The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is the sleeker yet smarter sequel to our current pick for the best smartwatch you can buy, so it should be a shoe in for our best pick of 2020. Of course, we only had a few. of time. with it, so we need to do more testing to find out, among other things, if it has that much stamina (read: battery life). It's an upgrade that looks better than 2018's Galaxy Watch in every way. The main draw is that the Galaxy Watch 3 looks like a real wristwatch, and a modern one at that. It's not something you can say about most smartwatches today, including the latest Apple Watch, the Apple Watch 5. Samsung has retained a traditional-looking circular display shape and a rotating raised bezel that allows you to physically navigate through your watches. on screen menus. It's neat, and that click, click, click as you navigate the round interface is satisfying, more than two years old, as the layout is less of a bulky distraction. This new watch is 14% thinner and 15% lighter than the original, according to Samsung. I could definitely feel this difference on my wrist. Although the Galaxy Watch 3, the first stylist, is marketed as the
reloj de estilo de vida '' de Samsung, se inspira en el sports watch '' Galaxy Watch Active 2 from last year, which replaced the rotating bezel (and a bit of weight) for added fitness features. Essentially, with the Watch 3 you combine style with fitness features, as long as you don't mind the extra 10g of weight compared to the Active 2. We have other concerns though. Battery life is just two days, compared to four to five days on the original Galaxy Watch, and all health sensors, like ECG and blood pressure monitoring, won't be active anywhere in the world. the launch. How will the Galaxy Watch 3 perform day to day? That's what we're testing here, ahead of our full review.
![Samsung Galaxy Watch 3]()
(Image credit: future)
Price and release date
The Galaxy Watch 3 release date is Thursday, August 6, 2020, and it instantly becomes Samsung's flagship smartwatch for 2020, completely ignoring the non-existent 'Galaxy Watch 2' name. A sequel is finally here, but it sure doesn't come cheap. The only thing Samsung hasn't cut is the price. It costs €399 / €419 for the smaller 3mm Galaxy Watch 41 and €329 / €429 for the larger 45mm version (the version we recommend due to its larger battery). Versions with LTE connectivity push the price even higher: €449 for the 41mm version and €479 for the 46mm version in the US. Now compare the base price of the Watch 3 - €399 / €419 for the 41mm size - with the original Galaxy Watch base price of €329 / €279 for the 42mm size. That's a big increase, especially if you're in the UK, and we're seeing a similar price increase for all versions. Samsung's smartwatch got expensive over the next two years, though the company can say that its watch is still cheaper than the Apple Watch 5 at most prices.
![Samsung Galaxy Watch 3]()
(Image credit: future)
Design and display
Samsung's design team has created another smartwatch masterpiece: the Galaxy Watch 3 is 14% thinner than the original Galaxy Watch while maintaining the same circular screen shape and size. attractive. The ornate bezel that also serves as a way to navigate the on-screen menus also remains, albeit in a less bulky state. You get the same circular 1,2-inch (41mm) or 1,3-inch (45mm) Super AMOLED panel, with an always-on color display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX (not DX+ like the watch for some reason). original: we don't know why or what this means and we asked Samsung). The Galaxy Watch 3 is shrunk in every dimension, ending up 15% lighter than the original for most versions: there's a new model in extra-light titanium only in the 45mm size weighing 43g, compared to 53.8g 45mm stainless steel model. We expect titanium to cost more, of course. There's no 41mm titanium edition, but the smaller of the two Galaxy Watch 3 sizes is the only one that comes in the Mystic Bronze color. In the right light, this copper shade appears to be a darker shade of the original Galaxy Watch's rose gold option. The 41mm and 45mm sizes are available in Mystic Silver, while Mystic Black is exclusive to the 45mm size. If you go for the 45mm titanium version, black is the only color option – you also get a metal strap, while the stainless steel options come with a leather strap in the case. You can always replace the default strap with a third-party 20mm (41mm) or 22mm (45mm) strap.
![Samsung Galaxy Watch 3]()
(Image credit: future)
Health, fitness and software
This is where we'll have some fun with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 before our full review: fitness testing and automatic activity tracking. There are new sensors on board, and this smartwatch borrows heavily from the fitness-focused Watch Active 2. Seven activities will automatically wake up the Galaxy Watch 3 fitness tracker whether or not you forget to start the tracker, which is very convenient. They are: running, walking, swimming, bicycling, rowing, elliptical exercises, and dynamic exercises (mainly aerobic exercises or anything that involves large movements). A total of 40 workouts can be followed, either manually or by voice command. Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is on board the Watch 3, and we're going to pay special attention to how it picks up our "Bixby, start a run" commands midway through, because that matters. If this proves frustrating, as in our previous Bixby encounters, Samsung has equipped the Watch 3 with stress tracking, taking max heart rates into account and suggesting breathing exercises, we look forward to seeing. that seems like a lot. New here is fall detection, which we've seen on the Apple Watch 4 and Apple Watch 5, as well as on-demand VO2 Max readings. The last is the ability to calculate the maximum amount of oxygen your body can absorb during exercise, and it's something that's recently moved from high-end fitness trackers to mainstream smartwatches. Sleep tracking on the Galaxy Watch 3 looks promising, although companies often use this feature at the last second. Samsung touts a partnership with the US National Sleep Institute, which is supposed to offer more detailed information on REM cycles. The watch will also automatically track your sleep cycles and greet you each morning with sleep quality reports and tips on how to get better quality sleep.
![Samsung Galaxy Watch 3]()
(Image credit: future)
First thoughts
The first Galaxy Watch was a beast. Its chunky bezel rotated to act as a single menu navigator, its traditional-looking lugs at the top and bottom fooled people into believing it was an actual wristwatch, and it lasted four to five days on a single charge. , at least when we first took it out of the box. If you bought it, like we did, you may need a new battery or an updated smartwatch. Well, perfect timing. The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 slims down the original watch without erasing what we liked about the previous design. That ornate rotating bezel? It's still there, but with a cleaner, more understated build, and Samsung has expanded the fitness functionality. We're looking forward to using it as much as we're ready to put it through various fitness tests. Our hesitation is still apparent, especially at this first look stage. The specifications show a small battery capacity of 247 mAh (41mm) or 340 mAh (45mm), with Samsung promising two days of charging. We live comfortably with the 270mAh (42mm) and 472mAh (46mm) of the Galaxy Watch, delivering twice the power of the box. The higher price of the new watch will also make us judge it a bit more difficult. It's really Samsung's counterproduct to the Apple Watch 5, both in terms of price and new features.