Huawei GT3 PRO : Is it Suitable for Hiking? Yes, But
So, is the Huawei GT3 PRO suitable for hiking? the answer is yes, but there are some things that you need to know before you begin your next hike. The Huawei GT3 PRO isn’t a device you would use to conquer Mt Everest, as the device is more suited to assist you from a smaller scale, based on the features that are built in. Safety is a big consideration, and that’s how I have rated the device, here is a summary of my final test scores.
| Criteria | Strength | Rating |
| GPS accuracy | Strong | 10/15 |
| Battery life | Average | 9/10 |
| Altitude accuracy | Strong | 3/5 |
| Final rating | 6/10 |
After putting the Huawei GT3 PRO through it’s paces, the major drawback was the altitude accuracy, and found it to be well off right from the start, but I will explain the GT3 PRO’s rating and also how to get the best experience with the device, and what kind of track to choose based on the available essential features.
Essential Features
Your safety and well being is important when it comes to hiking. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to hike to tallest mountain in your area, or the local nature parks, you should always treat it the same. Bellow is a table of the essential features that can assist you when you go for a hike. Unfortunately the Huawei GT3 PRO doesn’t have all the essential features, the table below outlines what the device has and doesn’t have.
| Available Features | Unavailable Features |
| WR 50m | Offline maps |
| Third party Integration | SOS messaging |
| Continuous SP02 | |
| Air pressure sensor | |
| Digital Compass |
What Does This Mean For You
The Huawei GT3 PRO has 5 out of the 7 essential features when it comes to supporting you when hiking, which is very good. So what does this mean? I will begin with the available features first.
- WRM 50m : the smart watch standard across the broad is 50m waterproofing standard, and the Huawei GT3 PRO does have this standard. The device is also robust with a titanium case, which is important because you dont want the device to deform and allow moisture into the device.
- Third Party Integration : Huawei Health does have hiking workout mode, you also have the option to connect to third party apps in directly. The in direct method is where you share your Huawei Health tracking data with the third party app like Komoot. This is good, in case the metrics that the Huawei Health tracks isn’t available.
- Continuous SP02 : The Huawei GT3 PRO does have this feature and is an essential tool especially if you are hiking in higher altitudes. When your SP02 levels drop below 90%, this is where you slow down and allow your body to acclimatise, or stop and take a quick rest.
- Air Pressure sensor : An essential feature to have when hiking, and what this will tell you is when you see a shar drop in air pressure, this will mean that bad weather is looming. The Huawei GT3 PRO can vibrate to warn you, and you can also customise the pressure drop at 0.5hpa intervals. The default settings is 4hpa which is generally a good setting, but you do have the option to choose your own number.
- Digital compass : The Huawei GT3 PRO does have a geomagnetic sensor which allows you to navigate. If you have a compass of your own, use that instead, just to conserve battery life.
There you have it, a quick explanation on what the Huawei GT3 PRO can assist you when hiking. Now there are a few features that the Huawei GT3 PRO does not have, I will briefly explain what they are because this is essential when choosing which track to choose when hiking.
- Offline Maps : You may encounter a problem where service is hard to reach, also one massive advantage is conserving battery life because GPS and live map updates are big battery drainers. It’s also a great emergency feature, to help hikers trek through the area in very remote area’s. If the device has the ability to add waypoints, even better.
- SOS messaging : One thing people dont prepare for when they plan there hike is for emergency situations. I have had first hand experience, and it’s very scary when your out there alone, in a remote area, however this feature is only effective when you have adequate cellphone coverage. If fall detection is available, even better because their might be a time where your knocked out unconscious, or broken your hand, and the device can still contact your emergency contact.
What Track Should You Choose
Based on the features that the Huawei GT3 PRO has, choosing a track is very important. Unfortunately the Huawei GT3 PRO is not a device that can assist you to hiking trails that are higher in altitude, but you can still get a similar experience if you choose a track where the device can assist you.
Based on the essential features that are available, your local park trail is the better option, and also a track that’s not so rocky where it’s nice and flat, just in case you might roll your ankle and require emergency assistance.
Use apps like Komoot or all hike trails to allow you to inspect the trail first hand before travelling to the destination. The image below is the trail I always choose when doing GPS accuracy tests, which is in my own back yard here in New Zealand, overlooking the Lord of the Rings set in the distance.
Key Features
GPS Test Accuracy
| GPS Difficulty | Rating | Comments |
| Easy Level | 5/5 | Excellent precision |
| Hard Level | 1/5 | Not good |
| Very Hard Level | 4/5 | Very good precision |
| Overall | 10/15 | Rating is strong |
GPS tracking is strong, and does very well pin pointing my location. Below is a image of the Hiking track I did, and I have also pinpointed the area where the error occurred. Where the error occurred is something you may want to be aware of, due to a multi path error. This occurs when the satellites need more time to locate the device (your watch). Over the short distance where the error occurred, the elevation started to ramp up, and that’s the moment where the satellites needed more time to pinpoint my location.
If you want to see my full GPS tracking results, check out my article Huawei GT3 PRO : Is the GPS tracking accurate . You will also get to see how the GT3 PRO is rated in the market for GPS tracking accuracy.
Altitude Test Accuracy
In this test, I will be comparing the Altitude readings of the Huawei GT3 PRO against a data source that’s fairly reliable, which is a crude way to test the devices accuracy but, never the less it does give you an idea of what you are paying for.
In terms of rating, any device that can record with a ±10m (±32FT) is considered very good. You have to allow for some variance because there will be things that you cannot control, such as the number of available satellites. These things that you cant control can have a effect on the level of accuracy.
The table below is a rating system that I came up with, using ±10m (±32FT) as a bench mark, then at ±5m (±16FT) increments. This is how I will be testing each device for altitude accuracy.
| No of Stars | ± Accuracy (Metric) | ± Accuracy (Imperial) |
| 5 | 10m | 33FT |
| 4 | 11m – 15m | 36FT – 49FT |
| 3 | 16m – 20m | 52FT – 66FT |
| 2 | 21m – 25m | 69FT – 82FT |
| 1 | 26m – 30m | 85FT – 98FT |
| 0 | 31m plus | 102FT plus |
Here is the final result of the Hiking trail I did. Right from the start, the GT3 PRO missed the mark, and then continuously, maintaining the same level of error through out the test.
In the end the average error during the test was ±19m (±63FT), which is why I have rated the Huawei GT3 PRO a 3 out of 5 for Altitude accuracy. I think it’s still fairly reasonable, but as a safety precaution do keep an eye on your SP02 levels to allow you to acclimatise.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, the Huawei GT3 PRO performs exceptionally well, and if you want to know more about how I test a device for battery life check out my article Huawei GT3 PRO : Battery life is absolutely amazing . However the rating that matters the most is the GPS battery consumption per hour.
During testing, the Huawei GT3 PRO has consistently consumes 6% of battery life per hour when using GPS. Any device that use’s 7% or less per hour is rated a 5 star device based on my own testing system.
| Category | Rating |
| Speciality | All round |
| Operating system | Harmony OS3 |
| Battery Economy Without GPS Tracking | 4/5 |
| GPS Battery Consumption Rate Per Hour | 5/5 |
| Final Score | 9/10 |
How Does The Huawei GT3 PRO Rank in the Market
| Rank | Brand | Series | Rating |
| 1 | Samsung | Galaxy Watch 6 Classic | 7 |
| 2 | Samsung | Galaxy 5PRO | 7 |
| 3 | Xiaomi | S1 Active | 7 |
| 4 | Polar | Ignite 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Huawei | GT3 Pro | 6 |
| 6 | Samsung | Galaxy 4, 5 | 5 |
| 7 | Huawei | Watch Fit 2 | 5 |
| 8 | Fitbit | Versa 4 | 4 |
Final Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have learnt a lot about the Huawei GT3 Pro’s ability to assist you when hiking. Although the GT Pro is not suited for higher altitude hiking trails, but I also hope that you gathered enough info to choose the right trail.
Your safety and well being is one thing that’s overlooked when choosing a hiking trail, so if you are some one that’s a complete newb like me, the tips from my own experience can guide you in the right path.
Apps like Komoot or all hiking trails is such a great tool to choose a trail. Sometimes you have to take the time to think if the device can assist you and use the findings that I have provided.
