Samsung in the last few years has begun to actively develop its line of smartwatches. Last year it released the Galaxy Watch Active2 with a minimalistic design, but this year it decided to go back to basics by introducing the Galaxy Watch3 with the traditional mechanical bezel of previous models in the series. Let’s see what’s interesting about the new product and how it differs from its predecessors.

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Equipment and versions

With the Galaxy Watch3, Samsung has completely redesigned the packaging, now the watch comes in an oblong cardboard box, and the package itself includes only one 22 mm leather strap and a USB charging cable with a magnetic connector.

In total, two versions of Galaxy Watch3 will be available in Ukraine: with a case of 41 mm and 45 mm. Moreover, each of them has two colors, in 41 mm – it is “mystical bronze” and “mystical gray”, and in the larger 45 mm – “mystical black” and “mystical gray”.

I note right away that outwardly both versions differ only in size and the presence of 45 mm teeth around the perimeter in the bezel.

Otherwise, both versions have a universal design and will suit both women and men, depending on the preference in case size. Although the “mystical bronze”, unlike the similar color in Note20 Ultra, is still closer to pink than to copper.

Design and materials

Externally, the new watch has something in common with such popular models as the Gear S3 Frontier and Galaxy Watch, but their design has been significantly improved. First of all, this concerns dimensions and weight, for the 45 mm version of the Galaxy Watch3 they are 45×46.2×11.1 mm, with a weight of 53 grams, against 49x46x13 mm for the Galaxy Watch with a weight of 69 grams. And in the 41 mm model, they are even smaller – 41×42.5×11.3 mm, and weigh 48 grams. At the same time, new models received larger displays: 1.4 inches (34 mm) and 1.2 inches (30 mm). All this had a positive effect on the appearance of the watch, it no longer looks too massive, the frame around the display has become more compact.

As in past watch models, Samsung used a round display and the same case shape with standard strap mounts and two physical buttons on the right side. The latter are now separated by a small protrusion, which visually reduces the protrusion of the keys, as well as the fact that they are of different shapes and heights.

The display in the watch is slightly recessed into the case, which is associated with the use of a mechanical bezel, and is also covered with Corning Gorilla Glass DX protective glass. I will dwell on it in a little more detail, since the same Galaxy Watch Active2 used more durable Gorilla Glass DX + glass.

It is worth noting that these Corning developments remain the flagship for wearable electronics; they do not yet have the best glasses. And they differ in that DX has good scratch resistance, and DX + in addition to this provides higher protection in the event of an impact. And since the screen on the Galaxy Watch3 is recessed into the body and protected by the bezel, Samsung felt that Gorilla Glass DX would be enough to protect it.

In general, the Galaxy Watch3 is positioned as the flagship of the Samsung smart watch line, so in all versions it uses only a steel case with a leather strap, in the Active line the company also offered more affordable aluminum models with silicone straps.

But, as before, the fastening of the straps is standard, in 45 mm 22 mm straps are used, in the 41 mm version – 20 mm.

The build quality of the new watch is at a high level, all the elements of the case are fitted very tightly, and the rotation of the bezel causes a special aesthetic pleasure, it is smooth, but with a slight click. The side control keys are also pressed with a distinct, but soft stroke.

The Galaxy Watch3 has 5 ATM water resistance, so you can swim in the pool or in open water, but you shouldn’t go diving. The manufacturer also points to MIL-STD-810 certification, but I already wrote in other reviews that this is not one single standard, but a set of many strength tests, starting from the simplest ones that consumer electronics pass. As a rule, they concern the test of drop strength on a sheet of plywood.

Display and control

Since the watch is presented in two sizes, they have a different screen diagonal, in the 45 mm version it is 1.4 inches, in the 41 mm version it is 1.2 inches. But otherwise they have the same characteristics, Samsung used a Super AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 360×360 pixels, covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass DX. Traditionally for this type of displays, it has a colorful color reproduction, and the brightness is adjustable within 10 values, although already on the fifth screen it is perfectly visible in the bright sun.

To control the watch, you can use the display itself, as in previous models, it is touch-sensitive, but unlike the same Active2, it is more recessed into the case, so it is more convenient to use a mechanical bezel to scroll through the interface and menus.

Of the other controls on the Galaxy Watch3 case, there are mechanical keys on the right side, the top one is responsible for stepping back, and the bottom one opens the main menu and returns from the application to the main screen with a dial.

Platform and software

At the heart of the watch is a slightly updated platform with a 10-nanometer Exynos 9110 processor running at 1.15 GHz, which is complemented by 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. Compared to the Galaxy Watch Active2, the chip has not changed, it is still powerful enough to provide a smooth interface and watch functionality, but there is more memory, the RAM has grown from 750 MB to 1 GB, and the built-in from 4 to 8 GB. But I did not notice any difference in performance compared to the previous version of the watch, the new model copes with the Tizen 5.5 operating system without any problems.

Wireless options in the watch are Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC, but the latter does not work for contactless payment. Unfortunately, the Samsung Pay service has not yet been launched, although rumors are constantly circulating that it should soon. You still want to believe in them, however, the launch process still stands still.

In some countries, Galaxy Watch3 is also available in the LTE version, but in Ukraine they are not officially sold, although some operators already support eSIM. However, even in the standard version, the watch allows you to receive calls from your smartphone via Bluetooth.

The interface in the Galaxy Watch3 is One UI 2.0, created with the use of a round display. With the release of the new clock, it has not changed, except that a few new widgets have been added.

The shell logic has remained the same, its main screen is always a watch face with the ability to change it to another preinstalled one or download a new one from the Galaxy Store.

If you turn the navigation ring to the right, widget screens appear, they display various useful information, for example, physical activity data, heart rate, weather, alarm clock, player control and more. Widgets can also be changed at your discretion, and if the watch application supports them, then its widget appears in the corresponding menu.

Turning the bezel to the left opens the notification panel, which shows all incoming notifications from the smartphone. You can open and view them, as well as interact, for example, reply to a message using prepared phrases or even through typing on the keyboard, as well as handwriting and voice input. The last two, by the way, work pretty well, and handwritten supports the Ukrainian language.

Swiping down from the top of the watch face brings up the quick settings menu, which consists of three screens, so everything you need is at your fingertips, from turning on silent mode to connecting wireless headphones.

The main menu opens through the lower side key and by default displays small round icons again located in a circle, to match the display. In the settings, switch the menu view to a list, which is a little more convenient, because the most recently used programs are always on top.

In general, the One UI 2.0 interface is not difficult to understand, it is quite nice, with nice animation and good speed.

There are quite a lot of applications on the Galaxy Watch3 out of the box, but first of all, these are system ones, that is, messages, calls, gallery, reminders, stopwatch, timer, world clock and others. Additional apps can be downloaded from the Galaxy Store, but there aren’t many yet, although you can find extras for both sports like Strava and Endomondo and entertainment like Spotify with the ability to download music to the watch’s memory and listen offline. This is generally very convenient during jogging, you do not need to take a smartphone with you, wireless headphones connect directly to the watch without any problems.

Smartphone connection

To start working with the watch, the user will need a smartphone; without it, they cannot be configured. It can be either Android or iPhone, but the Galaxy Watch3 will work best with the former. And even better, of course, with Samsung devices. At least, all the necessary plug-ins are already pre-installed on them and all that remains is to add the Galaxy Wearable application. It sets and updates the clock.

Actually, this is such a control center where you can select dials, widgets, menu view, remove unnecessary applications, set up alerts, change sound and screen settings, as well as a number of other options. The program is quite convenient and allows you to customize the Galaxy Watch3 to suit your needs.

Sports and fitness

In Galaxy Watch3, the manufacturer has significantly expanded the functionality that allows the user to collect information about their health. The optical sensor on the back of the watch case has been updated, now it not only measures heart rate, but also blood oxygen saturation.

Like other optical pulse oximeters, it uses an LED that emits red and infrared light, which allows you to determine the oxygen saturation of arterial blood. This is achieved due to the fact that the absorption of light by hemoglobin of two different wavelengths (red – 660 nm, infrared – 940 nm) varies depending on its saturation with oxygen. The change in blood color depending on this indicator is fixed by a built-in LED.

In some markets, the watch can make a simplified version of an electrocardiogram, checking for atrial fibrillation, and also measure blood pressure without the need for an inflatable cuff. But since these features require the approval of local regulatory authorities, it is not yet clear whether they will eventually work on Watch3 in Ukraine.

The heart rate monitor in the watch works quite accurately, at least when compared with a simple chest sensor. But it is important during sports to place the watch on your hand correctly so that it fits snugly against the skin and is two fingers away from the wrist. The accuracy of measurements can be affected by the physiological characteristics of a person, as well as the presence of tattoos on the arm.

I also note the improved sleep tracking function, which now more accurately determines the phases of sleep, allows you to evaluate its quality and offers recommendations from the US National Sleep Foundation (National Sleep Foundation). At night, the watch monitors movements and heart rate, recording time without sleep, REM, light and deep sleep. This data in the morning can be viewed on a graph along with an assessment of the quality of sleep.

The Galaxy Watch3 also has a fall tracking function, if the user falls and does not move for 60 seconds, the watch will automatically send a message and make an emergency call to the selected contacts.

Otherwise, the new watch model from Samsung offers the already familiar features for tracking physical activity and sports. Every day, the user is prompted to achieve certain indicators, which include a given number of steps, minutes of physical activity and sports. They are all displayed as heart-shaped infographics that fill in as the user completes those goals.

The S Health app , which is used to sync health data between the watch and smartphone, hosts virtual competitions every month to encourage users to be more active.

There is also a tab from which you can download training programs for free, for example, for doing sports at home or for running.

By the way, the watch now collects more running data, recording not only distance, pace, climbs, heart rate, VO2max, but also asymmetry, regularity, contact time, stiffness, and time in the air. All this new data directly relates to the movement of the legs during running and allows us to assess how correctly the user runs. In addition, the watch tracks the vertical vibrations of the body during a run, determining how correctly the user holds the body.

In general, the sports and fitness features of the Galaxy Watch3 have been significantly upgraded from the previous model, and allow you to collect more data. The only pity is that in the Ukrainian version of the watch the new optical heart rate sensor is not fully involved, but I hope that Samsung will still solve this issue.

autonomy

The capacity of the built-in battery in the watch depends on the size of their case, in the 45 mm model it is 340 mAh, in the 41 mm model it is 247 mAh. Accordingly, autonomy also differs, in a larger model it is 3-4 days of use, in a smaller one 2-2.5 days. Much depends on the intensity of use of the device, for example, most of all it is discharged while playing sports with working GPS and listening to music via Bluetooth at the same time.

In this mode, a 45-minute run spends about 28% of the charge. At the same time, a 45-minute run with GPS without music takes 8% of the battery charge. As a result, if every day you go for a run with a distance of 5-6 km without connecting wireless headphones to your watch, then for the whole day, taking into account checking the time and notifications, the battery will be discharged by about 30%. In general, charging the watch every few days is not a problem and quickly becomes a habit, just like daily charging of smartphones.

The watch is charged wirelessly thanks to the Qi standard, but not all charging stations are suitable for this, due to the convex shape of the back of the case. The Galaxy Watch3 comes with a small magnetic dock that connects to a USB Type-A port. And here I would like to see a USB Type-C connector, since power supplies bundled with Samsung flagships already come with this type of connector.