Over the past year, Samsung has released 2 models of smart watches, and one line is Galaxy Watch Active and Active 2. But we have not seen the hereditary successor of Gears watches. The last watch came out back in 2018.
And now, 2 years later, at the presentation of Galaxy Unpacked 2020 in August, we were presented with the Galaxy Watch 3. The saddest thing is that there are not so many changes in fact.
Body and design
The Galaxy Watch 3 case has become a little smaller (it was 42 × 46 mm, now 41 × 42 mm). But there is no particular choice, tk. not all colors are available in one size or another.
The 45mm larger version of the watch can be purchased completely in black or with silver accents. The compact 41mm version is available in bronze or silver.
All watch models are made of stainless steel. There is also a premium version in a titanium case (not available in the CIS countries).
The design of the watch, in comparison with the Galaxy Active, has changed slightly, but the watch itself has become more like ordinary mechanical counterparts. The buttons on the sides are more mechanical.
The watch has become more compact on all fronts and in thickness too:
- version 44 mm – thickness 11.1 mm and weight 53.8 g,
- version 41 mm – thickness 11.3 and weight 48.2 g.
The matrix resolution has not changed and is 360 × 360 pixels. Third-party developers do not have to adapt their software again. The pixel density per inch is sufficient, the picture looks good.
The matrix is bright, there is an auto-brightness function.
The second important change to the body is that there are no more plastic elements. Previously, the entire back cover was made of plastic, and this wildly cheapened the watch. Now only stainless steel and glass (in place of the sensor).
The bronze version deserves special attention. Now it is not a bright “bloody” chrome-gold, but natural bronze.
The watch case has holes for speakers and a microphone. The speaker is loud enough, you can make and answer calls through the recorder.
The watch uses quick-release straps of 20-22 mm. The basic version comes with a leather strap with a good impregnation of the inner part, which repels moisture, and this strap will really last longer.
The protective glass and the matrix itself are recessed below the plane of the bezel, which is additional protection. There is moisture protection according to the IP68 standard, i.e. you can swim in them in the pool (I do not recommend diving deeply, they are not intended for this).
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Performance
There are minor changes in the hardware. The volume of internal memory has grown from 4 to 8 GB. You will not spend space on installing third-party applications (they weigh a little), but on downloading music for listening without a phone. For example, jogging using a wireless headset.
Bluetooth 5.0 (formerly Bluetooth 4.2), but disconnections from iPhone have not gone away (no matter how far away your smartphone is). At the same time, there is Wi-Fi, but it does not help with transmission when there is no Bluetooth – connection.
Installed processor Exynos 9110 at 1.15 GHz. It is slightly faster than the previous version of Active 2.
The amount of RAM increased by 256 MB. The clock does not slow down during operation (however, as in the previous revision). Sometimes you can see small freezes when you change the dial.
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Payment via NFC
NFC technology no longer supports older magnetic stripe cards. You can still pay only through Samsung Pay (Google Pay does not work), and the number of connected banks is very limited.
The payment process itself is still the same clumsy and inconvenient. You need to hold the button, enter the pin code, select your card and only then pay.
There is an eSIM version of the Galaxy Watch 3 (for the US market). It will not be sold in Russia, because no official eSIM support on smart watches. And on smartphones, please use.
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Functional
Galaxy Watch 3 has automatically learned to detect a fall of a person. The watch sends a command to the smartphone to call the specified number, i.e. to a trusted person. In conjunction with iPhone this function does not work (in the branded application there is not even such a menu item where you can specify a trusted number). So for Android users only.
Reducing the size of the case did not pass without leaving a trace – the battery capacity is reduced. In the large 45mm version, the battery capacity has decreased by 27%, in the compact version by 41mm – by 8-9%.
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Workout and health
The lion's share of all smartwatch functions are related to sports. All functions in previous generations work the same or better. For example, the training recording function starts immediately, and not as in Apple Watch constantly suggests: “Do you want to start training?”
The pulse is determined accurately, with minimal errors. It is possible to determine the oxygen saturation of the blood.
The announced function of determining blood pressure and electrocardiogram does not work yet – they promise in future updates. But there is a nuance: the Ministry of Health of the country where you live must write a conclusion that this watch is not honey. equipment.
And only then will Samsung make an update specifically for your region, and these functions will start working. By the way, Apple Watch has a cardiogram, but it still doesn't work in Russia.
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Software
Operating system Tizen 5.5, proprietary OneUI Watch 2.5 shell
This watch has no advantages over the current official Galaxy Watch line. site.
There is a deep customization of the dial: now you can change the arrows, background, change widgets.
A new weather dial has appeared, very cool animation, but not very informative.
There is a very fast dial selection. That is, when you quickly scroll the bezel when choosing one or another dial, they are displayed in a compact form – you can see the whole picture.
I did not notice any additional changes in the interface.
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Autonomy
With all functions activated, the 45mm version works for a maximum of 1.5 days. This is for one hour training using GPS. If you disable “Always On Display”, the watch will last a maximum of 3 days.
The 41mm version works for a maximum of 1 day (with all functions activated), and with the “Always On Display” disabled, a maximum of 2 days.
Unfortunately, in this regard, Samsung caught up with the company Apple (Apple Watch works for a maximum of 1 day with the sleep tracking function).
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Contents of delivery
Ideas included magnetic charging. Almost the same tablet that was used in previous generations of watches. Charging takes about 2 hours. The magnet itself is very weak.
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conclusions
Firstly, all the current models of previous generations of the Galaxy Watch Active – they are still relevant. And if they suit you, there is no point in changing them.
Galaxy Watch 3 is better, more expensive, but less autonomous. There were 3 days of stable battery life, now 1.5 days on the large version.
I consider the Galaxy Watch to be one of the best smartwatches for Android devices. It is clear that it is quite difficult to compete with Apple Watch, but buying them is quite acceptable. Because many functions, such as answering a call, work (except for answering notifications).