HONOR Watch GS Pro Smartwatch Review
The HONOR Watch GS Pro is a feature-packed rugged smartwatch with functionality that will enhance your skiing experience in the mountains and so much more as road-tested by our Tech Editor
This is such a feature packed watch you'll probably become addicted to it...I've had this watch around three weeks now and have to say that from taking it out of the box, when maybe I was a little sceptical over what a smartwatch could do, and from a brand that was not as established as the likes of Garmin and Suunto, it's now a firm feature on my wrist.
Obviously here at Style Altitude, we've not yet been able to test the ski/mountain functionality that this smartwatch offers but if it's anything like what's available in other sports modes then you'll be glued to the watch.
First off how does the HONOR Watch GS Pro differ from my trusty Suunto Ambit Peak?
For a start I can actually answer a phone call on it, now and as I type this the likes of Garmin and Suunto with even their latest models do not, and when I say answer a phone call I don't mean just read a notification on the watch face, but talk and listen on it, as well as obviously choosing whether to even take the phone call.
So fast forward to when we will be back out in the mountains, sitting on the chairlift and your phone rings, which as we all know can be a recipe for disaster as in fumbling to answer it your beloved investment of a phone plunges into the snow below you.
The HONOR Watch GS Pro links to your phone via Bluetooth and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the whole setup pairing process was, though like all matters tech, be aware of some software updates when you first you use the watch, and make sure you have a fast Internet connection as they're quite heavy.
The HONOR Watch GS Pro watch charges really quickly (2-3hrs) with a neat magnetic pad USB cable interface and once charged can offer up to 25 days prolonged battery life, though that will depend on what functionality you're using.
The watch itself has a solid rugged feel to it and looks good too, however it is when it is paired to your phone via the Huawei Health App that you can really explore the functionality and scenarios with the app packed with a range of health and fitness tracking capabilities.
Via both the App and the watch itself you can also choose the digital watch face style from a selection of faces.
The HONOR Watch GS Pro can monitor your heart rate as well as track your sleep quality via sensors on the back of the watch that can also measure your stress levels and even measure your blood oxygen saturation level.
The HUAWEI TruSleep™2.0, HONOR Watch GS Pro can diagnose six common types of sleep disorders and provides suggestions as to how to achieve better sleep quality and recharge yourself mentally and physically, and this can be quite addictive.
As you can see from the image below, in Ski Mode the watch can collect a lot of interesting data and that functionality is pretty similar across other sports.
In some of the more popular sport modes such as running the watch goes further and can be a coach providing 13 professional running courses from beginner to advanced levels, and will suggest a running mode that best fits where your body is at in terms of recovery.
Out on the road with it
In the three or so weeks that I've been using it, I've matched it up against my trusty Wahoo Elemnt Bolt when cycling, covering some 370km over 8 rides.
The data is very similar, in terms of distance and speed, heart rate figures are a little out and that's always going to be the case when comparing heart rate values using a chest strap vs sensors on a watch.
What was a surprise was that after 3km I heard this voice, and it turned out I had notifications set to "on" and every 3km a voice would tell me the distance, average speed and my HR.
Elevation again was slightly out but not too much to worry most people, but as you can see the data is impressive and you can drill down further.
And the data fields above would be very similar to the many other sport modes you can select on the watch.
I know the GPS functionality is good and know the watch can automatically record your route providing direction with the built-in dual satellite positioning. Once you have reached your destination, you can enable the route back feature and retrace your steps along the original trail. During your walk, you can zoom the entire route in and out by touching the screen. After activating the route back feature, the HONOR Watch GS Pro will provide you with an alert when you deviate from the path recorded in the watch.
I really have just touched on the surface of what the watch can do, and how I've used it, and the image below highlights some of the other functionality.
By pairing it with headphones you can listen to music, and a nice touch is to use the watch as a remote shutter for the camera on your phone, and best of all if like me you're always misplacing your phone, you can use your watch to ring your phone.
The only negative, which for me being a Strava Junkie is pretty important is that currently there is no way of syncing to Strava so please Huawei / Honor if you get this sorted this watch ticks all the boxes for me.
If you don't use Strava then the above is irrelevant, plus as an avid water sports user, there is no KiteSurfing or SUP sports modes, but I'm being picky.
For more information click here and it's available on Amazon UK from October 6th 2020.
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