Huawei Watch 3: a good combination of style and functionality

A new entry into the smartwatch market is Huawei’s Watch 3. Running on Huawei’s own Harmony OS, the Watch 3 hits the mark with a fine combination of style and functionality and when paired with a Huawei smartphone you will truly maximise this very smart watch’s potential.

Look and feel 

One of the little gripes I have had with Huawei watches in the past has been the size; they have been on the large size and somewhat bulky. The first thing I noticed about the new Watch 3 is its weight and how nice it is to the touch and the fact that it is not too big on the wrist. Made from curved glass and stainless steel, improvements are easily noticed in the quality of finish in the actual watch face and the strap. The rotating crown allows easy navigation and there is that lovely reassuring haptic feedback that we are all familiar with.

The screen is bright. The apps are easily identifiable and accessible.

Fitness and health

Let’s face it, if you are getting a smart watch, very often it is for the fitness features and it is here the Huawei Watch 3 comes into its own. There are over 100 different workout modes with multiple metrics and many of these offer automatic exercise detection modes together with what might be for some an annoying American voice announcing your progress. This can be switched off in settings.

The GPS performs well and provides a high level of accuracy. The fitness tracker comes with a ring-style widget to keep you informed of your targets and progress throughout the day and with the latest update you will not get little nudge notifications to get you up and moving should you become inactive.

When exercising I am not one to listen to music or podcasts (both which are possible, by the way with the Watch 3) I prefer to have this as thinking time. One of the drawbacks of not having a phone with me in these times is that very often an idea will come and I have nowhere to jot it down. The note apps, which allows voice memos, is so easy to use and even when jogging I was able to quickly record some ideas that popped into my head. An excellent feature.

The Watch 3 comes with a sleep tracker, which I did not test out due to the fact that having a watch on my wrist when sleeping is a bit like sleeping with my socks on; not for me. In saying that, many people do choose to sleep with their socks on, and I guess more and more people are also comfortable sleeping with a watch on their wrists. Then the ability to track and learn about your sleep patterns is an attractive option.

There is also a fall detector and reacting to concerns we all have in Covid times, there is also continuous skin temperature tracking. In July, an update will push notifications to you to remind you to wash your hands.

Battery performance

I have found with some smart watches that battery life on normal mode can be hard pressed to last more than a day’s activity. The Huawei Watch 3 performs much better. On a recent hike over the course of most to the day out on the Wicklow mountains, the battery stood up to test remarkably well and I was able to continue to use well into the next day and beyond before having to charge it again.

The Watch 3 has different battery modes: Full smart mode and all the bells and whistles are in play and battery life when paired to my Huawei P40 Pro stretches to about 2-3 days. You can extend performance by switching to Ultra-long mode and with this activated the Watch 3 will stay functioning for up to 14 days.

With the update to Harmony OS on June 21st, battery life is even better.  Charging time is quite good. A quick charge to 25% can be achieved in about 15 – 20 mins and will set you up for the day if needed.

Huawei’s Watch 3

If you are a Huawei smartphone user, the Watch 3 is the perfect companion as it will allow to maximise its full potential.

The new Watch 3 comes in different styles: sporty, classic, active and elite. How much does it cost? You can pick it up for €369. All details here  – https://consumer.huawei.com/ie/