Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 Review: Most smartwatch features at a fraction of the price

Presentation of the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3

Fitness bands were all the rage just a few years ago, but recently we're seeing a lot less of them and a lot more in terms of smartwatches.

There are several reasons for this, but one of them is purely financial. Companies can make more money with more expensive smartwatches, while profit margins on a cheaper fitness band are narrower, so the market for fitness bands is shrinking quickly.

This brand new Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 is proof of this lesser presence of fitness bands.

Yes, it's a new fitness band and an interesting one at that, but Samsung won't sell it in the US, UK and many European countries. There is no official explanation, but it can be assumed that these are now smart watches.

But are users missing out on a good thing? I've been using the Galaxy Fit 3 for a few days and have a few thoughts. Read on to find out what's new in the Galaxy Fit 3 and whether this affordable fitness tracker could be a gem that Samsung has hidden in many of its markets.

What's new on the Galaxy Fit 3

Contents:

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3

There's not much inside the box here: the Galaxy Fit 3 itself and the proprietary charging cable with USB-C on the other end. There is also the user manual, and that's it!

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 specifications

Here's a look at the Galaxy Fit 3 specs:

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 design, sizes and bands

Small, elegant and very comfortable to wear

The Galaxy Fit 3 is lightweight and quite stylish. It's also a small gadget, but because it's a wide rectangle we find that it has an almost universal fit, it would fit everything from a small wrist all the way up to a large wrist.

Samsung offers three color options: one with a black body and paired with a black sporty band, then a silver with a white band, and a third, gold with a champagne-colored band (we have the silver for this review). .

The strap is your typical sports loop band with a very nice soft feel and it is very comfortable. It uses a simple proprietary system for swapping bands: you just press a button to release the band, then put it back on. Nice and easy.

At 1.6″ (4 cm), the screen size is larger than the average fitness tracker, meaning it's much easier to read notifications on the Fit 3. is also an AMOLED display with gorgeous colors and, especially if you choose a black dial, it looks fantastic. If you go for a brighter dial, you'll notice the large bezel surrounding it, which takes away a little to the aesthetic appeal.

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 software and features

Smooth navigation and intuitive software

I ran into a big problem while setting up the Galaxy Fit 3. Samsung says it's compatible with Android phones and iPhones, but I couldn't pair it with an iPhone. It looks like the Galaxy Fit 3 is still not officially listed in the Galaxy Fit iOS app. It's completely reasonable to expect an app update soon, but it's really frustrating.

There were no issues pairing the Galaxy Fit 3 to a android phoneHowever.

As for navigation, you have a button on the side. Tap once to return to your watch face, tap twice to start a workout, and tap and hold if you want to turn off the band or view your medical information.

Everything else happens through swipes and taps on the touchscreen. Although it is a budget device, there is no lag or stutter, which I was pleasantly surprised to find. Everything looks nice and vivid!

Workouts

The first thing you need to know about the Galaxy Fit 3 and workouts is that there is NO GPS on it. It can connect via Bluetooth to your phone's GPS, but if you don't like running with your phone, then… tough luck! This is a big limitation, but it is true that many other fitness bands ignore GPS as well.

What's nice is the large number of workouts supported: over 100!

Here's a summary of a short run, just so you have an idea of ​​how your workout data looks in the Samsung Health app:

Health and sleep

The watch comes with Samsung's sleep tracking and if you've used a Samsung watch recently, you know it has a fun twist. After wearing your fitness band for a few nights, the band will give you your “sleeping pet.” There are eight of these animals and here is what each one means:

• indifferent lion is intended for people who sleep more than the recommended eight hours
• Sensitive hedgehog Compares you to a hedgehog who often sleeps during the day and is active at night.
• nervous penguin describes a light sleeper who has difficulty getting back to sleep once awake.
• Mole opposed to the sun is for someone who prefers to be active at night and sleep during the day.
• Cautious deer is for the one who interrupted his sleep.
• Casual Morse Code is that person who can stay awake longer than most people, but would then easily sleep more than eight hours.
• Alligator hunting is aimed at people like night shift workers who are on alert while they sleep.
• Exhausted shark is that person with a very visible sleep deficit and who cannot catch up due to work or other reasons.

These types don't seem to be scientifically supported, but are a fun little thing that makes sleep tracking more exciting. And of course, you can access data on your exact sleep duration and sleep stages.

There is also Cycle Tracking on board, which we were unable to test.

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 battery and charging

Battery life of several days

The Fit 3 comes with a 208mAh battery, about two-thirds the size of an Apple Watch Series 9 battery, but due to the simplicity of the operating system and no additional charging with GPS, it offers autonomy for several days.

Samsung promises up to 13 days of use on a single charge, but if you enable the always-on screen option and use it heavily, you'd probably average about four days.

Charging is done via the supplied proprietary Samsung 2-pin cable, which also has magnets for easy placement.

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 Summary and Final Verdict

So, what's the verdict on the Galaxy Fit 3 and should you buy it?

If you're looking for a basic fitness tracker for notifications and appreciate something that looks sleek and has long battery life, BUT this might not be the workout tracker the more accurate, chances are you'll like the Galaxy Fit 3.

There are plenty of cheaper options, like Xiaomi's Mi Band series, but despite those that work well, the Galaxy has the advantage of a slightly more refined user interface and a little sleeker styling. There are also a few more expensive ones with GPS like the Fitbit Charge 6 (but even there the GPS isn't very reliable). Overall, the Galaxy Fit 3 is therefore well positioned on the market.

And if you want a truly accurate workout companion with GPS, you need to spend a lot more and possibly upgrade to a full-featured smartwatch like the excellent $250 Garmin Forerunner 165.