Design and Build

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is obtainable from 41mm to 45mm sizes and is designed with a stainless steel or titanium frame of 11.3mm (41mm) or 11.1mm (45mm) thickness. The 41mm model is 48.2g (stainless steel) or 43g (titanium), and the weight of the 45mm is 53.8g (stainless steel) or 43g (titanium). The color options are Mystic Bronze, Mystic Silver (41mm/45mm), and Mystic Black (45mm, titanium). As for the band sizing, it can fit 130–200mm (41mm) or 140–220mm (45mm) wrists, with the characteristic of a rotating bezel, two side buttons, and 20mm (41mm) or 22mm (45mm) bands. The display of the device has got Gorilla Glass DX at the front with the system of IP68 water and dust resistance (up to 1.5m for 30min) and MIL-STD-810G certification. Although the users regard it as a premium and traditional watch design, they mention that it is heavier than the Galaxy Watch Active 2.

• Stainless steel or titanium chassis, 11.3mm/11.1mm depth
• Rotating bezel, two side buttons
• Gorilla Glass DX front
• IP68 water/dust resistance, MIL-STD-810G
• Interchangeable 20mm/22mm bands

Galaxy Watch 3 Display

The Galaxy Watch 3 is equipped with a Super AMOLED panel of 360 x 360 pixels (41mm, 1.2 inches; 45mm, 1.4 inches), both displays have approximately 364 PPI. This display can go up to 1000 nits brightness; it is always-on functional. The screen size is similar to the Galaxy Watch Active 2, and also it has a stronger layer of Gorilla Glass DX. Users, in general, its quality, vibrant display, are applicable for both fitness and notifications, but they also indicate that it is an issue of being smaller than the Galaxy Watch 4's.

• Super AMOLED, always-on
• 41mm/45mm: 360 x 360, ~364 PPI
• Up to 1000 nits
• Gorilla Glass DX protection
• Similar to Galaxy Watch Active 2

Performance and Software

Features the Exynos 9110 (dual-core, 1.15GHz, 10nm) supported by 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, the Galaxy Watch 3 is driven by Tizen OS 5.5. Extra functionalities integrated into the device are Samsung Health, Bixby, and basic apps, but the Watch 4 is still a winner of the Wear OS app ecosystem. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Galaxy Watch 3 indeed have similar levels of operational speeds, and the former is highly efficient in fitness tracking tasks even though the app launching time for the latter is slower. As for reliability, users consist of their review on the health aspects of the device, reminding that it is still limited in comparison with the supported apps on a Wear OS device.

• Exynos 9110, dual-core, 10nm
• 1GB RAM, 8GB storage
• Tizen OS 5.5
• Samsung Health, Bixby
• No Wear OS

The Exynos 9110 handles fitness tracking and notifications well, but Tizen OS restricts app variety compared to the Galaxy Watch 4.

Sensors and Health

The Galaxy Watch 3 comes with a heart rate sensor, ECG, blood oxygen (SpO2), accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and ambient light sensor. It backs ECG (in some regions), blood oxygen, sleep tracking, stress monitoring, fall detection, a Galaxy Watch Active 2.

• Heart rate, ECG, blood oxygen
• Sleep tracking, stress monitoring, fall detection
• Accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer
• Ambient light sensor
• Region-limited ECG, blood pressure

Battery and Charging

The Galaxy Watch 3 can last up to around 48 hours with a 247mAh (41mm) or 340mAh (45mm) battery. And as a result, they are also agreeable with wireless charging, which is a 0–100% in ~2 hours of the process, using a magnetic charger (WPC-based). In actual practice with always-on display and heavy tracking, users obtain between 24–36 hours of usage. Without doubt, it is remarkable that the battery life is very good though not as much as the Galaxy Watch Active 2 while it is equivalent to the Galaxy Watch 4. Moreover, its users confess that they are obliged to charge it every day when the use is too intensive.

• 247mAh (41mm), 340mAh (45mm)
• ~48h (normal), ~24h (always-on)
• Charging: 0–100% in ~2h
• Magnetic charger (WPC-based)
• No fast charging

Connectivity

The Galaxy Watch 3 works with the following connectivity technologies: Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n, 2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, BDS), NFC and LTE (cellular models, $399.99+). It has also a speaker and microphone built-in for the purpose of calls and Bixby. Connectivity is satisfactory and is almost as good as the Galaxy Watch Active 2’s Bluetooth 5.0. It is inferior to the last device in terms of the lack of a dual-band Wi-Fi function. GPS signal accuracy and LTE service are the most commonly praised features in this product, however there is neither Wi-Fi 6 nor Wi-Fi calling support. In general, it is quite sufficient but not perfect.

• Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n, 2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0
• GPS, LTE (cellular models)
• NFC, Samsung Pay
• Microphone, speaker playback
• No Wi-Fi 6

Pricing and Availability

Priced at $399.99 (41mm, Bluetooth, stainless steel), the Galaxy Watch 3 was on sale since August 6, 2020, at Samsung, carriers, and retail locations. The LTE models are $50 more, and the titanium models are sold from $599.99. It was discontinued in 2021, and currently, it can be seen for ~$150–$250 refurbished. Consumers think of it as a premium choice due to its rotating bezel and health features although it is considered less versatile than the Galaxy Watch 4 with Wear OS.