Thanks to a preview session organised by HONOR, I was able to have a brief hands on with the new smartwatch and try out its features. For starters, it’s looking to be a very promising device and one that will likely please those preferring an outdoorsy watch design.
The HONOR Watch GS Pro features a thicker yet sturdier body than the brand’s other smartwatches, therefore also making it slightly heftier as well. Admittedly, the first thing that came to mind when I first tried it on for size were G-Shocks. But whether the new HONOR device is as durable as Casio’s shock resistant watches remains to be seen. That being said, it is also claimed to be water resistant with a rating of 5ATM. And in case you’re wondering, the watch is pretty comfortable when worn. However, the HONOR Watch GS is only offered in one size, which may disappoint those who are not keen on wearing larger timepieces on their wrist. Speaking of which.
Despite its bulkier design, it comes with the same 1.39-inch display as last year’s Magic Watch 2. Specifically, an AMOLED touchscreen with 454 x 454 px resolution at 326 PPI. But unlike last year’s model, the new smartwatch is only offered one size. Also included in the device are health monitoring functionalities including a heart rate monitor, Sp02 sensor for blood oxygen tracking, and sensors for sleep and stress monitoring. The interface is easy to navigate and responsive, but it’s not visually the smoothest. Of course, the HONOR Watch GS Pro also includes a wide array of features for sports and health. These include over 100 workout modes, running guidance with voice over, an altitude barometer for mountaineering, and a Route Back function for hiking that helps you navigate back to your starting point via GPS and/or GLONASS tracking.
As with most smartwatches in the market, HONOR’s new device also includes smart capabilities such as call and messaging management, weather monitoring, and music playback. In regards to the latter, the company says that the watch is also capable of storing approximately 500 songs on its internal storage. Battery life is quite possibly the biggest highlight of the HONOR Watch GS Pro, where it even manages to outdo the Magic Watch 2’s capability of lasting 14 days on a single charge. With a newer and improved battery, the new smartwatch is claimed to be able to go up to a whopping 25 days when fully charged. Besides that, it is capable of lasting up to 48 hours with GPS enabled, and up to 100 hours with workout mode activated. HONOR also noted that the Watch GS Pro can be fully charged in less than 2 hours via proprietary charging.
While most of the new device’s features sound impressive, its effectiveness and practicality remains to be seen. As mentioned earlier, the limited time I was provided with the HONOR Watch GS Pro clearly wasn’t enough for me to evaluate it entirely. Therefore I’ll reserve my opinions on the new smartwatch when I actually have it in hand for a full review.
