Huawei Re-Enters Professional Running Watch Market
Huawei unveiled its new professional running watch at a global product launch event in Madrid on February 26. The debut marks the company's return to the high-end running watch category after a five-year absence.
- The new model is the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2, which features a lightweight titanium alloy case weighing 34.5 grams (without the strap). Its predecessor, the first Watch GT Runner, was launched in 2021. - To re-establish its credibility in the professional space, Huawei named two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge as the global ambassador for the watch. Kipchoge and his team collaborated with Huawei, testing the wearables and providing insights during development. - A key technical upgrade is a new 3D floating antenna architecture, which Huawei claims improves GPS positioning accuracy by 20% compared to its previous models, ensuring more precise tracking in challenging environments like dense urban areas. - The watch is priced at £349.99 in the UK, entering a competitive market dominated by brands like Garmin, Coros, Suunto, and Polar. Internal benchmarks for the new watch were run against the Garmin Forerunner 970. - While absent from the high-end running category, Huawei has remained a leader in the overall wearables market, shipping 28.6 million smartwatches in the first three quarters of 2025 and holding an 18.6% global market share. - In addition to hardware, the watch introduces new software features, including an intelligent marathon mode that acts as a personal coach and offers one-stop race management.
