Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review: A really great smartwatch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is the much-needed upgrade to the company's flagship smartwatch, and it's big on both style and functionality.
The sequel to 2018
Samsung Galaxy Watch
, it also follows the
Watch Active 2
, which hit a sweet spot in terms of design and functionality.
The Galaxy Watch 3 aims to bring a heavy dose of health-monitoring features to those who envy the Apple Watch, along with a serious dose of style.
This will pique the interest of Android users looking for a high-end smartwatch with serious health information who just can't use the Apple Watch, and iPhone users put off by the square design. of the 5 series. This is an important market to target.
Price when reviewing:
$479.99
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But it is not trying for customers looking for a cheaper
Alternative to the Apple Watch
At $399 for the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3 and $429.99 for the larger 45mm, Samsung goes up against Apple.
We've been living with the Galaxy Watch 3 to see if Samsung has managed to make one of the best smartwatches even better.
Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs. Galaxy Watch 3
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Specs Overview
41mm/45mm
Tizen operating system
LTE versions available
1.2 inch/1.4 inch screen
360x360 Super AMOLED
247mAh/340mAh
Exynos 9110 Dual Core 1.15GHz
EKG
Arterial pressure
SpO2
sleep tracking
VO2 max heart/rate
Fall detection
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Design and Bezel
With the previous Galaxy Watch, Samsung drew a clear line to distinguish its more expensive smartwatch from its cheaper, sportier sibling.
Its size got bigger, aiming to offer a sleeker, more traditional style of watch and that iconic rotating bezel now stood more prominently around the display.
With the Watch 3 it feels like we tried to tone things down, but not necessarily for the worse it still has that feel of a dressier watch than the Active 2 but it feels like it was inspired by the sleeker look of the sportier Samsung smartwatch.
Galaxy Watch 3 vs. Galaxy Watch
It starts with the size options which are now available. You have a choice of 45mm or 41mm case sizes which is a drop down list of 46mm and 42mm options you can choose the Galaxy Watch from. . The Active 2 is available in 40mm and 44mm case sizes.
The 45mm mystic black stainless steel version we had to test still feels a bit large for our liking, although the more discreet look of the rotating bezel gives it the feel of something that sits smaller on the wrist. .
It's not really surprising to find that it measures lighter and slimmer than its predecessor in both size options, though – cutting down on weight and size was a no-brainer.
Let's talk about that bezel though. While Samsung decided to ditch it for the Active and then bring it back in a different guise on the Active 2, it's back in all its physical goodness on the Watch 3.
While it doesn't dominate the looks of the watch like it used to, it's still the standout design feature that Samsung brought to the table and it still works great.
Budget monitoring:
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Whether you're twisting it to check notifications or browsing your post-workout data feed, it's a great feature to go with this touchscreen.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: screen and strap
That display still looks great. On the 45mm Watch 3 you'll find a 1.4-inch, 360 x 360 resolution AMOLED display and there's a 1.2-inch on the 41mm model offering the same resolution.
It's the same display quality as the Galaxy Watch and it's still a bright, colorful and vibrant display to behold.
There's an always-on display option and a useful Goodnight mode when it's time to go to sleep - although it should do a better job of reminding you to turn it off when it's time to wake up .
It does a good job of displaying images like album art or YouTube thumbnails, but also does its main job of being a display that you can see indoors and outdoors in a brighter light. difficult, he passes the test.
Samsung pairs the Watch 3 with a leather strap – 22mm for the larger Galaxy Watch 3. It's a good quality strap and thankfully very easy to remove and replace with something sportier when it's time to do exercise with.
It's a little disappointing that Samsung doesn't include an additional sportier strap, considering the price and the kind of features it offers for exercise tracking.
We ended up having to rummage through our box of wearables to borrow one from another smartwatch when we wanted to put its sports tracking powers to the test.
Best Replacement Bands for Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
Rounding out the watch's navigation, there are a further two physical buttons on the right side which can quickly launch features like Samsung Pay or jump to the app drawer.
On the back is its optical heart rate monitor, while you can expect to find a familiar puck-style charging cradle in the box that clips magnetically to the back of the watch.
Nothing has changed waterproof-wise with Samsung offering the same 5ATM rating that makes it safe for showering or swimming (pool and open water) up to 50 meters deep. Just be sure to first remove this leather strap.
While some might argue that the changes seem small, we definitely welcome the more refined look of the rotating bezel and the size reduction.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Smartwatch Features
Samsung's latest watch runs on its Tizen operating system, which is compatible with Android and iPhones, but is clearly better suited to the former. You have the option of choosing either size with LTE if you want to use features such as music streaming and messaging without a smartphone, although this obviously comes at an additional cost.
One annoying thing that remains with this smartwatch is that you'll have to download two apps and a few plugins to set it up and get the most out of the health and fitness features.
We would like to appeal to Samsung to bring all of this together in one app. We have mainly used it with an Android phone and once this overdraft pairing setup is complete, data sync and feature usage such as notifications worked without issue.
There don't seem to be any real big changes to how Tizen works and what you'll find in those companion apps. You can use the bezel or the touchscreen to navigate through the different screen widgets and everything seems to live in the same place, as on the last watch.
When it comes to those basic smartwatch features, notification support still works well and messaging has now been augmented with the ability to let you see images in sent messages, which feels nicely optimized on the screen.
You still have Samsung Pay and of course there's Bixby, the smart assistant that still has a lot to grow and mature.
The smart assistants on the watches aren't so well integrated across the board, but Samsung still feels like it needs to work in terms of utility. It still feels very limited.
You have a built-in music player allowing you to take advantage of some of the available 8GB of storage to transfer your own music. This also applies to supported music streaming services, which always include Spotify.
The Spotify app works well on Samsung smartwatches and is a step up in offline playlist support over similar support on Garmin watches.
Of course, we have to talk about apps, which remains a sore point for Samsung's Tizen platform. You can access its storefront from the watch or from your phone.
The native apps already pre-installed offer a decent range including Spotify, Microsoft Outlook, a handy voice recorder and a calendar.
To fill in the gaps, you usually have to buy an app because some features you'll find are free on other smartwatch platforms like Apple's watchOS and Google's Wear OS.
We can't talk about smartwatch features and not talk about watch faces, and Samsung does a good job here.
You have a rich mix of digital and analog options, some with great animations and most with room for data complications like step count, sleep, heart rate, UV Index or the current temperature.
There are more faces to find in the App Store, though you'll have to work to find good ones.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Fitness and sports tracking features
With the Watch 3 you get something that promises to be your fitness tracker, sports watch and health monitor all in one.
Let's start with fitness tracking, where you can do the basics like counting steps, tracking sleep, monitoring stress levels, turning on continuous heart rate monitoring, and tracking your stress. There's the tracking widget heart-shaped activity indicator to show daily progress and it also inherits the more useful inactivity alerts that Samsung introduced on the Active. So instead of just telling you that you've been inactive, it will recommend you to exercise to get you moving again. It's up there with our favorite features.
Step tracking compared: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left) and Garmin fitness tracker (right)
In terms of accuracy, we wore it with a Garmin fitness tracker and found that it tended to give us about the same daily step count and distance covered.
As for sleep tracking, you can see the most recent sleep data on the watch and then dive into Samsung Health to see things like sleep breakdown including REM sleep, total sleep time sleep, sleep scores and average waking times.
Sleep tracking compared: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left) and Garmin fitness tracker (right)
We compared it to the same Garmin fitness tracker and the screenshots above will give you an idea of the kind of data we tended to see for a night's sleep. Total sleep time tended to be between 30 minutes and an hour after the Garmin, although the sleep breakdown tended to suggest a shorter sleep time. The sleep breakdown also seemed to provide questionable numbers, particularly for the REM and sleep data deep.
When you're ready to follow more than a stroll through the shops, Samsung equips the Galaxy Watch 3 with everything you get on the Galaxy Watch and Watch Active 2, plus a few notable additions.
All the key sensors are in play here. This includes accelerometer, barometer and gyroscope sensors. There's built-in GPS and support for Glonass, Beidou, Galileo and satellite systems. heart rate monitor to measure exertion levels. However, there's no support for ANT+ connectivity, which limits its pairing with additional sensors.
The best way we found to get tracking was to rotate the bezel to the right to find the workout screen. From there you can track basic sports like running, cycling, and swimming. , and dig deeper into gym activities and outdoor activities like hiking. Again, the type of real-time metrics you can expect to see varies, and core sports are certainly better catered for.
Race tracking
Running tracking compared: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left and center) and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar (right)
We've spent quite a bit of time running with the Galaxy Watch 3 and we'd still say this watch is designed for the kind of runner who can do a few runs a week, as opposed to marathon training with it.
There's also still work to be done in terms of running the tracking experience on the watch, by which we mean a better connection between Samsung Health and fitness tracking, as well as visualization of your data in a really intuitive way.
There are additional settings to play with before your session, such as adding six data fields, setting a target goal based on time or distance, or customizing these workout screens. better to manage these settings before starting, because Samsung gives you little time to make adjustments once the countdown begins.
The experience of the watch during a run is generally good, if you pick up the pace it's a bit trickier to use the bezel to get past the training screens, but overall it's a good screen to absorb the data.
Above is an example of racing involving a mix of on-road and off-road racing. What this shows is what we've found in general: for shorter distances it's generally pretty reliable for things like distance, pace, and cadence. As you increase the miles, differences in things like pace and distance covered seem to creep in.
Heart Rate Accuracy
Samsung of course includes an optical heart rate monitor, which is used to power continuous heart rate monitoring, for stress tracking and also for better measurement of exertion levels during exercise.
In the latest Galaxy Watch, this fell into the range that many wrist sensors were in. It was good for on-the-spot measurements and general exercise, but as soon as you crank up the intensity, accuracy was difficult.
We'd say the same goes for the Galaxy Watch 3's heart rate sensor.
Go to the Samsung Health app on the watch and the continuous heart rate readings are very reliable. You can view your week of readings to find out if that resting heart rate has stayed constant or has unexpectedly increased or decreased.
Easy running heart rate: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left) and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar (right)
For stress tracking, Samsung uses heart rate variability measurements to generate these readings. In our experience, taking the measurements did not show any data on the watch or in the Samsung Health app.
High-intensity HR test: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left) and Polar H9 chest strap (right)
As for exercise, we used it for a regular run and average BPM readings were generally 1-2 bpm from a Polar H9 chest strap.
However, for maximum heart rate readings, it tended to be 4-5 bpm. That's enough to put you in another heart rate zone.
For some more focused, high-intensity intervals, it struggled to track the chest strap and, as expected, showed a higher maximum heart rate reading. Unfortunately, you can't pair it with external chest straps to remedy.
If you're serious about your exercise and hoping to rely on the reliability of this heart rate data, you might be a little disappointed.
Advanced race metrics
A big new feature is advanced running metrics. If you care about running technique and form, Samsung says it will now provide information such as ground contact time, flight time and vertical oscillation. Sports watches require an additional sensor like a chest strap or a pedometer sensor to generate similar metrics.
On the watch, this is represented by a screen that displays your asymmetry. There is currently no way to display the additional metrics offered. These metrics are asymmetry, contact time, flight time, regularity , vertical oscillation and stiffness.
In real time, this asymmetry screen adjusts to tell you how well or poorly you are doing as you progress through your run. After running, you can see these additional metrics in the Samsung Health app, as well as a multitude of very complicated graphs.
Comparison of advanced running metrics: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left and center) and Garmin Running Dynamics Pod (right)
Samsung does a good job of explaining what all of these metrics mean and even offers exercises to address weaknesses. The question, though, is whether these metrics are actually reliable? We've compared it to Garmin's Running Dynamics Pod and we may not have be not found.
We took a sample of running metrics available on both the Galaxy Watch 3 and Garmin's pod. The average vertical oscillation score was lower on the Samsung, as was the average ground contact time. We We've come to rely on Garmin's wearable for reliable advanced running metrics, and it seems Samsung is a bit short.
swim tracking
Swim tracking compared: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (left and middle) and Form Swim Goggles (right)
Swimming with Samsung's smartwatches overall has been a pretty solid experience in the past The drop in size certainly makes it a much nicer watch to take for a dip and thankfully the data overall also seemed reliable.
Before you get moving, you can go for a basic or focused swim and choose the pool size. It supports up to six data fields and the data includes average pace, distance, duration, number of lengths and heart rate. The guide rate can also be adjusted here, which will send a vibration to the wrist to keep you updated on progress.
To test the accuracy, we compared it to Form's swim goggles in a 25m indoor pool, which we found to be the most accurate swim tracker. It managed to capture the same distance, average pace and the same number of lengths.
When you're done swimming, Samsung uses a water ejection system similar to what you'll find on the Apple Watch, which is a bit noisier to do, but hopefully helps protect those components. .
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Health Features
Samsung doesn't want to limit its appeal or its in-car sensors just to people who want better data for their bootcamp sessions or sleep time. It's also increasing the ability to offer more serious health monitoring features.
It started on the Watch Active when it promised the ability to measure blood pressure from the wrist. On the Active 2 it added an ECG sensor to match Apple and Withings in bringing quality heart rate monitoring medical.
On the Galaxy Watch 3, these two features make the difference, along with the ability to measure blood oxygen levels via the trending SpO2 sensor. The problem is that most people won't be able to use these features just yet.
Blood pressure monitoring, which requires calibration with a dedicated blood pressure monitor, also requires the necessary support from the Samsung Health app which is currently only available in Korea.
It's a similar story for the ECG where it's only been activated in Korea as well Samsung said the ECG has received FDA clearance so it may not take too long before it can start rolling out to other territories.
SpO2 compared: iHealth Air pulse oximeter (left) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (right)
Something you can try is taking blood oxygen readings, although as Samsung clearly explains this is a fitness and wellness related feature rather than detecting signs of a serious medical problem.
While the readings seemed to match those of a pulse oximeter, we often found it difficult to get a reading on the first measurement attempt.
We blame it partly on the fact that the leather strap isn't suited for a snug fit.
When these features are enabled for everyone, Samsung really will have a serious health monitoring device on its hands and on your wrist.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Battery life
Samsung made big claims that the original Galaxy Watch could last a few days to less than a week. This claim was based on light usage.
For anyone using it for more than light use, it tended to last a few days, so while it might have a slight edge over an Apple Watch, it still can't match what you can get a Fitbit or Garmin connected watch.
With the Galaxy Watch 3 it looks more of the same without any mention of Samsung's claimed battery life this time. We know that battery capacity reflects what you'll find on small and large Galaxy Watch models Activate 2.
It's a 340mAh battery on the 45mm Watch 3 and a smaller 247mAh on the 41mm model. You also have a Watch Mode to push things further but restrict this that you can actually use.
Based on our testing with the 45mm model, we say you'll probably get two days out of it, but if you're using power hug features it'll be closer to 1.5 days.
Clearly, if you use features like GPS, continuous heart rate monitoring, increasing screen brightness, and using the animated watch faces, the leak is noticeable.
An hour of running with GPS drained 15-20% of the battery. Charging time also seems a bit laborious, usually taking a couple of hours to go from 0-100%. That could do with a quick charge on board here.
It's disappointing that Samsung has failed to make improvements in this department, especially when Huawei, Fitbit and Amazfit manage to optimize these power-hungry features so that they don't noticeably reduce the time it takes between loads.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
By
Samsung
The improved design, added software features, and the promise of serious health monitoring make dealing with the disappointing battery life a bit easier. However, anyone buying the Galaxy Watch 3 will have to accept that the ECG and blood pressure have not been activated and there is no ETA.In terms of style and functionality, this is the best smartwatch for Android users and it is also a great alternative to the Apple Watch.
Struck
Smaller and lighter design
Filled with features
Good fitness tracker
Bezel control is still great to have
Miss
Health features not enabled
Battery life not fantastic
Some dodgy heart rate data
Leather strap only included