Huawei has announced the Watch GT Runner 2, the second in a watch line that hasn’t had a new model in five years, since 2021’s Watch GT Runner.
It’s pitched as Huawei’s most running and exercise-friendly watch, and the company has compared it to Garmin’s Forerunner 970 in ability. But when Huawei has consistently made general purpose watches that look somewhat similar for years, it begs the question how the Watch GT Runner 2 is actually any different.
Huawei offers two key points, as well as a marketing tie-in with marathon-running legend Eliud Kipchoge, and many of the same metrics found on a high-end Garmin watch.
The first of the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2’s claimed benefits is improved GPS accuracy thanks to a “3D floating antenna architecture.”
The watch has a largely signal-blocking metal top casing, using much less plastic than many runner’s watches. But in place of plastic sidewalls that it has a thin non-metallic “dielectric” bezel layer and a phone-like cut out in the metal side to allow for greater clearance for the antennas.
The Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 also has dual-band GPS, and this combo should in theory make it extra-accurate. DC Rainmaker’s early testing suggests it’s still not quite on-par with the Garmin Forerunner 970, though. Performance could well improve with a software update.
Huawei also offers Marathon Mode, intended to provide specific guidance useful for that distance. It includes refuel reminders and “dynamic pace guidance.”
Other athlete-friendly features and stats of the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 include lactate threshold calculation, VO2 Max, running power, training load and suggested recovery times post-exercise — among other more niche exercise stats.
Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 Vital Statistics
The Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 is a 43mm diameter watch with a 1.32-inch 466 x 466 pixel OLED screen and titanium bezel. And while the stated water resistance is just 5ATM, not 10ATM, Huawei says it’s also suitable for dives at a depth of up to 40 metres, a standard plenty of 10ATM watches don’t claim to meet.
This is not a full smartwatch like the Apple Watch, but does provide up to 14 days battery life, unlike such smartwatches.
The watch is available in three finishes at launch, Dusk Blue, Dawn Orange and Midnight Black. Huawei’s Watch GT Runner 2 will not launch in the U.S., like other Huawei gadgets, but is available in other markets including the UK, where it costs £349.99.
Alongside the Watch GT Runner 2, Huawei announced the global launch of the Band 11, although it won’t be available until March. It has a 1.62-inch OLED screen and two-week battery life.
There’s no GPS, but a step up Huawei Band 11 Pro wearable does get GPS, although it’s not yet clear which territories will get a release of both variants.