the best smartwatch – those cost more and last for a shorter time. It’s a matter of priorities.

Editor’s Rating: 86%

What do you think of the Huawei Watch GT 6?