The Honor Watch GS Pro can be applauded to be one of the best smart products of the Honor Brand, known for their quality smart devices. The Honor Brand was established in 2013, and is currently a leading global provider of smart devices ranging from smartphones to laptops, wearables, and also accessories. They are dedicated to developing forward-looking technologies aimed at empowering people all around the globe. Let’s look through a smartwatch review of one of their top products, the Honor Watch GS Pro.
The Honor Watch GS Pro was released in September 2020 as one of their many technologies aimed at creating a new intelligent world for everyone. A smartwatch at heart, with its rugged exterior design to withstand even the toughest environment the smartwatch has won a place among the best smartwatch Malaysia like the Xiaomi Haylou Lso1 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. The Honor Watch GS Pro has numerous wonderful features available for its users, from its durable design to its exceptional battery life, numerous workout modes, a personal tracker, good storage for your lovely playlist, and much more.
PROS
• A beautiful, yet rugged design able to withstand even the worst environmental conditions.
• It has an excellent battery life which can last for up to 25 days on a single charge.
• Another wonderful feature is its built-in navigation to always keep you on track
• Compiled with 14 types of MIl-STD-810G tests including the water and dust resistant test
• Great display with an immersive user interface
CONS
• Some features are not supported on IOS
• Requires mobile App
• Relatively high price
• Quite bulky
• Does not support messaging
Factors To Consider Before Buying A Smartwatch
As the world evolves, new technologies and smart devices emerge rapidly. Smartwatches are one of these new technologies designed to give people an efficient and more comfortable life. Your wristwatch which was formerly just for time checking is now a wonderful substitute for your mobile device, as you can perform several important functions other than just checking the time with it. Hence the name SMARTWATCHES.
These devices are meant to be portable and efficient substitutes to your mobile device. It is no surprise that the industry is fast-growing and expanding, as more and more people come to enjoy the convenience of a smartwatch. A smartwatch not only serves as a cool accessory, it comes with several useful features, some come with numerous workout modes to help you follow a healthy and fit life especially for the sports enthusiasts, you enjoy a longer battery life solving the problem of worrying about your dead battery, others come with excellent navigation features to keep you in track, no fear of getting lost, most of these devices can also be used to answer calls receive, messages, and perform some smartphones functions at your convenience. Be you a sportsperson, one who enjoys a convenient life, one that struggles with phone batteries dying out, this smartwatch is for you. These smartwatches will not however be recommended for children, but you can always get a children’s smartwatch which would be more convenient for them.
There are several smartwatches from several brands each with its unique features, this may make it confusing to pick out the best option for you, you would need a device that suits you perfectly and works for you, thus there are certain factors you need to take into consideration before purchasing your smartwatch. In this smartwatch review we’ll tell you the top things to look out for when buying a smartwatch.
Compatibility With Your Other Smart Devices
Smartwatches generally work with a smartphone and some are only compatible with a single brand; one important thing you need to consider is if the smartwatch is compatible with your smartphone. Imagine buying a beautiful smartwatch with amazing features only to find out they do not work with your mobile device. That can be quite disappointing. Apple smartwatches work only with Apple products as expected; other brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Honor, and others work with both android and iPhone but more effectively with androids. In essence before choosing your smartwatch make sure it is compatible with your smartphone.
The Reputation of the Brand
Going for popular brands and well-known brands like the Honor brand is probably the best choice for obvious reasons. Buying your smartwatches from obscure brands leaves you open to a high risk of being ripped off and not getting the features you paid for. You go for brands that would deliver quality devices, that way you are sure of what you’re getting and getting the value of your money.
Your Budget
It is important to know that good smartwatches might cost a bit. Understandably, you wouldn’t want to spend all your savings on a smartwatch, to avoid this and get the best smartwatch for you at a good price, you could list out the features you hope to get then sort for an affordable smartwatch with said features. That way you can get your features within your budget.
What Features It Offers
Choosing your smartwatch would be much easier if you already have an idea of what you are looking for. Knowing the features you expect to get from a smartwatch is very essential. Several smartwatches come with their own different and wonderful features some of which you might do without. You should always look out for the smartwatch offering more of the features you need. However, the smartwatch should have some general features like apps compatibility, connectivity, dust, and water resistance.
The Design and User Preference
Your choice for design would depend on your personal preference, whether you prefer a rounded or square-shaped smartwatch, a big or smaller size, the display or screen type would depend on what you like. Most brands offer the same smartwatch in different design, color variants and even allow you to customize
the smartwatch as you desire.
Always Pay Attention to the Battery Life
When purchasing any gadget like smartwatches or smartphones, one of the common things to look out for is battery life, as no one would want a device that dies before they can even return from work. While a lot of brands promise a long-lasting battery life it is important to note that the more features, greater signal, and better display the shorter the lifespan of the smartwatch. However, several smartwatches can last for weeks without charging no matter the usage and newer versions also come with solar charging mode allowing you to have constant battery life. The Honor Watch Gs Pro promises a 25-day battery life, which is quite enticing for those of which lookout for good battery life.
The Company Warranty
Repairing a smartwatch can be quite costly, so it’s important to get your smartwatch from brands that offer a warranty, thus saving you the cost of repair. Most brands offer at least one year warranty on their smartwatches. You should also confirm what type of damage and repair is covered by the warranty.
Honor Watch GS Pro Specifications
| Specification | |
| Display | 454 x 454 pixels at 326 PPI and Animated outdoor watch faces |
| Strap | Fluororubber |
| Screen size | 1.39-inch AMOLED round screen, Full-screen touch screen, |
| Modes | 100+ workout modesSkii Mode |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rae, SpO2 |
| Dimension | Height: 48mmWidth: 48mm |
| Battery | Lithium ion battery 790mAh capacityNon-removable25-day battery life100-hour outdoor battery life |
| Weight | 45.5g(without strap) |
| Features available | Rugged design14 types of MIL-STD-810G testsGPS route backCelestial Data and Bad Weather AlertsAltitude barometer and CompassHeart-rate monitorSpO2 monitorSleep/stress monitorPersonalised outdoor facesStainless steel button |
| Price in Ringgit Malaysia (RM) | RM784.00 |
Features and Benefits of the Honor Watch GS Pro
Let’s take a look at some of the great features of the Honor Watch GS Pro.
Design and Display
The Honor Watch GS Pro has a rugged and sturdy build designed to survive harsh environments and conditions and has passed so many military tests to show off its durability. It comes with two detachable straps, which can be removed via a pin mechanism on each end of the band, and is made of fluoro rubber which makes it exceptionally comfortable to wear and causes less risk for people with skin irritations. The straps are long and with a lot of holes which gives versatility as it allows me to be able to decide how tight and loose I want it, and also makes it more breathable than those who tend to be quite sweaty like I can be.
The body is somewhat bulky, having a similar bulky look to the Fenix 6 but quite less weighty than the Garmin’s outdoor watch. Its height and width are both 48mm, and it is matched by its weight at 45.5g (without straps). It is quite heavy and people with small wrists may find it hard and uncomfortable to wear. It also protrudes when worn which may cause bumping on things, however, it is well protected and is not easily damaged. The Honor Watch GS Pro is dust and water-resistant to about 50 meters making it suitable for showering and surviving heavy downpours. it has a raised stainless steel bezel around the screen, not so high but able to protect the screen to an extent.
It also comes with two physical buttons on the side as well as a quality 1.39-inch AMOLED touch screen with 454 x 454 pixels and 800 nits max brightness which allows you to enjoy a quality display with great visibility and brightness even when outdoors. There’s an always-on display that is quite bright and solves the problem to the dim Magic Watch 2, another cool feature is that you can personalize your watch faces. Which is quite cool! The issue with its design would be its bulky and heavy look but this can be overlooked as it is quite comfortable to wear.
BATTERY LIFE
The Honor brand has consistently provided us with smartwatches featuring great and awesome batteries like its Magic Watch. With the Honor Watch GS Pro, it promises an even better battery that could last a total of 25 days on a single charge, and also it offers 48 hours of GPS and 100 hours in outdoor workout mode. This watch is designed to last a very long time and based on experience it has proven to do so as we do not have to always reach out for that charger, and we feel less worried about running out of battery, which is quite impressive for a smartwatch.
This is thanks to smart software optimization. When the battery finally runs down it can be charged through a proprietary pa which clips magnetically to the watch and plugs into a USB port. It surprisingly takes little time to charge compared to how long it lasts, from testing we concluded that it takes a most 2 hours to be fully charged. Users of smartwatches with a short battery lifespan will find this smartwatch a surprise and great convenience.
UNIQUE FEATURES
One major feature of the Honor Watch GS Pro is its outdoor features. Apart from its rugged build and design the Honor smartwatch comes with certain unique features and sensors which makes it a very valuable outdoor accessory.
The addition of the compass, which will need to be calibrated on first use, allows you to find your way and search for directions, it also allows you to be able to view air pressure as a result of the barometric altimeter. With this, you can receive weather warnings once the atmospheric pressure drops below a certain point. To preserve your battery life when performing certain activities, like climbing or others, you can as well use the power-saving mode.
Let’s not forget its Navigation feature, which always keeps you on track. It doesn’t come with a big colorful map, but with its tracking line, you can easily find your way to your destination as well as back with the Route back function. To enjoy this function you would need to track your activities. When you go for your adventures tracking your route will help you access this tracking line whenever you wish to return. The route back function navigates you back to your start point, it also offers simple information like turn left or right, and tells you when you’re straying. You can as well activate the voice feedback to listen to the directions. This could be quite loud and irritating and you might opt to turn it off. This is a great feature for your running routine, workout, hiking, or any adventures you would love to go on, having the GS Pro ensures you never lose your way.
PERFORMANCE AND SOFTWARE
The Honor GS Pro software is not quite different from the previous Honor devices, its main addition would be the health and fitness features that weren’t quite offered by the others. It runs on Huawei’s LiteOS. It majorly focuses on health and fitness, swiping from the main face leads you to the heart rate chart, to your stress chart, weather, music handling, and sleep tracking. The bottom button leads you straight to the workout menu, and the top to the app list where you have the breathing exercises, remote phone shutter to control your phone camera perfect for taking pictures without holding your phones, a compass, notifications, and other tools.
It is easy to navigate and fast to operate as the apps open and close with ease. However, one hitch with this software might be its lack of communication, while you can read certain messages bit by bit you can’t make calls, reply messages, or view pictures sent or received via the smartwatch. Most smartwatches do not offer this feature so one would not be, but some do, giving you the ability to communicate.
The GS Pro has a built-in GPS, unlike previous devices, making it easy for you to get accurate location data. To enjoy its performance and features you are required to have the Huawei Health app on your phone to set up and run the phone. This is a very useful tie-in app to the watch GS Pro as it allows you to enjoy all the unique features it offers.
CONNECTIVITY AND COMPATIBILITY
The Honor Watch GS Pro is compatible with a range of Android 9.0 devices and the latter like smartphones and tablets as well as IOS devices like your iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch. it also automatically syncs all your data when in range of your smartphone wirelessly without the need for cables. This smartwatch is continuously connected to your smartphone, allowing you to answer calls through it, you can also easily find your phone through its find my phone function. The bluetooth connection is quite good and can persist a long distance. It offers a GPS connectivity allowing you find directions without data connectivity. One major set back is its lack of WIFI connectivity, this is quite a limitation. Another is its lack of support of third party apps as it can only be used with the Honor Health app.
FITNESS
This is probably one of the reasons you are reading this review, as this is one of the major features of the Honor Watch GS Pro. It offers quite a lot of fitness features which can be found in other honor wearables. It offers about 100 fitness tracking modes such as running, cycling, belly dancing, swimming, kendo laser tags and now includes Skiing with Ski-centric real-time metrics.
It offers you the ability to follow training plans and also an automatic workout tracker, no need to do that manually. The sport modes each provide you with metrics from distance to duration, calories burnt, altitude change, how well you’ve improved, suggested time, and many more. From testing all metrics seemed accurate, this would help you organize your workout well and follow your fitness plan.
Virtual running courses guide you through your run telling you how to pace yourself, build stamina, or increase speed. Fans of fitness would enjoy this smartwatch, especially the inexperienced ones like myself who want to get better. The honor wearable has always impressed us with its fitness features and the Honor Watch GS Pro is no surprise.
WARRANTY
The Honor Watch GS Pro comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty which covers manufacturing defects. If there are certain issues with using the smartwatch within a year, you can get a repair or replacement, this depends on the type of issue, this is mostly for manufacturer’s defects. This warranty does not cover physical damages. To enjoy this warranty you will need your receipt of payment, submitting this to the store you purchased it and your complaints would be handled.
SPECS
This Smartwatch comes in Charcoal Black, Marl White, and Camo Blue. It features a 1.39-inch AMOLED full-screen touchscreen and has a battery capacity of about 790mAh which promises to last for about 25-days. It has a storage of 4GB ROM, 32MB RAM, and can store up to 500 songs. It comes with an Ambient light sensor, Optical Heart sensor, Barometric altimeter Sensor, Accelerometer Sensor, Gyroscope sensor, Capacitive Sensor. Its other specs include a Compass for directions, 100 workout modes for your fitness purposes, a charging voltage of 5V 1A which can be fully charged in less than 2 hours. And others.
OTHER UNIQUE FEATURES
Apart from its wonderful outdoor features, the GS Pro also offers a lot of amazing features. It connects with both android and iPhone and allows you to view your notifications, you can also personalize your watch face, take calls when connected to your phone, and view the weather forecast. Also, you enjoy a built-in music player which allows you to store music as well as control the music on your phone. Though you can view notifications on the smartwatch you can’t act on them. Overall it offers great features for its price. For a smartwatch, it sure does a lot of functions and solves a lot of problems.
Alternative Smart Watches to Consider
Even as great as the Honor Watch GS Pro is, some individuals might prefer an alternative. No worries, since we have you covered. Here is a brief list of some of the pros and cons of the Honor Watch GS Pro as we compare it to some other great smartwatches on the list.
PROS
• Rugged and durable design
• Long-lasting battery life (25-day)
• Great and quality display
• 100 workout modes for fitness
• Good navigation and tracking modes
CONS
• Quite bulky and heavy
• No WIFI connection function
• Does not support third-party apps
Still not convinced by the features of this smartwatch and looking for some other alternatives? Well, you can check out these alternatives to the GS Pro below:
Garmin Venu SQ
The Garmin Venu SQ has a square face with rounded edges that is quite fashionable and offers multiple excellent features. It is perfect for your health and fitness tracking. It has almost all fitness and health tracking features you would expect from a smartwatch. It also includes bright LCD touchscreen, built-in GPS, SpO2 (blood oxygen) tracking just like the Honor Watch GS Pro. It has a six days battery life which is quite lower than that offered by the GS Pro smart watch. It is also compatible with both Android and IOS . This might not be the most premium looking smartwatch but it makes up for this with its health and fitness features with its preloaded 20 sports apps which you can choose from. In search of a smartwatch to track your health and fitness journey this is the perfect choice for you.
Bluetooth Smartwatch with Sport Tracker
The Bluetooth Smartwatch with Sport Tracker is a Bluetooth smartwatch that offers sports trackers. It has a battery capacity of 230mAh, a screen size of 1.3inch, Bluetooth version 4.0, and a charging time of 2 hours using magnetic charging mode just like the GS Pro smartwatch. It also offers several fitness and workout modes and health features, like its calories support, sport mode support, sleep monitoring support, running track support, heart rate support, blood oxygen support, and many others. These features make it a good choice if you need a sport or fitness smartwatch. However, one major flaw is its low battery life and compatibility mode as it is only compatible with Bluetooth.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 has a bright, circular AMOLED touchscreen and comes in two sizes. It also has a Bluetooth or LTE option. The smartwatch has an improved heart-rate tracking unlike its previous versions and is compatible with both Android and IOS but its features are limited when connected to IOS smartphones. Similar to the GS Pro Smartwatch it has a built-in GPS for easy direction. This means that when going on your running routine there would be no need to take your phone along as it provides adequate tracking distance and route details. For its fitness feature, it supports over 39 workout-tracking modes.
Conclusion
The more smartwatch products are released the more we get confused with purchasing the right smartwatch that works for us. There are a lot of beautiful smartwatches with wonderful features. The Honor Watch GS Pro as we have seen from the above review has a lot of features to rate among the top-ranked smartwatches. From its rugged design to suit your adventures to its exceptional battery life span its comfortable strap, built-in GPS for easy tracking and directions, and over 100 workout modes, adequate storage space. The GS Pro has shown high functionality and performance thus giving it a place among the best smartwatches currently. To check this amazing product out you can click here.
