The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is a sports smartwatch that combines good sports and health features with a long battery life and a very affordable price. The square OLED screen is sharp and bright, and the ease of use is high. The basic functions for smartwatch use are present, but the app selection is limited. Unfortunately, the integration with other services, such as Strava, does not always work well.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is the latest addition to Huawei’s affordable Fit series of fitness smartwatches. The Fit watches are small, light, and simple, but above all, cheap. The Fit 3 is priced at 159 euros, and for that price, you get a watch with an AMOLED screen, extensive sports and health functions, and the basic functions you would expect from a smartwatch. The functionality is similar to the more all-round positioned Huawei Watch GT 4, which we recently reviewed. Is the Fit 3 a good buy, or has Huawei cut some corners?
Before diving into that, let’s talk about the appearance of the Watch Fit 3. Where the previous Watch Fit was a fairly elongated device with one button on the side, the Fit 3 has become wider, almost square. Additionally, the watch now also has a digital crown on the top right and a flat push button below: an innovative design that we have not seen before. A joke, of course, because in terms of design, the Watch Fit 3 closely resembles the Apple Watch.
There is nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Personally, I find (almost) square screens for smartwatches much more practical than round screens, which try to maintain the look and feel of an analog watch in a strange way. Text and data can be displayed more efficiently on a rectangular screen than on a round screen. So no, the design of the Huawei Watch Fit 3 is not original, but the build quality is good. The watch is super light at 27g, and the AMOLED screen used is bright and sharp. The Watch Fit 3 is available with silicone bands and a nylon strap, made of elastic material with a Velcro closure.
Features
The Watch Fit 3 is priced at just under 160 euros in our Pricewatch, making it one of the cheaper smartwatches currently available. Yet, the Watch Fit 3 offers almost all the features found in Huawei’s more expensive watches, like the Watch GT 4. The menu structure is almost identical to that of the Watch GT 4. Functions supported by the Watch Fit 3 include continuous monitoring of heart rate, stress, blood oxygen level (SpO₂), and number of steps taken. It also includes automatic sleep monitoring, calorie estimation per hour, trends in various health metrics, automatic detection of activity types, manual registration of dozens of activity types, music playback and control, call functions, and various other smartwatch features.
Differences between the Watch Fit 3 and the Watch GT 4 include the lack of multi-band GPS, built-in thermometer, built-in barometer, smaller battery, and magnetic charging instead of wireless charging. The Watch Fit 3 can be paired with Android and iOS devices through the Huawei Health app. The watch offers a variety of watch faces to choose from, ranging from stylish to colorful, and provides various health data. However, the app store for additional app installation is limited in options and quality.
Sport and Health
The Watch Fit 3 focuses strongly on sports and health, offering various sport profiles and displaying relevant data during workouts. New sport profiles have been added, including football, basketball, padel, and e-sports. The watch analyzes aerobic and anaerobic training load and recovery needs, providing insights into the effects of workouts. External sensors can be connected via Bluetooth, expanding the watch’s capabilities.
The health and fitness data is stored in the Health app, which allows users to choose whether to upload data to Huawei’s servers. The watch offers accurate sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and activity recognition. The battery life of the Watch Fit 3 is impressive, lasting up to a week with typical usage.
Heart Rate Monitoring
The heart rate monitoring on the Watch Fit 3 is accurate, providing reliable data during various activities. The watch uses an optical heart rate sensor and delivers consistent results, although it may struggle during intense activities with rapid heart rate changes.
GPS
The Watch Fit 3 features a basic GPS receiver, which may be less accurate in dense areas but performs well in open spaces. The GPS accuracy is sufficient for most users’ needs, considering the watch’s price point.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Huawei Watch Fit 3 is a solid smartwatch with excellent sports and health features. While its design may resemble the Apple Watch, the functionality and performance of the Watch Fit 3 are commendable. The watch offers a good balance of features, battery life, and accuracy, making it a suitable choice for users primarily interested in fitness tracking and health monitoring.