Having been a fan of the HUAWEI WATCH FIT series, I was incredibly excited to try out the new WATCH FIT 3. The marketing around the watch promised something truly special, and I can honestly say they weren’t lying. This is a game changer! Review by Roxanne Martin
First impressions, the watch is incredibly fashionable, sleek and I would say timeless. The attention to detail is also incredible in that the watch face matches your chosen colour way. I went for the rose gold, it had a nice soft feel to it, and it was easy to match in with outfits so I knew it would work as an everyday watch. There were plenty to choose from, Olive green, charcoal and white – covering everyone’s fashion choices. It is also worth noting that the straps are interchangeable so if you want to mix and match you can.
The watch itself, comes with a charging cable, and while some may be disappointed with that, the watch is packed with so many features you won’t be disappointed as soon as you start using it.
Features
So where to start, this watch is packed full. I have to break it down a little, because if I list everything you will still be reading tomorrow!
The watch promises ten days of battery, so in our testing I made sure every feature was running to test their claims. I am happy to report that even with almost daily workouts of 30min to one hour, I did get ten days battery life exactly. What is more, I continued to get ten days, and the battery goes from zero to fully charged in one hour. I would say if you did a long run, or a longer training session this would shorten the battery life, but this isn’t a watch you will need to charge every day, maybe once a week.
Considering this watch is priced as an entry level smart watch, I was super impressed with not only the amount of workout modes available, but the functionality within each mode. I am going to focus on running as this is the mode I tested the most. What truly impressed me was the preset running courses that come with the watch.
- If you are starting out it gives you walk/run combos, at different levels, so the watch notifies you when you should be walking and when you should be running. It monitors your heart rate as well, vibrating to alert you if you are too high or too low. Doing these course weekly has really improved my fitness levels, and it makes my training a lot more structured.
Along with the different running courses, you also get ‘fitness courses,’ which essentially are stretching and warm up routines, with a little model to follow and again timed, I found this incredibly helpful to ‘actually’ get me to stretch after a run.
GPS tracking, full disclosure, no watch will ever get this 100% right, there are a lot of factors, which arm you wear the watch, the way you turn the corner etc. I tested the tracking by measuring it against my phone, recording the run, using my GPS on my phone and then on the watch. Both rendered the same result, and using the watch with my phone and without didn’t change the distance. Full disclaimer this isn’t a vital for me, but I do know it’s important for a lot of runners. I tested the variables within my scope of expertise, but I am no expert.
Post workout data is amazing, giving you access to your heart run zones, telling you how strenuous the activity was, your cadence data, and a full map of your activity, which you can share. It also tells you how long you should recover for, and it gives you insight into how the activity maintained your fitness. There is a LOT of data, but its given to you in an easy-to-follow format.
Does it connect to Strava? Yes it does, but only for outdoor activity, any indoor activities do no automatically sync. I am not too perturbed by Strava, so this was in no way a deal-breaker for me.
- Through the Huawei Health app, you have access to a range of running training plans, everything from a simple 3km plan to a full marathon plan. You can personalize it to your goals, in terms of time, distance or general fitness. The plans are synched to your calendar so you can easily keep track, and within the watch you simply go to training plan and courses, so the workout is automatically loaded. You get weekly reports on how you are doing, and if you are on track.
The watch offers full sleep monitoring as well, so in a sleep cycle you can track how you slept, how long you slept, and the quality of your sleep. It measures between light, REM and deep sleep, giving you an overall sleep score. I honestly always thought I slept well but looking at the data I had far too much light sleep with very little deep sleep. Consultation with my GP had me increase magnesium and would you believe I am sleeping better! It even measures respiratory and heart rate, showing you how you are breathing- the data available was incredible.
This is a fairly new feature, and it is there to help you if essentially live a fitter and healthier lifestyle by holding you accountable. You can choose your weight goals, and then by logging each meal, it helps you manage calories. Accurate in that it measures the calories burned and the calories consumed. It also gives you suggestions on activities to help your goals. I am not a calorie counter, I did try test the feature, but came short on day two. But would recommend if you need help loosing weight.
This is honestly just a short overview-there is a LOT more with this watch.
Overall Opinion
This watch scores a nine out of ten, I have docked a point because it sometimes disconnects which means I have to refresh to get it to sync again. But other than that I can find no fault. If you want a watch that is going to give you value for money, buy this one. At R2999 it is cheaper than all of its competition, and in our opinion offers so much value for money.
