On the water side, the GT 5 Pro is already very solid: EN13319 compliance, freediving up to 40 m, depth, type of water, safety reminders, freediving training… For the vast majority of swimmers, occasional freedivers and frankly “recreational” divers, it is LARGELY sufficient.
The Ultimate 2 pushes the cursor much further: 20 ATM, diving up to 150 m, apnea modes, recreational and technical diving, miniaturized sonar to send pre-configured messages underwater, serious decompression algorithms. There, we no longer talk about “I swim on the coast on Sunday morning”. We are talking about real diving practice with constraints, depth, gas, safety.
If you never dive beyond 10 m and you don't even know what a waterproof case is, the Ultimate 2 is probably a bad idea. You're going to pay for something you'll never trigger.
Both watches run on HarmonyOS, with Sunflower multi-band GNSS, and all the Huawei classics: running, trail, hiking, cycling, triathlon, etc. In practice, on my 10 km loops along the Garonne, the GT 5 Pro and the Ultimate 2 displayed an almost identical distance, with a difference often less than 1% compared to the IGN reference track.
In the forest, in Ariège, on an 18 km round trip with quite a bit of elevation gain, the Ultimate 2 did a bit better on the sequences of tight hairpins, probably thanks to its optimized antenna. We're talking about a difference of around 50–80 m over 18 km, so nothing dramatic, but if you're obsessed with the perfect route, you'll see it.
Both watches offer over 100 sport profiles, but seriously, no one needs to read the entire list. Running, trail, hiking, cycling, swimming, golf: that’s what it’s all about.
The GT 5 Pro already has golf course maps, fairway data and distance to green. For a regular golfer, this is more than sufficient and avoids purchasing a dedicated accessory.
The Ultimate 2 takes outdoor fun further: Expedition mode with long-term tracking, altitude alerts, oxygen management, more advanced maps, and an even more pronounced focus on the golf + diving duo. It is designed for those who already started with a Suunto or a technical dive computer and who want to merge everything into a single watch.
If you want a global view of the range and not just this duel, I have prepared this guide for you of the best Huawei 2025 connected watches with the most accessible models.
But ultimately, the real question is: do you agree to reload more often just for this sonar and this dive to 150 m, or not?
On paper, the GT 5 Pro 46 mm advertises up to 14 days “maximum” and around 9 days in normal use. In real life, with notifications, 3–4 sports sessions per week, multi-band GPS activated and a few animated watchfaces, I used it for between 8 and 10 days before putting it back on the charger. Very comfortable. You almost forget what “charging your watch” means. (I even forgot my charger at home one weekend, and honestly, I didn't stress for a second.)
The Ultimate 2, with its larger screen, its diving functions and especially the eSIM, consumes more. On my mixed use (2 running/trail outings, 1 workout session, a little hiking, eSIM activated for a few hours to test calls), I tended to spend between 4 and 6 days. In eco mode, you can obviously pull longer… but it's no longer that “diesel truck” side of the GT range.
You go from a rhythm where you never think about the load, to something that you still have to watch a minimum. Frankly, with the Ultimate 2, you have this little pang in your heart the third evening when it drops below 50%. The GT 5 Pro, you don't care. It's the counterpart of power, basically.
In terms of smart functions, the gap is widening. The GT 5 Pro has notifications, Bluetooth calls, some applications, music, limited payment depending on your bank, in short, the Huawei standard that you know.
The Ultimate 2 takes a step forward with eSIM: calls without a smartphone, data, notifications even when your phone remains in the van or apartment, better integration of certain apps. It's the kind of thing that's life-changing if you're going for a light run, diving on a boat all day, or wanting to stay in touch without lugging your phone everywhere.
Be careful though: HarmonyOS and Huawei Health remain penalized by the absence of Google services on many Android smartphones. If you have a Huawei that is already well integrated, it's smooth. On some “classic” Androids, you sometimes have to use a little trickery to get everything you want.
In France, the GT 5 Pro is regularly found between 250 and 400 € depending on the model (titanium / ceramic) and promotions. It’s a high-end watch at a “reasonable” price when you see what it comes with.
The Ultimate 2 plays directly in the league of the Apple Watch Ultra and others, with a price around €900–1,000. It's an investment. You don't buy it “to see”. You buy it because you know exactly why you need it.
If you want to understand how Huawei has evolved the Ultimate range, I refer you to this detailed comparison Huawei Watch Ultimate and Ultimate 2 which clearly shows the generational leap.
Honestly, it depends. But to be honest, if I had to give a number: for about 8 out of 10 people, the GT 5 Pro is the best choice. It ticks off everything you really need, it holds up technically, and it doesn't impose a crazy budget on you.
The Ultimate 2 targets the 2 in 10 who really live in the water, in the mountains, on expeditions, or who want to transform their wrist into a control center. For them, yes, the additional cost is justified. For others, it's a cherished fantasy.
And if you're still hesitant about how Huawei positions its models, you can complete this duel with this guide to the best Huawei 2025 connected watches to place everything in the full range.
Tests carried out between October and November 2025 around Toulouse (athletics track, banks of the Garonne) and on several hikes in Ariège, with systematic comparisons of GNSS traces on an IGN map background and autonomy readings in real use (active notifications, 3–4 sports sessions per week, sleep monitoring).
Last updated: November 2025.
Author : David Deteve – independent editor & field tester, specialist in connected watches, GPS and autonomy in real conditions.
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