Hands-on: Huawei Watch GT Cyber at MWC 2023
Turbulent times at Huawei led to a switch in consumer business strategy, and the company invested heavily in wearables in the past three years.
We’ve seen an all-ceramic flagship from the company, we are also testing a smartwatch with earbuds inside, and now at MWC in Barcelona, we got to handle the Watch GT Cyber - a smartwatch with replaceable shells that include both the body and the straps.
The Watch GT Cyber has a 1.32” circular AMOLED with 466 x 466 resolution and a fairly high 352 PPI. The small circular gadget that goes in the shell has a thick black bezel, and we were unimpressed with it. However, when we snapped it into the shell, the bezel magically hid behind the case, making the whole visual experience a lot better than previous Huawei Watch devices.
We got to handle two versions of shells - Urban in Golden Black and Sport in Space Grey that looked beige under the bright lights of the Huawei booth at Fira de Barcelona. The former weighs 78 grams, while the latter is 58 grams - that is both the watch and the case. Despite the huge relative difference between both, the two variants feel just alright on the wrist.
The Urban is a lot more flashy, and we believe it would pair with official attire, given the golden accents, which are subject to personal preference. The Sportsy version feels slightly lighter, and it would be useful during workouts with lots of movement.
We should mention that both variants are on the bigger side of the spectrum, and Huawei does not plan to offer a variant with a smaller screen diameter. People with smaller wrists might find this wearable bulky.
The Watch GT Cyber is meant to detach from the shell, so we tested how it snaps into the mechanism. It needs a simple press against the shell, and it falls right in place without any struggle while staying in place. It cannot fall out because it is constantly against the wrist. Taking off the wearable for charging is a non-issue for the mechanism.
In real life, the wearable would need to be taken out of the shell only for the occasional cleaning or if the shell is being replaced. Huawei did not provide any data on sales of different shells or how often users would like to change it, and a major reason for that is the limited availability.
Speaking about availability, Huawei confirmed with us the Watch GT Cyber will be sold in Latin America and the Middle East, as well as at home in China. It won’t be sold in Europe, which is generally a big market for Huawei wearables, and the United States is obviously a terra incognita at this point.
This modular type of wearable is a one-of-a-kind watch targeted at fashion-conscious people that want more than just a new fancy strap - the whole wearable should be the accent of the outfit. We did not have enough time with the device to test its battery life or performance, but Huawei has proven its ranks in the world of wearables.
With all that in mind, we believe the Huawei Watch GT Cyber is definitely worth it. The company is currently selling it for CNY1,088 (about $155) in China, and every new case is CNY199 ($28) extra; for just $200, you can effectively get two watches for two different occasions.
