Are you in your fitness era and looking for a reasonably priced fitness tracker? Or maybe just looking for a smaller companion for your smartphone? You might want to consider the vivo Watch GT.
It may not be the cheapest of its kind, but for a price of under Php8,000, the Watch GT seems like a compelling deal for what it offers.
We’ll see in our vivo Watch GT review if it’s really any good, or if you’re better off with any of the hundreds of alternatives out there.
Design and Build Quality
Like with most smartwatches available in the market, the vivo Watch GT looks a lot like the Apple Watch. The image below is a comparison with the Apple Watch Series 8. It’s noticeably lighter, though. But at 33g, it does feel more comfortable to wear.
It has a square design that uses an aluminum alloy middle frame. The glass used on the watchface was not mentioned, but it looks durable enough. No scratches after the few weeks we spent with it.
The bezels are fine bezels, but noticeably thick compared to a high-end watch. Not that noticeable for those who are not used to it, though.
There’s a digital crown on the left, with ridges all around for better grip and a red accent for extra flair. The crown can also be pressed as it doubles as a home button. No other physical button is present.
It is available in two designs, kind of a his and hers situation. The Summer Black comes with a rubber strap that’s great for workouts, while the Cloud White comes with a faux leather strap with removable lugs for wider compatibility.
The faux leather strap we’re testing is comfortable enough, but it creases immediately, so you might have to replace it after about a year of daily use.
Plastic material dominates the back. From here, you can see the heart-rate and blood oxygen sensor, magnetic contact points for charging, and the buttons to release the strap.
What’s more, it is 2ATM water-resistant, which can survive 20m of water depth. It should be fine with accidental water splashes, rain, and sweat, but we don’t advise going swimming with it for an extended period.
It may not win a most innovative design award, but the vivo Watch GT is light and durable enough for comfortable daily use.
Display and Audio
The vivo Watch GT has a 1.85-inch AMOLED display with a 450 x 390 pixel resolution at 321ppi. The brightness adjusts automatically or manually. Raise to wake, tap to wake, and Rotate crown to wake are here.
vivo didn’t mention the figures for peak brightness, but we can assure you the display is still visible even in sunny outdoors.
Meanwhile, the built-in speaker and microphone offer good quality for Bluetooth calls. The person on the other line had no problems hearing us through the mic and the speaker is loud enough, but you may have to put it close to your ears if you’re outdoors.
You can also play music through the watch’s speakers by uploading audio through the app. The watch has 1.5GB of storage for that, so there’s plenty for multiple albums and playlists.
Interface and Features
The vivo Watch GT runs on the brand’s BlueOS with features similar to other non-Google WearOS watches we’ve seen in the past.
There are 14 watch faces preinstalled, with more available through the companion app. A few of those watch faces can be edited and paired with their own AOD counterpart.
Swipe down to access notifications and swipe up for the control center. Notifications are snappy, just make sure you grant access to the apps you want in the settings. Sadly, though, you won’t be able to reply to messages. No quick replies options either.
Swipe right and you have your widgets (music player, weather, etc) and swipe left for your health data.
There’s also a Walkie-Talkie feature, NFC Access Card, Camera Control, Media Control, timer, stopwatch, countdown, and compass.
In addition, there are preinstalled games designed for the watch’s small screen, and they are great to pass the time. You can play the following: Gold Miner, Fast & Furious, Ice Hockey, 2048, and a game that lets you take care of and grow plants like Tamagotchi.
Health and Fitness
As with other smartwatches, the vivo Watch GT offers 24/7 heart rate and oxygen saturation monitoring, sleep quality recording, and stress measurement. It also uses the microphones to notify you if you’re being exposed to excessive noise. All the data gathered from those sensors can be found and analyzed on the vivo Health app, available for both Android and iOS devices.
It also has activity rings, an easier way to see if you’ve reached your step goal, calories burned, exercise minutes/hours, and stand hours. You can set your daily goal for each metric.
You also get Move Around notifications if you’ve been sitting idle for too long. It’s great if you like the reminders, but it can also be annoying at times.
The watch supports over 100 sports modes, 9 of which support voice guidance. While working out, the interface shows relevant data like heart-rate zones. You can also set goals, a pacer, interval reminders (great for runners), manual segments, and more.
It also has built-in GPS to track your routes when running, cycling, and more.
We tried tracking an outdoor walk with both the vivo Watch GT and an Apple Watch Series 8, and the difference in recorded data is impressively close. Accuracy-wise, it’s probably safe to say that it’s as accurate as the Apple Watch.
Battery and Charging
The vivo Watch GT has a 505mAh battery. vivo claims it can last for up to 21 days for conservative users and 10 days of normal use.
After wearing it for two days, we dropped from 100% to 67% in battery life. That’s with Continuous Smart Measurement enabled, AOD on, and sleep tracking for two nights. Quite decent for what you’re paying.
The magnetic USB-A charging managed to charge the device from 60% to full in 42 minutes. A full charge from 0% should take about an hour and a half.
Verdict
The vivo Watch GT is a pretty solid smartwatch for both casual users and those who are into fitness. It has customizable workout modes (pacer, set goals, etc.), long battery life, fast notifications, and an AMOLED display with a digital crown.
It also has built-in speakers and a microphone so you can take calls from the device itself.
A big issue for us is the lack of ability to reply to messages, although it’s not much of an issue if you’re not into that sort of thing. Strap quality is also questionable, but good thing it’s easily removable and replaceable.. Also, if you’re really into health and workouts, there are alternatives out there that come from brands more reputable in the fitness world.
vivo Watch GT pricing and availability in the Philippines
The vivo Watch GT is available in the Philippines for Php7,599. Get it at physical stores, partner retailers, and online via the vivo website, Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Light and durable design
- AMOLED display with digital crown
- Built-in speakers and mic
- Customizable workout modes
- Long battery life
Cons
- Can’t reply to messages
- So so strap quality
- A bit pricey