A device built to survive, not to disappear
In the crowded arena of premium smartwatches, Honor enters with the Watch GS Pro — a device that speaks not to the boardroom but to the mountain trail, built to endure where others might falter. Launched in Europe at $320 alongside rivals from Apple, Samsung, and its own parent Huawei, the watch offers a rare combination of military-grade durability and two-week battery life, yet stumbles where modern wearables are expected to be most fluent: the quiet, seamless flow of digital communication. It is a reminder that in technology, as in character, strength in one domain rarely guarantees grace in another.
- The Watch GS Pro enters a fiercely contested market in late 2020, competing directly against Apple Series 6, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, and Huawei's own GT 2 Pro — all launched within the same season.
- A buggy notification system — plagued by duplicates, excessive vibrations, and no ability to reply from the wrist — threatens to undermine the watch's credibility as a daily communication device.
- The companion app, Huawei Health, frustrates users with poor organization and hidden features, widening the gap between the watch's physical promise and its software experience.
- Honor's hardware strengths are real and measurable: 14 military durability certifications, a 454x454 OLED display sharper than Samsung's flagship, and battery life that outlasts anxiety even under aggressive use.
- At $320 and currently limited to Europe, the watch's future hinges on whether software updates arrive in time to convert its rugged appeal into broader, lasting relevance.
Honor's Watch GS Pro arrives in a year already dense with premium smartwatch launches, positioning itself not as a refined daily companion but as a tool for those who demand endurance above elegance. Its rugged aesthetic is no affectation — the watch has cleared 14 military durability tests, and its dense, perforated band is built to stay comfortable through sleep and summit alike. On the wrist, the bulk is present but not punishing.
The 1.39-inch OLED display is a genuine highlight, rendering at 454x454 pixels — a resolution that surpasses Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3. Honor supplies dozens of preinstalled watch faces and hundreds more through the app. But the always-on display mode is where friction begins: it restricts users to a dull subset of faces that omit useful data, and switching to a full-featured face requires a physical button press rather than a simple glance.
The Huawei Health companion app compounds the frustration. Registration is mandatory, navigation is unintuitive, and features are buried without logic. The sleep-tracking section stands as a notable exception — detailed, organized, and genuinely useful. On the watch itself, health monitoring and workout logging work without drama, and call functionality through the built-in microphone and speaker performs reliably.
Notifications are the watch's most serious weakness. Duplicates arrive frequently, each triggering a vibration, with no mechanism to reply from the wrist — no preset responses, no voice input. The phone remains necessary in ways that feel like a step backward.
Battery life, however, is where the GS Pro makes its clearest argument. Honor's 14-day claim under heavy use proved variable in practice, but even with an active display timer and a battery-hungry watch face, the reviewer reached five days without concern. For a device aimed at extreme environments, that endurance carries real weight.
At $320, available in Europe but absent from the United States, the Watch GS Pro is a compelling proposition for those who prioritize survival over sophistication — provided Honor moves quickly to untangle its notification problems before the moment passes.
Honor's new Watch GS Pro arrives in a crowded field of premium smartwatches—Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3, Apple's Series 6, and Huawei's GT 2 Pro all launched this year. Honor, Huawei's subbrand, is staking its claim with a device that prioritizes durability and endurance over refinement. The watch is impossible to miss. It's large, with a substantial bezel and rugged styling that signals its intended audience: people who climb mountains, not people who attend meetings.
The build quality backs up the aesthetic. The watch has passed 14 military durability tests, and you feel that solidity the moment you hold it. The band is thick and densely perforated, designed to stay comfortable even during sleep. Despite its bulk, the watch settles onto the wrist without complaint. This is a device built to survive, not to disappear.
The 1.39-inch OLED display is genuinely impressive—454 by 454 pixels, which outpaces Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3 at 360 by 360. Watch faces appear sharp and detailed, and Honor provides dozens of preinstalled options plus hundreds more through the app. But here's where the experience begins to fray. The always-on display feature limits you to a small set of boring preinstalled faces that show no useful information like steps or heart rate. Worse, when you glance at the watch with always-on enabled, it doesn't automatically switch to your chosen full-featured face. You have to press a physical button instead. It's a small friction that compounds with repeated use.
The companion app, Huawei Health, requires registration and feels bland and poorly organized. Features hide in unexpected places. Navigation is unintuitive. That said, the sleep-tracking section is genuinely useful, offering detailed breakdowns and actionable advice. On the watch itself, menus are straightforward and the device handles the usual health tracking and exercise logging without fuss. It measures blood-oxygen saturation, includes a wide range of workouts, and the microphone and speaker work well for taking calls.
Notifications, however, are a genuine problem. They arrive and linger far too long. Duplicates appear frequently, each triggering a vibration, which quickly becomes maddening. There's no way to reply from the watch—no preset responses, no voice recording, nothing. You're forced to reach for your phone. This is a significant gap compared to competitors.
Battery life is where the watch truly excels. Honor claims 14 days under heavy use, though real-world results vary dramatically based on usage patterns. The reviewer achieved five days by enabling a 20-minute display timer and selecting a watch face with minimal black pixels, which drains the battery faster than the default always-on faces. Even with this aggressive approach, battery anxiety never surfaced. The trade-off felt worthwhile.
The watch costs roughly $320 and is available in Europe but not yet in the United States. For that price, the value proposition is reasonable—especially if a software update addresses the notification mess. The watch isn't designed for everyone. Its size and rugged styling will alienate those seeking a subtle daily wear device. But for someone planning to push the watch to its limits, someone who values durability and battery life over polish and app ecosystem, this is a compelling option. The question is whether Honor will fix the notification issues before the window closes.
Citações Notáveis
For those who will make full use of its size and durability, it's a match made in heaven— Reviewer assessment
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a watch this durable and well-built stumble so badly on something as basic as notifications?
It feels like Honor optimized for the hardware—the display, the battery, the durability—and then ran out of time or resources to refine the software. Notifications aren't glamorous. They don't sell watches. But they're what you interact with dozens of times a day.
The always-on display limitation is interesting. Why would they restrict watch faces there?
It's a battery calculation. Those boring preinstalled faces are almost entirely black, which on OLED means the pixels are off. A colorful watch face with lots of detail keeps pixels lit constantly, draining the battery much faster. They chose battery life over user experience.
But the reviewer found a workaround—the 20-minute timer.
Right. Which shows the limitation was artificial, not technical. The watch could handle it. Honor just didn't want to advertise that trade-off.
The Huawei Health app sounds like a real weak point.
It is. You're forced to register with Huawei, which some people will reject outright. And then the app itself is confusing. For a watch this expensive, the software experience should match the hardware quality.
Who is this watch actually for?
Someone climbing a mountain, not someone checking email. Someone who values a watch that won't break over a watch that feels premium. It's a niche, but it's a real one.
Could software updates fix this?
The notification issues, probably. The app design, maybe. But the always-on display limitation feels baked into the hardware strategy. That's harder to undo.