The vivo Watch GT 2 enters the smartwatch market with a technical sheet designed to offer users the best possible battery life.
The watch has been designed to offer a continuous tracking of physical activities and vital signs, supported by a highly optimized software and based on an operating system with solid and secure foundations.
The new vivo wearable therefore aims to enter a highly competitive market segment, offering everything needed to make the user experience extremely satisfying, without overreaching into extra features.
Thus there is a question that lingered in my head throughout this review: was it the right choice to do little but very well, or would it have been better to have a wider range of options even at the expense of small details that perhaps only a few would notice?
vivo Watch GT 2 Review: the ‘Benfen’ is what makes it different
Design, Materials and Display
The vivo Watch GT 2 does not try to resemble a traditional watch in any way, but uses a square case to maximize the display area, facilitate text readability and interaction with the interface.
From a distance, the device looks exactly like an Apple Watch Series 11, including the rotating crown in stainless steel with a red ring; the difference lies in its placement, here centered on the right side, while on Apple’s device it is positioned higher up.
The main body measures 47.54 x 40.19 x 10.97 mm (excluding the rear sensor block). The weight without the strap is about 35 g, ensuring a lightness that favors continuous use during workouts and sleep.
The materials chosen by vivo balance robustness and aesthetics. The central frame is in aluminum alloy, with finishes varying by color: the Obsidian Black version we tested features a glossy finish, while the Stellar White variant adopts a more striking approach but less prone to fingerprints.
The rotating crown facilitates navigation through the menus without obscuring the display with your fingers. The wrist-contact back is in plastic, a lightweight material that facilitates antenna signal transmission, and houses the biometric sensors.
The vivo Watch GT 2 is also certified for water resistance up to 5 ATM, making the watch perfectly safe in rain and during pool or river swimming sessions.
Unfortunately, the watch straps use a proprietary 22 mm standard with a Quick-Release mechanism for quick replacement via the buckle. Honestly, I prefer watches with traditional lugs that allow leveraging a user’s existing bracelet collection, since third-party accessories for a watch with such a small sales volume are unlikely.
Moreover, I find the included strap attachment mechanism in the box quite awkward. Don’t misinterpret me; the strap itself doesn’t cause any discomfort and the watch remains always securely on the wrist. However (and I know I’m very particular) the wrist attachment works “backwards” compared to classic buckle straps, which proved a bit more challenging at first when using one hand for obvious reasons.
The front panel hosts an AMOLED display that the company defines Ultra-Vision with a diagonal of 2.07″, protected by a 2.5D curved glass that integrates with the frame very elegantly. The resolution is 432 x 514 pixels, a very good pixel density that makes every single text and screen incredibly pleasant to observe.
The space optimization has reduced side bezels to 1.8 mm and the top and bottom bezels to 2.3 mm, bringing the screen-to-surface ratio to 82.4%. The display runs at 60 Hz and has a peak brightness of up to 2400 nits, ensuring readability under direct sunlight during sport activity.
Completing the package is the Always-On Display.
