Porsche collaborates with Huawei on new smartwatch

Geopolitics and technology make very poor bedfellows, if you believe everything you read. However, more and more of us are happy to sally forth with tranches of our own very personal data, putting our trust in elaborate privacy policies. With all this in mind, the latest iteration of Huawei’s flagship smartwatch, the Porsche Design Huawei Watch GT 2, is an excellent device for tracking your way through the world. The company has deepened its relationship with Porsche Design, the consultancy arm of the famous sport car maker.

The two have worked together since 2016 on phones and timepieces, but this latest product is the most successful. The Porsche Design Huawei Watch GT2 bridges the gap between a smartwatch as an everyday tool and the weightier symbolism of a quality object with true longevity. The idea of consumer electronics with a lifespan of more than a few years is gradually gaining traction. It’s hard to perceive something that requires charging and regular updates as long-lasting, but in physical terms at least, the Porsche Design GT2 is a winner.

The Porsche Design variant is an aesthetic upgrade on the regular GT2, transforming the device with the extensive use of titanium in the body and strap, as well as a sleek Porsche Design logo on the bezel and two neat digital crowns. In software terms there are ample apps and functions, with data tracking to accommodate 100 different workout modes ranging from mountain climbing to riding. There’s also a collection of special Porsche Design watch faces, most of which do a far better job of conveying information than the off-the-shelf and user-created designs available in Huawei’s accompanying Health app. You also get a wireless charging puck and cable and a synthetic rubber strap as an option for the titanium.

Health monitoring is a big deal in the GT2. A new sensor allows for heart rate tracking, as well as monitoring stress levels and sleep patterns. The resulting data is logged and analysed within the app; how much you benefit from knowing your sleep times and stress rates is up to you. In addition, the smartwatch delivers the usual collection of notifications, the ability to store and play music over Bluetooth and helpful alarms, timers, reminders along with live weather data. Light use should see up to two weeks of battery time, which is hugely impressive for such a capable device. Whether the watch is set to a subtle always on display or on an info-heavy face, this understated but elegant smartwatch has a lot going on under the skin.

INFORMATION

 huawei.com