Huawei Watch Fit3 Review – A Cost-Effective Fitness Smartwatch 

Aside from the flagship Huawei Watch series, Huawei has plenty of options for fitness enthusiasts. While the flagship range may grab all the attention in terms of style and aesthetic, the Watch Fit range offers excellent value at impressive prices. The latest in the lineup for the Chinese brand is the Huawei Watch Fit3.

Build and Design

I’ve tested quite a few Huawei watches over the years. While there were always some similarities to other leading smartwatches, the flagship range broke the mould with its circular design. However, it’s hard to escape the fact that the Watch Fit range closely resembles the Apple Watch. With the Watch Fit3, the resemblance is even closer. 

In the previous model, the Fit2 featured a longer face, leaning more towards an apparent rectangular shape. For the Fit3, the device has been pinched from the top, offering a much more squared finish. The rectangular shape persists, as it’s not entirely square. It looks much better, but it also pays off quite a bit more for the GUI, which I’ll discuss later. 

Another significant change over the predecessor is the inclusion of the round dial on the right-hand side. Again, you could argue that this is a move towards the Apple Watch, but I’d argue that it more resembles its flagship series, with the dial at the top and bezel button below it. 

On the rear, the sensor mechanics are housed on a circular bezel. This is much smaller than that on the Apple Watch. Sensors include a 9-axis IMU sensor on the interior, with outer sensors including the optical heart-rate monitor at the back and the ambient light sensor on the face. 

There are a few significant enhancements on the Watch Fit3 over the previous model. For starters, the AMOLED screen has increased to 1.82”. Despite this, the weight has remained the same at 26g, which is extremely lightweight, while measuring 9.9mm thick, decreased by 1mm from its predecessor and that of the Apple Watch. As for the AMOLED screen itself, it has a 480×408px resolution with a 347ppi pixel density. 

Lastly, the Huawei Watch Fit3 comes in various colour and style options. There are four plastic staps, which include the colours White, Green, Pink and Black. The remaining options are a White leather strap and a Grey nylon strap. Both offer better aesthetics but may not be as practical for athletes. 

Huawei Watch Fit3 Features, Health and Performance

As expected, the Huawei Watch Fit3 has various activity and health-tracking features. It tracks quite a bit, including running, walking, sleeping, Spo2, ECG and respiratory patterns. 

With the built-in GPS and the IMU sensor, which features an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, the watch can accurately track your distance on runs and all the varied movements from mat training. Huawei’s HarmonyOS for its watches remains one of the best, especially regarding the number of activities it supports in native tracking. Where most other fitness watches may require some generic activity, the Huawei watches have default options at your fingertips, making it easy to select and track accordingly. 

As its name suggests, the device is all about fitness. Tracking your fitness on the Fit3 is both easy and accurate. It has many options to choose from and provides detailed reports across each. Running with the GPS, the watch provides feedback after completing each kilometre and random stats compared to your smart companion.  

Further to the on-device tracking, additional stats are available on the Health app on your smartphone. Here, you can explore averages across the week or month, set goals, and even join global challenges for a specific month. Some settings assist with tracking, allowing users to achieve the progress goals they’ve set out for themselves. 

Another of the tracking features best viewed on the app is the TruSleep 4.0 tracking. It delivers many stats regarding your sleep with detailed analysis and plenty of suggestions. However, the sensitivity of the tracking doesn’t always add up. It occasionally reports that I slept slightly earlier than I did, while the opposite is true. Compared to my previous smartwatch, it measures deep, REM and light sleep quite differently. I’m not 100% sure the overall readings are accurate across the board, but it does a good enough job for the most part. As always, smartwatches aren’t medical devices, so you shouldn’t depend on their accuracy if you have specific health issues. 

While I like some of the Smart Companion features, it’s not something I’d always need. It can be pretty annoying when playing team sports, like football, when it blurts out quite loudly. Thankfully, what was a challenge previously can now be reduced in volume or muted entirely when needed. 

Battery life varies quite a bit. It all depends on what you’re doing that week. Without additional tracking, Bluetooth calls or GPS running, the battery can last up to two weeks. However, adding these activities may reduce the battery life to about five days. Still, five days is reasonably sufficient when you’re living an active lifestyle and being healthy, so there’s not much to complain about there. 

Is the Huawei Watch Fit3 Worth Purchasing?

In short, the answer is yes. It offers plenty of features and tracking for its price. It may not be a premium smartwatch, but it offers as much at less than half the price. It delivers an excellent performance and quickly does what it sets out to do. 

The Huawei Watch Fit3 is available at a retail price of R2,999 for the plastic version and R3,499 for the leather and nylon variants. Compared to the Huawei Watch 4 at R7,999 and the Apple Watch 9 at R9,499, the Fit3 costs a fraction of the price.

Also, read our reviews of the Huawei GT4 Smartwatch, Huawei Nova 8i, and the Huawei Nova Y60.