Huawei GT3 PRO vs Polar Ignite 3 : Which Will You Choose
This comparison article would be an interesting one, and if you are thinking of buying either device, then this article will surely be of interest to you. The Huawei GT3 PRO and the Polar Ignite 3 are both impressive devices in their own right, however in the end the Huawei GT3 PRO prevailed 4-1-1, here is a final summary of my test results
| Sector | Winner |
| Smart Features | Huawei GT3 PRO |
| Health Features | Huawei GT3 PRO |
| Third Party Apps | Huawei GT3 PRO |
| Workout Mode Ability | Polar Ignite 3 |
| GPS Tracking | Draw |
| Battery Life | Huawei GT3 PRO |
It’s a very lopsided score line, and after reflecting back on the final results, they do indeed concur in terms of my user experience. After testing each device the Huawei GT3 PRO is a very well rounded smart watch, whereas the Polar Ignite 3 it’s very heavy in two categories, workout mode ability and GPS tracking.
The end result does not mean that the Huawei GT3 PRO is the superior watch in this comparison. What matters is your user intent, and maybe your intention aligns with the Polar Ignite 3, and to me that is how you get the best value from a smart watch. In this article I can provide evidence as to why I believe my findings are to be true.
How I Go About Comparing Devices
I think this is important before you begin to read the full article, and I will be doing this in a very unique way. Here is how I will go about comparing devices
- I wont be comparing specifications (there are plenty of websites that do this)
- I will provide comparisons based on my testing criteria
- When ever I test a device, I test the device in six different categories
- I will provide a list of advantages from both devices over each other.
- The list of advantages is something that I have discovered during testing
- I will provide a link to my full articles if you want to see how I go about testing the device.
This is the framework that I typically follow when I do comparison articles. At least that way you get an idea what your paying for if you do decide to buy either device.
Smart Features : Winner Huawei GT3 PRO
| Level | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Strength | Weak | Strong |
| Beginner | 2/5 | 5/5 |
| Intermediate | 2/5 | 4/5 |
| Advanced | 0/5 | 3/5 |
| Final Score | 4/15 | 12/15 |
If you are not familiar with smart feature ability, it’s where a device can provide some form of automation and convenience into your day to day lives. After testing each devices, the score line pretty much sums up the massive gap in built in smart features between each brands.
The Polar Ignite 3 has no advantages, on the other hand the Huawei GT3 PRO has so many advantages, so I will summarise those for you.
GT3 PRO Advantages
- Receive and make phone calls : Excellent feature especially having the ability to answer and place a call directly from the device. When making a phone call, you are limited to 20 favourite contacts.
- Reply to messages directly : With the Polar Ignite 3 you cant reply directly from the device, you only get a notification. With the GT3 PRO you can view the whole message and reply back with a preset message including a emoji. You can also receive direct messages from your Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber.
- Find your phone : Unfortunately the Polar Ignite 3 does not have this feature. I have tested so many devices and this feature is generically with all smart watch brands.
- Digital Maps : An advanced feature very similar to Google maps, The GT3 PRO uses a navigational system called Petal maps. Very useful when directions is needed from a car, bike or walk. I found it to be less useful when driving or riding, but walking directions is useful as the device can provide voice instructions.
- NFC Payment : The Huawei GT3 PRO does have a built in NFC chip, however you must check if your bank or region accepts Huawei Pay. Google pay and Apple pay are the two trusted systems world wide.
More Information
If smart features is something that matters to you, please check out my full articles for each device. In these articles you will see my testing criteria that I use when testing this. Polar Ignite 3 : Smart features could be better and also Huawei GT3 : Smart feature ability is very strong
Third Party Apps : Winner Huawei GT3 PRO
| Feature | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Strength | Very Strong | Strong |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| App Stores | 0/5 | 2/5 |
| In Direct Ability | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Direct Ability | 0/5 | 4/5 |
| Final Score | 5/15 | 11/15 |
The ability to integrate with third party apps is a very popular category for many smart watch users, and a smart watch can do this in two ways which is In directly, this is where you share your tracking data with a third party app as a partnership, or directly which is the ability to control the app from your watch.
Although the score line shows that it’s heavily in favour to the Huawei GT3 PRO, the Polar Ignite 3 does have one advantage over the GT3 PRO, which I will explain later.
| Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| More third party partnerships | Own app gallery |
| Control apps directly from watch |
Polar Ignite 3 Advantages
More third party partnerships : The Huawei brand is still branching out and creating third party partnerships, whereas Polar have done this far longer than Huawei. If you have a premium level subscription with a third party app, you should always check if a partnership can be created when sharing your tracking data.
GT3 Advantages
Own app gallery : The Polar Ignite 3 does not have it’s own app gallery, and the Huawei GT3 PRO app gallery isn’t the strongest either. I say this because some of the apps are non English speaking, not available in your country, or you must own a Huawei phone.
Control apps directly from watch : The apps you can control on your watch are the apps you can download from it’s own app gallery. The only apps that I found useful is watch controller, which is a app that can control your Spotify account. You can add music to a playlist, create Spotify playlists and so on.
More Information
If integrating third party apps matter to you then do check out my full articles Huawei GT3 PRO : Third party app ability is very good and also Polar Ignite 3 : Third party app integration is fairly good. Both devices are very strong when interacting in directly, as the data synchronises right away without delay.
Workout Mode Ability : Winner Huawei GT3 PRO
| Criteria | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Strength | Very Strong | Strong |
| Basic Level | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Intermediate Level | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Advanced Level | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Final Score | 15/15 | 13/15 |
When it comes to tracking your workouts, both devices are very strong in this category as you can see the scores are very close. However the Polar Ignite 3 gained a perfect score during my testing, and has specialized features that can help you progress based on your fitness level, and the device can give you feed back that allows you to continue to progress. The Polar Ignite 3 has everything that the GT3 PRO has to offer, but there are a few specialist features the the Ignite 3 does not have.
| Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Accurate training load | Improve golf swing |
| Structured running program | Dive watch |
| Ideal for swimmers | |
| Train wiser | |
| Advanced auto detection |
Polar Ignite 3 Advantages
Accurate training load : The GT3 PRO also has this feature, however what makes Polar Ignite 3 different is that you rate your workout when finished. This is a good thing because the training data collected can realign itself based on how you feel the workout went. This is called RPE or rate of perceived exertion, and is a very useful guide line with athletes when managing their training load. Very useful feature.
Structured running program : The GT3 PRO also has it’s own running program that can help runners at beginner, intermediate and advanced level. All you really need to do is focus on running and allow the device to track your progress and make suggestions to improve your running based on your training load.
Ideal for Swimmers : If tracking your swimming matters to you, then the Polar Ignite 3 is the better choice. The Ignite 3 would be the best device to analyse your stroke, because the device has the Prime precision sensor which is a sensor with more LED to allow more optical pathways to allow the device to authenticate motion from heart rate.
Train wiser : I will be doing a future article on this topic, however I have been using this feature for heavy weight lifting. What this feature does is that it predicts the most optimum time period for rests in between sets. So far Im enjoying it, and from experience I have been resting far too short. I have found that, if you dont rate your workouts, the device can predict wrong, but I will present my test results soon.
Advanced auto detection : This is for indoor swim only, and the device can detect what swimming motion you are using during a swim. I will be doing a future article on this but from what my swim tester has said, the feature seems very reliable, but I will do an article to see how reliable it is.
GT3 PRO Advantages
Improve golf swing : If you are looking to improve your golf swing, the GT3 PRO can assist you. Dive watch : Only to 30m.
For More Information
Both devices have very strong scores when it comes to tracking your workouts. If you want to know more about how I rate a device, or what testing criteria I follow check out my articles Huawei GT3 PRO : Workout mode ability is very strong and also Polar Ignite 3 : Performs well when tracking your workouts
GPS Tracking Accuracy : Draw
| Criteria | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Strength | Strong | Strong |
| No of Sensors | 5 | 5 |
| Extra’s | Assisted GPS, Dual Band | Dual band |
| Basic test | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Hard test | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Very hard test | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Final Score | 10/15 | 10/15 |
When it comes to GPS accuracy both devices ended with the same score with a draw, and performed to the same ability in the three tests that I conducted. But there were some vulnerabilities during the tests. Here is a quick summary of the failures that I came across.
Hard Test : In this test I planned my route where 80% of it is nearby tall buildings, and both devices had issues pinpointing my location when I was clos to a tall building. I was about 2m away from the building. On a positive note the accuracy got much better when I walked away from the tall building area. Best to avoid this when you are planning your route.
Very Hard Test : In this test, I planned my route through the mountain ranges and the main obstruction in this test is dense vegetation above to block view from the sky. After conducting the test, the dense vegetation was no issue at all and both devices tracked my location accurately. However both devices did record the same error during the test due to a sharp change in elevation over a short distance, where the satellites needed more time to locate the receiver (your device).
For More information
If GPS accuracy is important to you check out my full test articles for both devices Polar Ignite 3 : GPS accuracy is very good but it does have issues and also Huawei GT3 PRO : Is the GPS tracking accurate? In these articles I will show you how I go about rating each device for GPS accuracy, the test criteria that I follow and also how both devices rank in the market.
Also both devices have a power saving option when using GPS tracking. The downside of this is that accuracy is often sacrificed so I have done some tests to show you what the level of accuracy looks like. The Huawei GT3 PRO performed very badly and the accuracy is way off, on the other hand the Polar Ignite 3 performed way better and almost gets a perfect score for GPS accuracy. Please check out those articles Polar Ignite 3 : Is the power saver settings worth using? and also Huawei GT3 PRO : Power saver mode, is it worth using?
Battery Life : Winner Huawei GT3 PRO
| Tests | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Strength | Weak | Very Strong |
| Battery economy without GPS Tracking | 1/5 | 4/5 |
| GPS Battery consumption | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Final Score | 5/10 | 9/10 |
When it comes to Battery life, there is only one clear winner and that is the Huawei GT3 PRO. The test results are based off my own typical usage, and the only let down for the Polar Ignite 3 is the battery economy. Now the Polar Ignite 3 is not smart feature heavy, however the GT3 PRO is, which is very impressive. Here is a quick comparison when it comes to battery economy
| Criteria | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Battery economy per day | 23% | 10% |
| No of days | 2 | 9 |
| Star rating | 1/5 | 4/5 |
When it comes to GPS battery consumption, both devices are very good and I rated each device a 5 out of 5. However in terms of overall performance the GT3 PRO still performed two times better. Here is a quick summary of that result.
| Criteria | Ignite 3 | GT3 PRO |
| Battery economy without GPS Tracking | 23% | 10% |
| GPS Battery consumption per hour | 6% | 6% |
| Total battery consumption per day | 29% | 16% |
| No of days | 3 | 6 |
For More Information
For more information on how I go about rating a device for battery life please check out my articles Polar Ignite 3 : Battery life isn’t too bad and also Huawei GT3 PRO : Battery life is absolutely amazing
Final Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have learnt a lot about both devices in comparison. I hope I have provided enough facts to determine which device is best for you, but do take the time to see my full article if you are unsure. I tried to keep this article condensed with important facts that I have found during testing so my hope is that you found it useful.
In terms of value, the Huawei GT3 PRO is a very well rounded device and I have rated the device quite highly with test evidence. To be honest it should be because it’s the premium smart watch that Huawei has to offer, so you should expect the best especially with the price.
In terms of value for the Polar Ignite 3, is really in two categories, tracking your workouts and GPS accuracy and it’s a very pricey watch. Then again, if you are serious about your training, then you will definelty gain great value out of the Polar Ignite 3′.
