There is a smorgasbord of options available when it comes to smartwatches these days, with a number of wearables on the market to meet any budget. With this plethora of choice, however, it can prove difficult to separate different products, especially with the margins being as fine as they are.
It is with this in mind that an interesting opportunity recently presented itself, as we have two new smartwatches in for review – the Galaxy Fit3 from Samsung and the Watch Fit 3 from Huawei.
The former launched locally last week alongside new Galaxy A smartphones, and the latter is currently up for pre-order ahead of a launch in mid-May.
As we currently have both options in for review at Hypertext, we thought it worthwhile to run through the specifications of each device to see which wearable is sporting the better elements on paper in what we’re dubbing the Fit 3 spec shootout.
Below we detail each of the key specifications of the devices, highlighting in orange which smartwatch holds the advantage.
| Samsung Galaxy Fit3 | Huawei Watch Fit 3 | |
| Display | 1.6″ AMOLED (256×402) | 1.82″ AMOLED (480×408) |
| Dimensions | 42.9 x 28.8 x 9.9 mm (height, width, depth); 18.5g | 43.2 × 36.3 × 9.9 mm (height, width, depth); 26g |
| RAM | 16MB | Not disclosed |
| Storage | 256MB | 4GB |
| Battery | 208mAh | 400mAh |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Optical Heart Rate Sensor, Light Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Optical heart rate sensor, Ambient light sensor |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Durability | IP68-rated (water, dust) | IP68-rated (water, dust) |
| RRP | R1 295 | R2 999 |
Looking at the table above, honours are even at five a piece, so let’s delve a little deeper to see which is better on paper.
The new squarer, and some might argue Apple-ier, design of the Watch Fit 3 gives it a larger display. The larger size also means a heavier device, giving Samsung the edge on that front. Both smartwatches feature the same IP rating, but it is worth noting that Huawei offering has a 5ATM rating too.
“Devices complying with the 5 ATM-rated water have a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that they may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, they should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth,” explains a blurb from Huawei’s spec sheet for the Watch Fit 3.
The Huawei option sports a larger battery capacity too at 400mAh compared to the Samsung’s 208mAh, but interestingly the South Korean firm is claiming a longer battery life than the Chinese outfit is. To that end Samsung says the Galaxy Fit3 is good for up to 13 days, with a fast charge function to deliver up to 65 percent battery life in 30 minutes. Uncharacteristically no fortnight worth of power is mentioned by Huawei, with the Watch Fit 3 listed as managing up to seven days under heavy use.
As such, it will be interesting to see whether the claims of both manufacturers are accurate, given how important battery life is in the sleep tracking era of wearables.
The final aspect where the Fit3 has an advantage over the Fit 3 is price, with it more than half the price of Huawei’s latest smartwatch. Where Huawei has often excelled in competitive pricing, this is one of the rare occasions where it has been bested.
With our review of both smartwatches expected before the end of May, we’re intrigued to see how each device will score after two weeks’ of use. For now though, pricing gives Samsung a slight edge on paper when it comes to the Fit 3 spec shootout.
