The Best Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Buying Guide And Review

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The Best Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Guide and Review

The latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 news is redefining what a wearable can be, with Samsung’s newest smartwatch merging the refinement of a high-end timepiece with the functionality of a top-tier wearable device.

A watch to buy for you.

Yes, absolutely. If you’re looking for the best smartwatch you can buy that isn’t made by Apple, the Galaxy Watch 3 is it.

It’s one of the most fully featured smartwatches you can get in mid-2020. It has a breadth of fitness tracking features, a good health app, fantastic hardware, equally good software, and onboard music storage with support for popular music apps.

Wear OS is a popular choice for people looking for Android-compatible smartwatches, but Google’s lack of updates leaves us not wanting to recommend any Wear OS smartwatches — at least for the time being. Regardless, the Galaxy Watch 3 has most Wear OS watches beat in many ways, except for lacking third-party app selection.

It’s pricey, though. It starts at $400, with top-end LTE models going up to $479. That’s a high price to pay for any smartwatch. Also, while the Galaxy Watch 3 has many fitness features baked in, it doesn’t track all that accurately. Its GPS and heart rate sensors are still

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SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm, GPS, Bluetooth) Smart Watch with Advanced Health Monitoring, Fitness...

STYLE YOU CAN COUNT ON: Galaxy Watch3 combines style—two sizes, two finishes, three colors and, 50,000 plus watch faces-with military-grade durability and water resistance
LEAVE YOUR PHONE BEHND: Galaxy Watch3 gives you the freedom to call, text, stream music and get notifications via Bluetooth connectivity. No ANT plus
You can share the PDF report of your ECG recording with your health care provider using the Samsung Health Monitor app on your compatible Galaxy phone

BATTERY BUILT FOR ENDURANCE: The Galaxy Watch3’s long-lasting battery can go for more than a day on a single charge, and you can always get a quick boost from your compatible Galaxy phone with Wireless Power Share
STRONGER INSIGHTS. NEXT-LEVEL FITNESS: Spend your time moving while Galaxy Watch3 tracks seven popular activities automatically. Get more out of each movement thanks to built-in run coaching

A watch that looks Good: Galaxy Watch 3

Pending health features aside, there’s a lot to like about this watch. I was already a fan of the original Galaxy Watch with its round face and physical rotating bezel, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 looks even nicer. It has a bright, beautiful AMOLED screen that’s easy to read even in broad daylight. It’s also useful if you’re on a run and need to quickly check your stats during a workout. The screen can always be on if you need it, although it’ll cost you in the battery department (more on that later). I like navigating the interface with the rotating bezel instead of smudging the screen with my fingers.

Gazing at the Watch 3 on my wrist, I think it could almost pass for a traditional analog watch thanks to its classic design. The smaller bezels mean the screen is bigger than the original’s even though the body of the time piece has gotten smaller. It still bulges out from under the stainless-steel frame, however, making it thicker than I’d like and not as comfortable to wear at night as the Galaxy Watch Active.

The 41mm Version

I tried out the bronze 41mm version (the watch also comes in a 45mm size), with the tan-pink leather straps, — A welcome step up from the silicone straps on the original Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Time Piece Active series. The bronze is a lot less flashy than the gold of the original Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, and it looks softer and more flattering on my wrist. If you’re planning on using it for working out or swimming (or, in my case, bathing small children), you may want to invest in a sports strap as well. I can see the leather getting worn after a while due to frequent contact with water. www.samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Comparisons

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 news — Galaxy Watch 3 Samsung’s newest smartwatch, a high-end timepiece, a top-tier wearable device.

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FAQ Newest Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

Question:

What mm is the watch band?

Answer:

It is a 20mm standard watch band for the small (41mm) case and 22mm standard band for the large (45mm) case.
By Niro M. on August 18, 2020

See more answers (2)

Question:

Will watch3 using Samsung pay work with emv and NFC?

Answer:

Watch3 is using Samsung Pay with NFC, no MST (magnetic stripe technology). Samsung Pay does not work if watch is paired with iOS smartphone (Apple does not allow)
By Niro M. on August 18, 2020

See more answers (1)

can this watch be used with Google Fi?

Answer:

I don’t believe so, as Google Fi doesn’t support eSim as implemented in the watch.
By CarlosOU on August 23, 2020

Question:

Is this worth updating from the gear s3?

Answer:

I can only answer this question from a gear S2 owner’s perspective. I owned the classic gear S2 for the past 4 years and after upgrading, was 100% happy with my decision. It’s very responsive, on-screen text is super detailed, and it has many features my gear S2 lacked. I hope this helps.
By Chris95 on August 15, 2020

Customer Reviews:

The newest Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

I love the watch. Greatest one so far

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2020

Size: 45mmStyle: BluetoothColor: BlackVerified Purchase

I love the watch! The design is great and I love the sleekness and lightweight of it. I’m a big Samsung guy and I love their smartwatches. The battery life was a bit longer as the first Galaxy watch, but based on usability and features, it’s great. The only thing I hope to find more of is accessories for it, but nevertheless it worth it

Expensive but worth it, battery life isn’t as bad as everyone says.

Size: 45mm Style: Bluetooth Color: Black Verified Purchase

I upgraded from the 46mm galaxy watch. This Galaxy Watch 3 looks a lot cleaner and the display resolution looks much smoother. I like the wheel better and it’s pretty much the same size. Everything about this watch has an upgrade from the older models. One thing I really like about the watch is the built-in microphone. I talk on my watch when I’m driving and the older models it was hard for people to hear me. This watch is crystal clear.

Overall 5/5 maybe not worth the price jump for most people but if you use it as much as I do it’s definitely worth it. Everyone says the battery life is bad but it seemed good for me. Definitely doesn’t last as long as the older models. Wearing it for 10 hours a day with the heart best sensor running every 60s and always-on display off it usually has 60-70% after a day. You could definitely get two days out of it without a charge. I think the battery life is pretty good, just don’t have the display always on

Best Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

It’s About Time :

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020

Size: 45mm Style: LTE Color: Silver Verified Purchase

This Galaxy Smart Watch Three is Great. I love the heart, sleep monitoring, also the SOS capability.

It took about 45 minutes on a Saturday with TMobile to set this up, and after it initialized, it now works as a standalone LTE/3G device operating on the same phone number as my primary Samsung Note 10 plus 5G. Many features work best while syncing in Bluetooth range with my Smartphone.

It is liberating to me to be able to leave my Smartphone home on occasion. I am enjoying streaming Sp*tify music service, a free six-month service for (new) Samsung customers. Moving music and photos to the watch are seamless. The sound quality on phone calls is loud and clear on the built-in speaker and you can Bluetooth to headphones.

The Wrist band Fits

I have about a 7-inch wrist and the 45 mm fits and looks great, not heavy or tiring. Opted for the silver (standard stainless shiny steel look) color, nice quality build, design, and look. The phone carrier has a buy one get one free and 24 monthly payments. I opted to buy direct from Amazon, and also their extended warranty plan (covers drops and damage, no deductible).

I did get a screen protector and also a Sp*gen brand black case protector. and waiting on a black plastic strap (easier to wipe down and sanitize than leather strap). If you have WiFI and/or have your Smartphone handy, you may not need the LTE/3G connection, but I suggest ordering the LTE/4G model, it is about $50 more and you then have the option to toggle service on (or off). You may also need an additional charger, one for the office, and other from home. The capability to wirelessly power and charge from my Smartphone was not that great.

Unclear if this Smartwatch works with non-Samsung phones. Happy with my purchase and Amazon. If you are on the fence, don’t hesitate, get ticking … and get the Samsung Galaxy Three, as time waits for no one.

Galaxy Watch 3 smart watch watch galaxy watch samsung galaxy watch galaxy watch band bluetooth watch galaxy watch

Final Thought. Is the Newest Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 too expensive!

I had been saving up for almost a year to get the new Galaxy Watch when it came out and was thrilled when it was finally announced. I had tried out my friends Gear S3 Frontier a few years back and at that time I still preferred having a classy analog watch to a smartwatch.

But I finally realized how useful it could be in my now more busy life, so decided it was time to try it out again.

First off, the design of the Galaxy Watch 3 itself is just beautiful and I personally prefer the more classy buttons compared to the flatter ones on the prior model. And the reason I passed on the Active2 was that I absolutely wanted the rotating bezel cause it really amps the style and functionality up. The leather straps that came with it on the other hand are just a complete letdown.

Batter Life

This is a smartwatch meant for both active and classy lifestyles, so the strap should have been able to do both – a leather strap does NOT do active, so that was a fail. So with the watch purchase, I also ordered a silicone strap for work and a black titanium strap for formal use (why spend an extra $140 for a titanium version of the Watch3 when you can get just a titanium strap for $30?).

The battery life is less than the first Galaxy Watch, so that was a letdown. I mean why did Samsung decide to go for shorter battery life in their next-gen Galaxy Watch 3?? I barely can squeeze 2 days from it, and that’s only because I only wear it for ~12 hours at work, and do not wear it at home or when sleeping.

Tizen Software

The Tizen software is pretty adept and far superior to the Google Wear OS. And today I just got the ECG update for my watch. The watch has plenty of exercise modes, but I’ve been pretty annoyed with the rep counter modes like jumping jacks – I do sets of 100, but the watch will only count 50 reps. Like what gives?

The Heart Rate and SpO2 readings have been close enough to accurate, and I suppose the ECG monitor is decent for the basic tasking of determining whether your heart rhythm is normal sinus or if you’re having an A.fib.

The number of Galaxy Watch 3 faces is pretty damn awesome, so that is really cool and I switch it up every couple weeks. And you can also use the Facer app to get you access to even more Galaxy Watch 3 faces. I do wish Tizen would get more apps, especially google maps and a google assistant integration (Samsung really needs to stop pushing Bixby – it really isn’t going to happen, Sammy, so stop trying to make it happen).

The bottom line though is that the watch is way too expensive. I get that they see Apple as their rival, but that doesn’t mean they have to match their high prices when they have a new beautiful watch. This Galaxy Watch 3 should not be over $400 at the max. Especially when they released it without their whole promised ECG and Blood Pressure monitor features out the box.

Conclusion: Is this for me?

I’ve gone through two Apple Watches since they began, and finally, I’m happy

Size: 45mm Style: Bluetooth Color: BlackVerified Purchase

I didn’t buy this Galaxy Watch 3 to get healthy. Its because I wanted a watch, that looked like a watch (rather than the proportion of an old tv) that would notify me of text emails etc.

The ios app is great. I didn’t expect to be totally satisfied, but I am. And 1000s of watch faces choosing from instead of a few with Buzz Lightyear, etc.

Every iPhone owner thinking of a watch has to look at this before deciding.

The one I have was $430, no LTE (on purpose), and delivered the next day, knowing I could return it if unhappy. I think anyone should try this “real-looking” watch. I LOVE IT.

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Author

Trevor Eason

I am Trevor Eason an entrepreneur, a designer, web developer, and software engineer currently living in Dallas, TX. My interests range from technology to photography. I am also interested in entrepreneurship, gaming, and basketball. I run my own Tech Win Reviews blog. Hope you will join me for all your Samsung and Tech Reviews and recommendations.

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The Best Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Buying Guide and Review