If you’re on the hunt for a smartband that ticks the boxes for functionality and longevity, the vivo Watch 3 might just surprise you.
After spending two weeks with it, I’m impressed by how well-rounded this watch is.
It’s got a host of useful features, battery life that seems almost endless, and, it pretty much works with any Android phone, regardless of brand.
first impressions are good.
The vivo Watch 3 comes in a no-nonsense box, with just the essentials – the watch and its charger.
At first glance, I couldn’t help but notice how similar it looks to the Google Pixel Watch 3. But, there are key differences.
For one, the rotating crown sits at an angle, and there’s a side button just below it. The microphone and speaker are on the left side.
With a 1.43-inch OLED screen, the display holds its own even under bright sunlight, and frankly, for a fitness watch, that’s all you need.
Navigating through the watch’s interface is straightforward. The crown button pulls up an interface that feels familiar, and everything you need is just a swipe or two away.
fitness first.
One of the key selling points here is the extensive exercise modes.
Whether you’re running, cycling, or doing yoga, this watch has a mode for it, and it even auto-detects what workout you’re doing. No need to manually start it too, which is a nice touch.
The health tracking features are solid. Swiping right brings up stats like heart rate, daily activity, and sleep hours.
Pairing the vivo Watch 3 with the vivo Healthcare app is simple and effective. It gives you a clear dashboard of your health data, and you can dive deeper into each metric for more detail.
I was impressed by the range of information it collects (from sleep tracking to heart rate) but the app could use a bit more polish in terms of data accuracy, particularly for sleep. I noticed it occasionally mistook me lying down for actual sleep.
notifications take a back seat.
Swiping through the watch reveals notifications, but here’s where things get a little less smooth.
You only get previews of texts, and emails display the subject line but not the content. Plus, some emojis just refuse to show up. And no, you can’t reply to messages directly on the watch. It’s not a full Wear OS device, after all.
But when you swipe up to access the quick settings, things get more interesting. There are plenty of features here, like setting alarms, either through the watch or the accompanying app.
You can also control your phone’s music, or even more impressively, transfer songs directly to the watch and pair Bluetooth earphones to listen to music right from your wrist.
One gripe I had was I just wanted the watch to vibrate without making a sound, but that’s not an option here. If you turn the sound off, it goes straight into silent mode, and that disables vibrations too. Frustrating, especially since the vibration motor isn’t particularly strong, even when set to “enhanced”.
limited customisation.
Customisation options are decent, though not groundbreaking. You can change the watch face, and there’s even a Watchface Store where you can download more options, all for free (at least for now).
What you see is what you get, though, since there’s no customisation within the watch faces themselves.
NFC and extras.
One interesting feature is the NFC access card support; you can add an NFC card to your watch just by tapping it to the screen.
I also liked the Do Not Disturb (DND) feature, which can be customised on the watch, though it doesn’t sync with your phone. You’ll have to manually set the DND schedule, but once you do, it works seamlessly.
battery life is a real winner.
Here’s where the vivo Watch 3 absolutely crushes it. This watch sips power, using just about 5% per day, even with continuous health tracking enabled.
That means you can expect it to last up to 20 days on a single charge. For a device with this many features, that’s incredible.
Charging, however, is a bit of a letdown. The watch uses a magnetic charger with pogo pins and, surprisingly, still relies on USB-A. In a world where USB-C is standard, this feels outdated.
you need to manage expectations with the OS.
Now, while the vivo Watch 3 does a lot right, it’s important to note that this isn’t a full-fledged smartwatch.
It runs on vivo’s Blue OS, which works beautifully as a fitness tracker but falls short of being a true smartwatch. Notifications are basic, and you can’t reply to messages. The watch faces are also limited, and there’s no app ecosystem like you’d find on Wear OS or Apple’s watchOS.
should you buy it?
If you’re looking for a fitness-focused watch with exceptional battery life and all the basic features you need, then yes, it’s a solid choice. It works across all Android phones, though you’ll get the best integration with a vivo phone.
The only catch is the price. It is on the higher end, competing directly with established smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch.
And while the vivo Watch 3 wins hands down on battery life, the Galaxy Watch offers more features and better integration with Samsung phones.
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