Huawei Watch 3 test: Entering a new world

Huawei Watch 3. A novelty with which the Chinese technology giant is trying to stir up the waters of the smart watch segment. As the presence of a number in the title suggests, it is not a first.

Nevertheless, we are looking at something more with the new product than with the classic successor of well-known products. In the case of Huawei Watch 3, there is a significant change. To the sudden transition to the new HarmonyOS operating system.

This in itself is a huge challenge. All the more so if the high expectations set by previous products are in the background. The lowest selling price is not even close to € 400.

Huawei Watch 3 Pro: Parametre

Dimensions	46,2 mm x 46,2 mm x 12,15 mm
Weight	54 grams (without strap)
Display	Circular, AMOLED, 1.43 ″, 466 x 466 pixels
Material	Stainless steel + ceramics; Fluoroelastomer skin
Sensors	Acceleration sensor Gyroscope Geomagnetic sensor Optical heart rate sensor Ambient light sensor Barometer Temperature sensor
Memory	2 GB RAM 16 GB storage
Battery	450 mAh, real 3-4 days
Charging	Wireless, charger included
Compatibility	Android 6.0 and later iOS 9.0 and later
Water resistance	5 ATM
e.g	Yes
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, NFC, Bluetooth
Possibility to call	Yes
Microphone	Yes
Operating system	HarmonyOS 2.0
price	389/409 € (according to bracelet)

Huawei enters the ring as an experienced fighter against well-honed competition, so more significant shortcomings are very difficult to forgive. It is clear that the Huawei Watch 3 is aiming quite high. But will the new smart watch meet expectations or will the transition to a new software undergrowth require too much tax?

Software question

The innovation is full, the quality of workmanship is excellent and the hardware specifications are very promising. On paper, the Huawei Watch 3 looks really appealing. The biggest unknown is the software issue. And the first acquaintance is no longer the most flattering.

You need an accompanying application to use your smart watch wisely. That’s a fact. But if, as an average Android user, you expect to download the app from the Google Play store and start enjoying your new smart watch right away, you’ll be disappointed.

The situation was complicated by the fact that Huawei was recently cut off from Google services. Because of this, Huawei Health cannot directly update its application, which means that it will simply not be able to find your new watch.

You have to take a detour. You can install the correct version of the application through the HUAWEI AppGallery or through the installation package, which requires the permission of unverified sources. The average user can handle this without any major problems, but the dependence on Google services is high and the process can seem unnecessarily complicated.

Blaming Huawei for that doesn’t make much sense, it does the best it can, but with a premium watch, expectations are just set quite high. And from my point of view, expectations on the software side remain a bit unfulfilled.

The transition to HarmonyOS brings new possibilities, but it also fails in some basics. Part of this stands and falls on the lack of the possibility to use Google services, part is almost incomprehensible due to the price category.

You have the latest generation of beautifully crafted watches at your disposal, and you also have NFC. It looks promising. But he can forget about contactless payments. Again, this is a matter of software and a missing link to Google. You just don’t have to start paying with your watch, no matter how hard you try.

Do you want to store music in your new watch and use the available 16 GB storage? You’re unlucky again. It won’t work. Would you expect to be able to respond to received notifications, for example, by replying to a message? Even in this case, you will not walk. You can read the notifications on the watch, you have to reach for the reaction on your smartphone.

The situation with the interface language was also interesting. After the first run, I chose Czech because Slovak was missing, and everything looked fine. After a while, however, I was greeted again by English and another language change was needed. These are all minor shortcomings, but their combination clearly indicates the need for additional adjustments.

Perhaps at least some of them will be handled by software updates because they are undermining the feet of an otherwise great product. According to what I was able to find out in Slovakia, the eSIM technology does not work either. In this case, however, the solution is on the side of the operators, not in the competence of Huawei. Needless to say, Huawei is working on software improvements and new updates are really coming.

Exemplary processing

Huawei uses the knowledge gained so far in its new watch, and apart from the aforementioned labor pains in the field of software, you have more than a solid product in front of you. Huawei Watch 3 is very user-friendly and brings a wide range of features for everyday life.

On the construction side, I have nothing to complain about and I consider it to be more robust, which I appreciate. Thanks to the combination of dimensions (46.2 mm x 46.2 mm x 12.15 mm), the stainless steel body and the leather bracelet, you know that you have them on your hand, but they do not interfere at all. When wearing it, one simply knows that one does not have to worry about one’s watch even when using it more intensively. On the other hand, it must be said that the body is a little thicker, which can be discouraging, especially for the gentler sex.

The design itself is excellent, bringing a balanced combination of elegance and practicality. In addition, the overall look can be greatly customized using a number of digital dials that can be marked as a home screen. Some are available completely free of charge, some are for a fee, but there is still something to choose from.

The 1.43-inch display boasts AMOLED technology, offers a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels and offers enough brightness for trouble-free everyday use. I can also complain about visibility in the more intense sun.

Intuitive operation

In terms of usage, the transition to a new operating system HarmonyOS doesn’t need to worry. Overall, the user interface is clear, nimble and makes more than a good impression. There are also gadgets displaying basic information about physical or physical activity or a weather report.

The system basically offers a solid range of applications, but there is also the possibility of installing them via the Huawei AppGallery digital store. I would say that so far a reasonable basis can be found there, but from a practical point of view, it would like to expand the offer. Again, this is a side effect of the transition to the new platform.

You don’t have to have any previous experience with smart watches and you can handle practically everything completely intuitively. The transition from other smart watches is also problem-free.

For example, a combination of a rotating crown with a haptic response, a physical button and touch control directly via the display is handled, where even simple gestures come into play. Menus with options, settings, as well as with the applications themselves are clear and work well visually. As for control, celkovo is an exemplary interplay of traditional elements that works first class.

Traditional and new

I am not one of the most active athletes, but the functions related to the monitoring of bodily functions and physical activities came to me processed almost exemplary, even above-standard. The offer of possible activities is varied and the control is problem-free.

Measurement of heart rate, steps taken, distance, calories burned or average pace and elevation. The watch follows all these traditional, but also a bunch of more advanced, parameters that synchronize with the application Huawei Health.

Thanks to this, you can evaluate the level of your activity and the achieved sports results in the long run. During sports, for example, the display shows basic data, but a color visualization of the achieved heart rate zone is added to this.

In this respect, the Huawei Watch 3 met exactly what I expected from smart watches of this type. There are monitoring of dozens of sports activities from classic walking to golf. Active athletes will definitely enjoy themselves. You can choose from various training plans or programs, so motivation is taken care of.

Automatic activity detection was also a pleasure, which comes in handy if you forget to turn on monitoring manually. It was also pleasant to announce the results achieved after each kilometer. It is definitely worth mentioning the water resistance up to 50 meters.

In addition to a set of classic sensors and heart rate measurement, there is also monitoring of blood oxygenation, which has recently become a kind of standard. A small surprise is the monitoring of body temperature, or rather its sudden fluctuations. However, I must say that I did not study the extent to which the measurements are accurate, but empirically I came across the correct values.

Battery Life

Huawei states up to 14 days when the battery lasts. However, this value is quite optimistic, but mainly applies to moderate use with the endurance mode. A much realistic scenario is around 3 to 4 days of traditional use. As always, this value is very subjective and depends on the way each watch is used by each individual. I see battery life as a positive surprise.

Charging is done wirelessly via the USB-powered charger included in the package. This solution is convenient from a practical point of view and I would say it is reasonably effective. It takes about two hours to fully charge. When you insert the watch into the charger, you will feel a magnetic response, which means that you simply know that you have inserted the watch correctly. In addition, this is confirmed by the expected side effect – the watch will start charging.

Summary

In short, I would summarize the Huawei Watch 3 as more than a solid smart watch that accompanies the labor pains caused by the transition to a new software background. They are constructed by way of example, they have a plethora of expected, as well as unexpected, functions, they are excellently controlled and they definitely aspire to the position of a great everyday partner. For the time being, gaps in software are throwing them off the imaginary throne, but they certainly belong to the top positions in the smart watch segment.

Pros

• Exemplary processing
• Intuitive use
• Advanced sports use
• Versatility

Cons

• A combination of minor software flaws
• Without support for NFC payments
• (Not yet) unusable eSIM

Competition

Samsung Galaxy Watch4

The latest generation of Samsung’s popular smart watch line. Minimalist design, new Exynos W920 processor, Wear OS operating system or ECG measurement, blood pressure measurement (PPG) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

And that’s just a rough foundation of what Samsung brings in its innovation. In the wearable electronics segment, it is aimed at the very top, which is why the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 is a really strong competitor.

Fitbit Sense

The latest smart watches from a popular manufacturer offer everything you need. They are waterproof, endurance has stopped for 6 days, there is no lack of GPS and a quality display. This is an advanced watch that is the first in the world to offer an electrodermal activity sensor. They can measure the ECG as well as your body temperature.