It wouldn’t be me if I weren’t keeping up with the latest tech developments. Recently, the brand that got banned by the Land of Uncle Sam released a smartwatch whose advertisement alone left me stunned. No surprise there — at nearly half the price of a certain fruit-branded smartwatch, the features and technology on offer are incredibly capable and perfectly suited to my needs. Yep, lately (for once) I’ve been more diligent about exercise, especially since I started actively subscribing to a gym not far from my place. At the same time, even though rainy season has arrived, I’ve still been squeezing in some cycling rides, both personal sessions and community outings. It’s precisely during these workouts — whether cardio or weight training — that I need to actively track my progress, particularly my heart rate and calories burned each session. And then this watch’s advertisement appeared — without much deliberation, in the early hours of Wednesday (16/10), I decided to check it out from my cart.

Honestly, one of the reasons I dared to check out was the bundling benefits that came with the purchase. On top of the price already being discounted from Rp4,999,000 to Rp4,529,000, I also received a Shopee promo voucher that brought my order down to just Rp4,080,000. On top of that, purchases during this early period (until 31 October 2024) came with a bonus Huawei FreeBuds 5i worth Rp1,099,000. Of course, with no real deliberation needed, I checked out right away, haha.

I’ve always been a loyal user of smart bands and smartwatches. It started with the Xiaomi Mi Band 3, which was genuinely durable since 2016 — I even used to swim with it — then I switched to the Samsung Galaxy Fit band I got as a bonus with a Samsung A70 purchase in 2019. That band was more fragile than my Mi Band 3, so by late 2020 I replaced it with the first-generation Mi Watch. That watch became my first actual smartwatch and served me until mid-October 2024. After feeling the strap had become too tight (though it could just be replaced, hehe), and having a growing need to track all aspects of my wellbeing, I was finally motivated to switch watches after four years of use.

And here are my impressions of the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro, after roughly a month of use.

Unboxing

After waiting for the smartwatch, which was sent via Anteraja Same Day, I was fortunate that the package arrived safely — not swapped by a dishonest courier, and not damaged in transit. Even though it was same-day delivery, I was nearly in despair at the thought of the watch arriving the next day. The Huawei warehouse is in Tangerang, while I’m in South Tangerang, yet the delivery had to go through a hub in Central Jakarta. Luckily, the courier arrived before I left for my cycling session — just as I was about to head out.

The package came wrapped in thick bubble wrap. Opening it was easy — just cut the tape area and peel it back gently. And there it was, a black box in hand. To get to the watch, just slide the box from one of the sides and the elegant timepiece peeks out from the middle.

I immediately took it out and read the manual to turn the watch on for the first time. Pairing? Simple — just scan the QR code that appears on the watch screen using Google Lens. The QR code will open the Huawei App Store page to the Huawei Health app. From there, the pairing process automatically detects the nearby watch via Bluetooth. Once the codes on both devices matched, it was time to ride. Ride? Yes, because Wednesday night rides are already a regular routine for me.

Look and Feel

Honestly, I love the design of this watch. It looks sporty, adding a bit to my charm and self-confidence — though I still have to wear a mask to avoid worrying about it. The octagonal bezel gives it a slightly rugged edge, and the colour pairs well with all sorts of outfits and vehicles I own. So the first time I saw its commercial online, I fell for it immediately. And with the watch’s advertisement appearing across various media, especially on digital billboards, the brainwashing was complete.

The rubber strap keeps me comfortable even after wearing the watch for hours. One question that lingers though — will this strap degrade quickly when frequently exposed to sweat and water? With the Mi Watch, after roughly a year of use, the rubber strap deteriorated. Switching to a metal strap wasn’t comfortable either, as it never felt soft enough, and I ended up frequently taking the Mi Watch off.

For Daily Use and Exercise

As a corporate worker, I go to the office every Monday and Tuesday. On those two days I dress fairly properly, since I work in an upscale area — even though I’m basically broke, heu. Fortunately, whatever outfit I wear, whatever the colour combination, this watch blends in perfectly.

I’m Muslim, so naturally I pray five times a day. This watch never leaves my wrist except when I’m about to shower. And during ablution, water repeatedly enters through the microphone and speaker holes. Fortunately, it’s rated 5ATM and IP69K certified — meaning it can withstand water even when swimming or diving in fresh water up to 50 metres deep for 10 minutes. In saltwater, it can reportedly handle diving up to 40 metres as it meets the EN13319 standard. I certainly won’t be using the watch for either of those activities due to my thalassophobia, hehe.

One thing I noticed as a cyclist is that this watch accurately tracks my cycling route. Huawei’s latest Sunflower Positioning System technology really does seem to work that precisely. That said, one thing I felt is that when starting a workout that requires GPS connectivity, it takes a while to lock onto my position coordinates.

Cycling is already my favourite cardio workout. For weight training, I also make use of the watch’s features at the gym. One thing I noticed immediately is the absence of a warm-up workout tracker. Warming up is vital before training, followed by a cool-down afterward. Unfortunately, neither mode appears in the workout tracking features. I’m forced to use the ‘Other’ exercise option to track calorie burn and heart rate during stretching. Many other exercises that still use gym equipment are also absent. As a result, for gym sessions I can only use the ‘Functional’ or ‘Strength’ training modes, depending on the context of the equipment being used.

Like the Mi Watch, a riding mode is also absent here. My expectation of a riding mode was that it would track route and heart rate just like the cycling mode. As a solo traveler, I enjoy riding my motorbike — especially after upgrading to a cruising motorcycle. I’ll likely be doing more long-distance rides. A shame there’s no riding mode, hehe.

Like the Mi Watch, a riding mode is also absent here. My expectation of a riding mode was that it would track route and heart rate just like the cycling mode. As a solo traveler, I enjoy riding my motorbike — especially after upgrading to a cruising motorcycle. I’ll likely be doing more long-distance rides. A shame there’s no riding mode, hehe.