Rarely has it been so obvious the model Huawei took its inspiration from for its products. The new Huawei Watch Fit 3 looks very similar to the Apple Watch Ultra (2). However, the new smartwatch is available over the counter for approximately $170. In our review, we had to find out whether the affordable smartwatch with fitness functions can actually impress in everyday use. Let’s go!
Good
- Chic design with impeccable workmanship
- Great connection to the smartphone without taking any APK detours
- Solid fitness tracking with its data processing
- Incredible battery life of up to ten days
Bad
- No function extension via the app
- No ECG and body temperature sensor
- Proprietary charging cable without wireless charging support
Huawei Watch Fit 3: All deals
In a nutshell
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 was officially unveiled at an event in Dubai in May 2024. In our review, the new smartwatch impressed with very good battery life, reliable tracking functionality, and a design that doesn’t have to hide behind significantly more expensive models. Of course, this smartwatch is not perfect since there are clear disadvantages such as the lack of an app store and a rather limited range of functions.
Nevertheless, the negative aspects tend to outweigh the asking price of $170. This makes the Watch Fit 3 highly recommended for both Android and iOS users. The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is not available in the United States right now.
This article is part of a collaboration between Huawei and nextpit. This collaboration has no influence on the final editorial opinion of nextpit.
Design & Display
While Apple selected an “action button” as a color accent for its most expensive smartwatch, the Watch Fit 3 from Huawei boasts a bright red crown on the right. Another control element is a 1.82-inch touchscreen and a control button on the right. An interchangeable fabric strap is included, and the build quality is as such that there is no need to be shy about its quality. Thanks to the aluminum alloy case, the robust build quality applies to the entire watch.
Pros:
- Really high-quality workmanship.
- Design works despite the clear copycat intent.
- Chic display, butter-soft crown.
Cons:
I’ll mention it once more—the Huawei Watch Fit 3 strongly resembles the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (review). The reasons for this? Don’t you notice the silver-colored case and red color accent on the right? However, the case measures 9.9 mm thick and tips the scales at 26 g, making it a little smaller than the Apple model. Apple’s color accent is orange and is divided between the action button on the left and an edge. Huawei takes a slightly bolder approach here and dips the crown in dark red. This points to the watch’s control element.
The crown on the right is used to scroll through menus and zoom in and out in the app overview. Over here, Huawei also borrowed from Apple where operational cues are concerned. How so? You control the smartwatch via a rotating crown, accompanied by a responsive touchscreen. The screen on the Huawei Watch Fit 3 measures 1.82-inch (4.62 cm) and is really bright at 1,500 nits. I was able to tell the time easily under direct sunlight.
An OLED panel also ensures that the watch offers an excellent contrast ratio. Despite featuring OLED technology, however, it lacks an Always-On function. Despite the lack of an Always-On function, Huawei separated the various watch faces into different categories depending on the amount of power consumption.
When we turned our gaze away from the display, we saw the display edges on the Watch Fit 3 rather clearly. According to the manufacturer, 77% of the display covers the casing, which is not too noticeable thanks to the high contrast ratio. If we were to squint our eyes, we discovered minimal gaps and perfectly crafted buttons and millings in the case.
These merged with the metal elements into a finely woven fabric strap that clasps with a Velcro fastener. As you can see from the picture of the small Huawei logo, the workmanship here is also impeccable. Thanks to the high quality of workmanship, this smartwatch boasts a 5ATM water resistance rating.
If you like colorful smartwatches, this Huawei offering is perfect. The case is available in black, green, white, pink, gray, and white shades. The latter is only available with a leather strap. The gray color variant we reviewed is available with the fabric strap. All other straps are made from fluoroelastomer.
Overall, we deem the design of the Huawei Watch Fit 3 to be a success. The smartwatch has a surprisingly high-quality finish, and with its dimensions of 43.2 × 36.3 × 9.9 mm and minimal thickness, it fit my wrist perfectly. It is definitely one of the nicer smartwatches on the market!
Operating system
Huawei relies on its own operating system for the Watch Fit 3. However, it can now even be connected to Android and Apple smartphones without the need for APK installations. The connection runs via the Huawei Health app, which offers excellent interpretation of your fitness data.
Pros:
- Connection with both Android and Apple smartphones.
- Really good companion app.
Cons:
- Notifications are just that — notifications.
- No other apps can be installed.
With Harmony OS, Huawei’s very own operating system, the Watch Fit 3 ran without any issues. The operating system shone even on the inexpensive smartwatch with excellent performance and a solid range of functions. By default, you can play your music files on the watch, control playback on your smartphone, set an alarm, track your smartphone, and have a few other functions at your disposal, too.
The range of functions is comparable to other affordable smartwatches and more expensive fitness trackers such as Fitbit’s Charge 6 (review). One of the reasons for this is that you are unable to install other apps on the Huawei Watch. This means that music streaming apps such as Spotify or Deezer cannot be used, in addition to smart home apps like Nuki or the Tesla app. With the Watch Fit 3, you are therefore limited to what the manufacturer has pre-installed on the watch at the factory.
Compared to more expensive smartwatches, many practical functions are missing. Huawei’s own voice assistant only works if you are using a smartphone that runs on Harmony OS. In other words, only Huawei handsets will play nice with it for voice assistance. Unfortunately, the response options for notifications have been removed as well. While you can read various notifications, the only interaction to that is to delete it.
What is ultimately surprising after all the fuss surrounding the embargo against Huawei is how easy and uncomplicated it is to connect the watch to Android and iOS. There is no need for an additional APK installation on Android, and Huawei even managed to enable remote camera control on your iPhone. Huawei has managed to eliminate all detours for now, which is great!
Performance & Fitness
Naturally, the Huawei Watch Fit 3 takes on a dual role as a fitness tracker. The “five and a half” version of the Huawei TruSeen combines heart rate measurement, a pulse oximeter, and other metrics. Thanks to single-band GPS, the smartwatch can also track your location. Technically, the watch also offers 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. However, it lacks a thermometer for body temperature and an ECG.
Pros:
- Precise heart rate tracking and solid GPS.
- Excellent data interpretation.
Cons:
- No ECG nor a body temperature sensor.
- No auto-detection for workouts.
After ingenious smartwatches such as the Huawei Watch D (review), which enables precise blood pressure measurement on the wrist, expectations for its tracking performance are quite high when we looked at the Watch Fit 3. However, a glance at the technical specifications revealed how the available sensors are comparatively limited without ECG measurement and a body temperature sensor. If you want to measure such metrics, you will have to look for a different and more expensive smartwatch.
However, if you can live with continuous heart rate measurement, blood oxygen level monitoring, GPS, and basic motion sensors, you will find above-average data interpretation here. In my experience, the collected data is sufficient for effective sleep and sports tracking. I consider the Watch Fit 3 to be perfectly adequate for my marathon preparation as destiny calls out to me this September.
Training data monitoring while running and my recovery while sleeping and avoiding stress worked really well during the review duration. As the screenshot shows, the collected data is roughly on par with the Whoop 4.0 (review), which is used by athletes worldwide. In my opinion, Huawei’s companion app even presents the data in a more comprehensible and comprehensive manner.
What I found really annoying in everyday use, however, was the lack of auto-recognition when exercising. Many smartwatches now recognize walks, bike rides, etc. and include them in the total workload for the day. With the Watch Fit 3, you will have to remember to begin workouts. However, as with most modern fitness trackers, the variety of available training types is astounding. Thanks to 5ATM certification, you can even go swimming or canoeing with the Watch Fit 3 without any worries.
Thanks to its independence from your smartphone for music playback and GPS, you can also bring the Watch Fit 3 with you without your phone if necessary.
Battery and quick charging
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 has a large battery capacity of 400 mAh. This allows Huawei to achieve runtimes of up to ten days. In daily use, the watch should last for a week. It is charged via a proprietary magnetic charging cable and takes 60 minutes to charge from 0 to 100.
Pros:
- Really good battery life.
- Simple charging mechanism.
Cons:
- Proprietary charging port, so remember it when traveling!
- No fast charging.
- No wireless charging.
At seven to ten days, the Watch Fit 3 offers a truly outstanding battery life. This is impressive as Huawei achieved such runtimes even using energy-saving functions or other functional restrictions. In our review with 24-hour heart rate and blood oxygen saturation monitoring enabled, the watch lasted just under six days. This is an excellent result, since I set up the watch twice as I switched from Android to iOS in between.
Together with the charging time of around one hour, this allows the Watch Fit 3 to record vital data seamlessly. In my opinion, the use of fitness trackers only makes sense if you can also use them at night and for several days at a time, which is the case here.
However, if you are traveling with the Watch Fit 3 for a longer time, you must always remember to bring the proprietary charging cable along. This must be attached magnetically to the underside of the smartwatch before it can supply the watch with power via USB-C. Wireless charging is not supported and there is no fast charging function, either. However, I found the latter to be negligible due to the very long runtimes.
Final verdict
After a few days of use, you completely forget that the Huawei Watch Fit 3 costs approximately $170. Thanks to its aluminum alloy case and excellent display, the smartwatch feels much pricier than its sticker price. Together with the stylish fabric strap and the thin case, this wearable device is also really comfortable to have around the wrist.
It is an advantage, the Fit 3 can be worn on the wrist for seven to ten days at a time. Even though there is no fast charging function, you still get very reliable and seamless tracking of health data. In this respect, the smartwatch shone with excellent data processing via the Huawei Health app. The lack of a body temperature sensor and ECG is acceptable considering the price.
What Huawei also did really well with this model is how the smartwatch communicates with both Android and iOS-powered smartphones without missing a beat. Unlike older models, you no longer have to install apps via APK. Synchronization and the transfer of notifications worked flawlessly for both Android and iOS.
The only remaining point of criticism is how you cannot install any additional apps on the Watch Fit 3. This limits the range of functions compared to more expensive smartwatches. Nevertheless, Huawei proved itself once again that they can produce really good wearables—we give it a 4.5-star rating and heartily recommend it!
