Huawei recently announced the launch of its new Watch GT 2 wearable in South Africa.

The latest iteration of the device offers a number of new features while delivering the same outstanding battery life and reliability as the previous-generation model.

According to Huawei, the Watch GT 2 offers users “unrivalled” battery life.

The company said the Watch GT 2 can run continuously for up to two weeks with its intelligent heart rate monitor and call notification functions running, and can deliver up to 10 hours of Bluetooth calling, 24 hours of music playback, or 30 hours of GPS usage.

The Watch GT 2 also offers an improved user experience, including an all-in-one 3D borderless glass display and an improved sports mode.

We compared the specifications, pricing, and features of the Watch GT 2 with a major competitor in the local smartwatch market – the Garmin Fenix 5.

Both of these devices offer excellent battery life, physical tracking capabilities, and intelligent features.

Hardware and pricing

Huawei’s Watch GT 2 sports a new bezel-less design which allows a larger screen to fit inside its chassis. The screen itself boasts an impressive 454 x 454 resolution, which is much better than the Fenix 5’s 240 x 240 display.

Both smartwatches deliver a battery life of up to two weeks, although the Fenix 5’s longevity under general use and GPS functionality are lower than the Watch GT 2’s.

When it comes to the hardware inside the watches themselves, Huawei’s Watch GT 2 is powered by the Kirin A1 chipset and includes onboard storage which lets you store songs to listen to without needing to connect your phone to another device or the Internet.

There is no information available regarding the Fenix 5’s processor capabilities, and with 64MB of memory, it does not allow for on-device music storage.

Both the Watch GT 2 and Fenix 5 are water-resistant, and have a water rating of 5 and 10 ATM respectively, which means that both are suitable to wear while swimming.

The specifications of these smartwatches are listed below, along with their South African pricing.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Garmin Fenix 5 OS Huawei LiteOS Proprietary Display 1.39-inch 454 x 454 OLED 1.2-inch 240 x 240 Chroma Battery life Up to two weeks Up to two weeks (smartwatch mode) GPS Yes Yes Compass Yes Yes Accelerometer Yes Yes Barometer Yes Yes Heart rate monitor Yes Yes Dimensions 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.7 mm 47.0 x 47.0 x 15.5 mm Price R4,999 R7,989

A clear winner

Both the Huawei Watch GT 2 and Garmin Fenix 5 smartwatches offer a balance between fitness and fashion applications, with customisable faces and detachable wristbands allowing for easy personalisation.

These devices are also excellent at monitoring exercise routines and a wealth of data, but it is their price tags which most clearly separate the competitors.

Garmin’s Fenix 5 smartwatch is priced at R7,989 from Takealot, while the Huawei Watch GT 2 will only cost R4,999 when it starts shipping on 17 October.

Additionally, by pre-ordering the Watch GT 2 from the Huawei Store, you can get a free set of Huawei FreeLace wireless earphones valued at R2,499.

These smartwatches both offer similar features and are compatible with both Android and iOS through companion apps, but when you take their price into account, the Huawei Watch GT 2 is the clear winner.