Recently, the new Huawei Watch Fit 3 officially launched in Europe, and we’ve been eagerly waiting for it, especially since the previous model is already two years old! In this review, we’ll find out how the watch differs from its predecessor and whether it’s worth buying.
Positioning and price
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is the successor to the Huawei Watch Fit 2. While the previous model resembled a fitness band in its format, the Fit 3 definitely inherits the design of a certain popular “apple” smartwatch.
In the lineup, this gadget sits between the typical Huawei Band fitness trackers (with the latest being the ninth generation) and the more advanced round smartwatches. The capabilities of the Watch Fit 3 are somewhat simpler than those of the Watch 4 and Watch 4 GT series, but they will be sufficient for most users. Plus, the affordable price—starting at $150 / €138—plays an important role.
Read also: Huawei Watch Fit 2 Review: Stylish and Hi-Tech
What’s changed compared to Huawei Watch Fit 2
Often, manufacturers release new generations of devices just to remind people they exist, and it’s easier to sell something “new” than the “old.” But what can you improve in an already great watch for active and sporty users? A lot, actually! So, the Watch Fit 3 is far from a “throwaway” release.
- Updated design: Now it looks like a smartwatch, not a fitness band, with a convenient rotating button for navigation and new color options.
- Improved display: Larger size at 1.82″ (compared to 1.74″), LTPO technology (variable refresh rate from 1 to 60 Hz for better energy efficiency), and automatic brightness adjustment.
- Enhanced software: Now almost identical to what’s found in Huawei’s round smartwatches, supporting over 100 workout modes (up from 11), more accurate monitoring of heart rate, sleep quality, stress levels, menstrual cycle tracking, calorie counting, and the ability to install additional apps.
Huawei Watch Fit 3 specifications
- Dimensions: 43.2×36.3×9.9 mm
- Weight (without strap): Approximately 26 g
- Screen: 1.82″ AMOLED LTPO, 480×408, peak brightness 1500 nits, refresh rate up to 60 Hz
- Material: plastic + aluminum (rotating crown, function button)
- Strap: PTFE, nylon or leather (depending on the version)
- Battery: 400 mAh (lithium-polymer)
- Operating time: Up to 10 days maximum on a single charge. Up to 7 days in normal use
- Charging: Wired charger (magnetic pins), fully charged in approximately 60 minutes.
- Functions: Voice assistant, music playback control, remote shutter, moon and tide phases, sunrise and sunset times, compass, stopwatch, timer, alarms, phone locator, watch face store
- Health functions: Heart rate, SpO2, stress measurement, sleep monitoring and sleep breathing tracking, cycle monitoring
- Sports functions: Over 100 sports modes (including swimming, free dive mode, TrueSport workout analysis, run route recording (GPS)
- Resistance: 5 ATM
- Communications: Bluetooth 5.2 (BR+BLE+EDR), GPS
- Sensors: Acceleration, light, gyroscope, compass, optical heart rate measurement
Package contents
In the box with a colorful image of the watch, you’ll find the watch itself with a strap, a charging cable (you’ll need a separate power adapter), and documentation.
Read also: Huawei Watch GT 4 (41 mm) Review: an elegant smartwatch
Design
Almost anyone familiar with the Apple Watch will immediately think, “This looks familiar…” Indeed, compared to the previous generation, the Watch Fit no longer resembles a fitness band with a large screen. It now looks almost exactly like the Apple Watch (especially the SE model). Whether that’s good or bad is up to you to decide. However, the design is undeniably beautiful, classic, and recognizable.
As many as 6 colors are available:
- black (black case and fluoroelastomer strap)
- pastel pink (pink case and fluoroelastomer strap)
- moon white (silver case, white fluoroelastomer strap)
- pistachio green (silver case and pistachio fluorocarbon strap) – exclusively on the official websites of some regions
- Pearl white (gold case and white leather strap) – more expensive than other options
- gray (silver case, gray nylon strap)
As you can see, four of the color options come with a standard sports strap, one features a breathable and quick-drying nylon strap (by the way, I always wear this type of strap with all my watches—ordering them affordably from AliExpress), and another has an elegant business style with a leather strap. We received the latter for testing.
One interesting thing is that two silver models have red keys, which looks spectacular.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 has an aluminum case with elegantly rounded edges on the screen. The watch is light and slim, making it hardly noticeable on your wrist.
The display is large, although the bezels are somewhat wide. However, this effect can be minimized by choosing a watch face with a black background.
On one side of the case, you’ll see a speaker hole. On the other side, there’s a “crown” button, a microphone, and a functional key.
The rotating “crown” button is probably one of the main innovations of the Watch Fit 3. It allows you to navigate through menus and options very conveniently without having to touch the touchscreen. This feature is particularly useful when your hands are wet or when you’re wearing gloves.
Pressing the “crown” brings up the apps menu, while pressing the functional key lets you access the app or function you’ve selected. By default, it’s set to the workout app.
On the back panel, you’ll find the heart rate sensor, magnetic contacts for charging, and small buttons for removing the strap.
Let’s look at the strap. On the test model, it’s made of eco-leather, featuring a familiar ivory color on the outside and brown on the inside, similar to another Huawei watch. The quality of the craftsmanship is high.
There are two ways to attach the strap in this design: a simplified method (pressing the buttons on the back panel) and a classic method using levers and telescopic tubes. This means you can use any other 20 mm wide strap with a classic “telescopic” attachment, and there are plenty available, at least on AliExpress.
Other models have only a simplified mount:
To wrap up this section, it’s worth noting that the watch case is water-resistant to 5 ATM, meaning you can safely swim and dive up to 50 meters with it.
Display
All Huawei watches feature large, high-quality screens, and the Watch Fit 3 is no exception. It has a 1.82-inch display with an AMOLED LTPO matrix. The refresh rate can drop to as low as 1 Hz to save energy (ideal for a watch that displays the same information for long periods). The resolution is high at 480×408 pixels, so the image is sharp, much like on a smartphone.
The peak brightness reaches up to 1500 nits. And believe me, that’s a lot—many high-end smartphones still offer 900-1200 nits. So, the screen’s readability in sunlight is excellent, which is essential for a good smartwatch.
However, I noticed that in automatic mode, the watch doesn’t always reach the full 1500 nits, but even lower brightness levels are sufficient for screen readability. I did manually increase the brightness to the maximum to take a photo.
Compared to its predecessor, there’s now an auto-brightness option. This is convenient, as you no longer need to adjust it manually when moving from a sunny environment to a dark room or vice versa. This is important for conserving battery life.
There is an always-on display (AoD) mode. Personally, I don’t use it because I don’t see the point in draining the battery for no reason. But it’s implemented in much the same way as in the Watch 4 / 4 GT (I’ve left links to their reviews if you want to check them out).
Each dial has an energy-saving AoD version. Here are some examples:
By the way, in sunny weather, AoD is almost useless because the brightness is reduced to a minimum:
There’s also an alternative option for a constantly on display where you can choose how long the screen will stay active—up to 20 minutes—in the settings.
Read also: HUAWEI Band 9 Smart band Review
Connectivity and data transfer
The watch supports only Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity. There’s no Wi-Fi (which is reserved for more advanced models) and no NFC either. Even if NFC were present, you wouldn’t be able to use it for payments with the Watch Fit 3 in stores, as Huawei smartwatches do not support this feature in Europe.
You can use Bluetooth to connect wireless headphones to the watch and listen to music, for example, while jogging. Music can be added through the smartphone app. Although I couldn’t find official data on the exact amount of memory in the watch, other reviews suggest that it has 2 GB (similar to the Watch 4 GT). However, around 1.5 GB is available to the user, which should be enough for approximately 300 tracks.
And like a self-respecting smartwatch, Huawei Watch Fit 3 allows you to receive calls (with speakerphone). You can also make a call from it, but you will first have to add your favorite contacts through the application, since there is no synchronization with the call list and address book. During conversations, there are no complaints about the quality of the microphone and speaker.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones. For iOS, there are some limitations, but they aren’t very significant—such as the inability to reply to messages, install software from the app catalog (which is quite limited anyway), or control music and camera playback.
The easiest way to connect the watch to your phone is by scanning the QR code that appears on the screen after you turn it on. This will provide you with a link to download the latest version of the Huawei Health app. If you’re using Android, it’s better not to download it from the Play Store, as it may be outdated.
In the app, you need to go to the “Devices” tab and select the option to add a new device. Once the watch and phone pair, you’ll need to grant several permissions (for making calls, sending notifications from selected apps, accessing the calendar, location, etc.—all optional). After that, you’ll be all set to use it.
Huawei Health app
The app primarily stores all the statistics collected by the watch. It records workouts, daily activity, heart rate data, stress levels, sleep quality, and oxygen saturation. You can also log your weight and track your menstrual cycle within the app..
With Huawei Health, you can update the watch’s firmware, add watch faces, load music, and install third-party apps. Other useful options include enabling or disabling sleep tracking (including apnea monitoring), reminders for prolonged sitting, continuous heart rate monitoring (with notifications for deviations from normal levels), and automatic stress and oxygen saturation measurements.
In Huawei Health, you can also trigger a search for the watch (it will emit a sound, not show its location on a map), select which apps will send notifications to the watch, add “favorite” contacts to display on the watch, set alarms, and edit reply templates for messages.
It’s a bit disappointing that the app’s features are limited. For example, you can’t enable AoD, automatic workout detection, change widgets on “side screens,” adjust display, sound, or vibration settings, choose functions for additional buttons, or set up workout plans via the app. All these adjustments have to be made directly on the watch. While the watch screen is relatively large, it would be more convenient to make these changes through the phone app.
Software
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 runs on HarmonyOS 4.2, the same operating system found in the more advanced Huawei Watch 4 / 4 GT. The system is attractive, smooth, and simple. Although it has fewer features compared to Google’s WearOS, its smoothness and speed are impressive.
Initially, the watch comes with a range of watch faces designed specifically for the new series, matching the colors of the cases and straps. Some of these faces are animated, with elements moving when the screen is activated—quite visually appealing.
Some dials “react” to the scrolling of the wheel, which is also a cool feature!
Among all the new watch faces, one that caught my attention features a smiley face that expresses various emotions. However, it often appears dissatisfied for some reason.
Some of the watch faces offer customization options. You can change elements such as fonts, colors, and displayed modules. You can see more details in the video.
Of course, you can also add new watch faces. There are many available in the Huawei Health app, spanning a variety of styles.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 displays notifications from any apps without issues (as long as you first select the desired ones in the Huawei Health settings), and it shows the app icons as well.
The displayed message length is quite long—up to 460 characters. You’ll see notifications from popular messengers and SMS. However, there is no preview for Gmail messages, though it’s unclear why.
You can even reply to messages, but there are a couple of caveats: firstly, replies are only supported on Android, and secondly, you can reply either with an emoji or a template (which you can edit in the app).
If you swipe right from the main screen, you’ll access the “Smart Assistant,” which includes the weather forecast and a music control widget. This screen automatically adjusts recommendations based on the user’s habits. Calendar notifications and workout plans might also appear here.
Swiping left reveals a series of informational screens, including activity circles, key health metrics, calendar, workouts, and moon phases. By holding your finger on these screens, you can remove, reorder, or even customize (though not all) the selected screens, similar to how you can manage watch faces.
Swiping down from the main screen opens the settings panel. It features nine icons: settings, screen lock to prevent accidental touches, speaker cleaning with water, screen on (not to be confused with AoD), alarm, phone search, DND (Do Not Disturb) mode, sleep mode, and a flashlight (white screen + maximum brightness).
Swiping up from the main screen opens the notifications screen.
The main menu is accessed by pressing the “crown.” By default, the icons are arranged in a grid (you can zoom in on the apps using the rotating crown), but a list mode is also available in the settings.
A hallmark of a true smartwatch is the ability to install additional apps, and the Huawei Watch Fit 3 supports this, albeit in a very limited capacity. You can install software through Huawei Health, but there are only 7 (SEVEN!) apps available in the catalog. Among the useful ones are: camera control on your phone, navigation hints (but not full maps), Spotify control (for the app on your phone only), a discount card manager, and a travel guide.
Another sign of a fully-featured smartwatch is multitasking (even minimal). For instance, the Watch Fit 2 didn’t allow you to “minimize” an active workout. If you started a workout, you couldn’t access other functions of the watch until it was finished. Now, with the Watch Fit 3, you can double-tap the “crown” during a workout to bring up a list of all open apps, allowing you to return to the home screen and fully use the watch. To get back to your workout, just tap the icon at the top of the screen.
The main menu contains the following programs:
- phone search
- weather
- notifications
- flashlight
- settings
- Health Clovers (goals to keep you active and healthy)
- sleep analysis
- music
- heart rate tracking
- training reports
- timer
- calendar (now synchronized with the calendar on your phone)
- workouts (over 100 types)
- activity circles
- running readiness index
- compass
- tracking the female cycle
- Calls (unfortunately, the list is not synchronized with your smartphone, like contacts, so some entries will appear there only if you receive a call from the watch)
- calorie counter
- SpO2 measurement
- breathing exercises
- stress level tracking
- favorite contacts (added through the application on the phone, unfortunately, there is no synchronization with the address book)
- wallet (unnecessary because you can’t pay with the watch)
- timer
- alarm clock
In general, everything here is almost the same as in the Watch 4 GT series. And this is good news.
The settings are simple and straightforward, I won’t describe them, I’ll show you in the screenshots:
Read also: Huawei FreeBuds 6i TWS Headphones Review
Health and activity monitoring
The Watch Fit now includes the same workout modes as the more expensive Huawei Watch 4 / 4 GT. There are over 100 types, including swimming, mountaineering, triathlon, track running, and even horseback riding, darts, laser tag, frisbee, and belly dancing. It also supports creating personalized workouts, a running coach, and automatic activity recognition (walking, running, cycling, elliptical trainer). However, I was surprised that activity recognition takes as long as 15-20 minutes to start, whereas devices like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch typically take no more than 10 minutes.
In some fitness programs, you can even repeat the movements of the trainer – cool!
For each workout, you can set a goal to achieve (e.g., duration or number of calories burned). The electronic coach will provide voice instructions. The watch handles step counting, heart rate measurement, and other fitness metrics accurately. It also supports GPS, which ensures more precise tracking of running routes and allows you to retrace your steps on the same route.
During workouts, the Watch Fit displays a range of metrics: pace, distance, duration, steps, heart rate, calories, altitude, and training load. For running workouts, you can even compete against a virtual partner. A useful feature, familiar from other Huawei watches, is the color-coded scale at the top of the screen, showing the heart rate zones achieved (warm-up, aerobic, anaerobic, extreme). At the end of the workout, several screens with summary results are displayed.
All data is transferred to Huawei Health, where you can analyze it or export it to apps like Strava, Comoot, and Runstatic.
Additionally, the watch aims to keep you fit and motivates you to stay active. It reminds you if you’ve been sitting for too long, encourages you to close your activity rings, and awards badges for various achievements.
Now let’s talk about health. The TruSeen 5.5+ sensor continuously monitors heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress levels (based on heart rate). You can review the graphs directly on the watch or in the Huawei Health app.
There are no issues with heart rate measurements, but I wouldn’t recommend using the automatic SpO2 check. It’s quite sensitive to how the watch is worn and the position of your arm, often resulting in inaccurate readings. It’s better to measure manually while at rest and ensuring the device is correctly positioned on your wrist.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 provides automatic sleep monitoring with TruSleep technology. It tracks not just the duration, but also the quality and detailed structure of your sleep and naps, including light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, and wakefulness. The new feature also allows for the detection of sleep apnea (breathing interruptions during sleep), which can indicate serious health issues.
The watch monitors not only nighttime sleep but also daytime naps. Additionally, the app features a collection of relaxation music. Lastly, if you wish, you can even record the sound of your sleep. This way, you can find out if you really snore as described by your family or, for example, if you talk in your sleep and what you say!
A useful feature for women is the menstrual cycle tracker. The Huawei Watch Fit 3 tracks cycle phases and calculates the ovulation date based not only on entered information but also by analyzing physiological indicators such as heart rate during sleep and breathing rate. You can also make notes about your well-being during your period, both in the app and directly on the watch.
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 now includes a calorie tracking feature. As you know, maintaining a smart calorie deficit is key for effective weight loss. However, on the watch, you’ll only see a visual representation of the calories consumed, and you’ll need to log your calorie intake in the Huawei Health app. Having tracked calories for over 5 years, I can say that Huawei’s implementation feels inconvenient and rather basic. There are excellent smartphone apps (like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret) with extensive databases of global products and prepared meals, which greatly simplify calorie tracking. Huawei Health lacks such a database, making the feature less practical.
The Watch Fit also includes the “Health Clovers” feature, familiar from the Huawei Watch 4 series. This assistant reminds you of healthy habits—drinking water, taking vitamins, exercising, and even smiling!
Battery and operating time
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 comes with a 400 mAh battery. The manufacturer claims that battery life remains the same as in the previous generation—up to 7 days with active use and up to 10 days with less active use. With AoD (Always-on Display) enabled, it lasts about 4 days. The specifics of what constitutes active use are detailed in the watch’s specifications on the Huawei website.
Of course, in real life, battery life is individual and depends on factors like the number of workouts, GPS usage, how often you check the screen, the apps you use, health monitoring, and whether you sleep with the watch on, among other things.
I wore the Huawei Watch Fit 3 for 3 weeks. I rarely slept with it on, but I exercised daily and used GPS for running three times a week. The battery consistently lasted a week. In my opinion, that’s excellent, especially compared to Apple Watches that need daily charging or Galaxy Watches that last up to three days. Given the extensive features of the watch, as you’ve read, this battery performance is impressive.
Charging is done via a cable with magnetic contacts and takes approximately an hour.
Conclusions
I’m confident that this model will be a hit for the next two years (or even longer). In this new generation, the Watch Fit is no longer just a “fitness band on steroids” but a multifunctional smartwatch with the same software as the Huawei Watch 4 / Watch GT 4 series. It offers essentially the same features, except for some exotic functions like skin temperature measurement or ECG.
The watch features a convenient, beautiful, and smooth interface, a rotary knob for control, and a sleek and ergonomic design with a wide range of colors. The display is of superb quality. It’s worth noting that it works with both Android and iOS (with minimal restrictions), which is something that WearOS watches, like the Galaxy Watch, can’t boast about.
I can’t really find much to criticize. Perhaps the bezels are a bit wide. Also, you can’t make payments with the watch, and there are no plans to add this feature anytime soon. However, from what I’ve seen, even those with payment-enabled watches don’t use this feature very often. Overall, it’s an excellent gadget for its price—highly recommended.
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