Samsung - Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm, GPS, Bluetooth)

Both is always better. Different use cases scenarios for sure. I still rock my GW3 silver tizen at times and thi k its the most sleek GW so far and ultra thin. Looks killer with a leather band as well. Good luck

My leg day HR today. Matches almost exactly to my oura ring. This metric never excited me either way as it's always pretty consistent as long as I am wearing it properly. Similar readings from all my Galaxy watches going back 5 years. I would need to wear a medical HR monitor to really know if there was any difference.

Yea I used to jog years ago and workout with one of those. I think it was a Polar...anyways, at my age now, I am more interested in HRV , sleep metrics, and ease of use and I love the Galaxy watches and kinda have become somewhat of a collector. I swim 4 days a week and find they work excellent there. I enjoy seeing the advances in tech each generation and since my entire ecosystem is Samsung, I stay true to this brand because of compatability. BP is also VERY accurate but in the US it needs to be side loaded because FDA has never cleared it even though it's been working in most other countries for 5 years. While these wearables aren't perfect, they do keep improving and it really depends what is most important to you as far as features. It seems in your case that HR is at the top of the list which I totally get.

Watches arent designed to be upgraded every year - there's very little difference from the model 5 years ago to the latest one. If you're going from FE to Ultra then yeah, but you'll notice a bigger difference going from say a watch 7 FE to a watch 7 ultra than you will going from a watch 5 FE to a watch 7 FE (if it exists, but you get my gist) Samsung used to have a "comparison" page where you could compare one model to another. See if that's still there, and see if there's anything you REALLY care about that justifies the cost. The main difference with watch generations is "how long is it supported" , but again, unlike phones, that rarely means you'll get new features. If your watch works, then keep it. You'll likely be dissapointed with the improvements compared to the cost difference. I went from a Gear Watch 3 classic to a watch4 classic and felt like there was zero difference, then from a watch4 to a watch7 ultra and the only difference I notice is the screen size. Its a watch. I dont spend hours looking at it. I dont run high-load apps on it. Its a watch. If I had made either of those upgrades at retail cost I woukd be gutted and feel ripped off. Headphones , however, can be noticeably different. Depending on your appreciation of music, what you listen to, how you listen to it, etc. If you havent got a tuned-ear, only listen to highly-processed pop or country, and use Spotify- then buds pro are probably also not worth the upgrade. But still more worth it than a minor watch upgrade.

have a galaxy watch 3 and it worked fine with samsung health and health365 sync after setting it up. i switched to using the hpb tracker though since I switched to a non samsung phone and I found it annoying to keep charging the watch everyday so it can track my sleep

Well, my Samsung GW2 got replaced for free after swimming in the pool. Albeit I think they advertised it as made for swimming and I'm in EU where we have 2 years of warranty, so that's why... GW3 died afterwards after 3 years, also by swimming, so yeah, would not recommend to swim in GW2 and GW3.

I have an iPhone 14 and currently use a Galaxy Watch 3. As most iOS users know, many of the best smartwatch features only work properly with the Apple Watch. Perhaps part of my issue is that the Galaxy Watch 3 is quite old, but honestly, I think it has more to do with the rivalry between Apple and Samsung, so even if I upgraded to a newer Galaxy Watch, I feel like I'd still encounter the same limitations. Also, I'm not a fan of Samsung's health tracking app. I'm looking for an alternative that's as close to the Apple Watch experience as possible, something that offers at least 90% of the features (I know 100% isn't realistic). Main uses: workouts, stopwatch/study timer, sleep tracking, and heart rate monitoring. The brand doesn't matter (just not Apple…I'd love to have one, but they're out of my budget right now). Also, I find Apple's Health app incredibly polished and intuitive. Are there any non-Apple smartwatches that sync directly with Apple Health, or is this exclusive to the Apple Watch?

My battle buddy, the Galaxy Watch 3, isn’t lasting 5 hours…..

I went the same route as you.. Galaxy Watch 3 owner. Bought a FR45 on special and then upgraded it to a FR245m on sale. The entry level Forerunners that have succeeded the 45 have bridged the gap between those two models, so 'entry' level is more than entry once was. Keep an eye out on 200 series watches on special, but a 100 series would be a good choice. Don't expect it to be as smart watchish as a Galaxy, but they will do all the basic notifications and calendar/stop watch functions..

I like the idea of a Venu 4. I currently wear a Forerunner 245 for all my metrics, and Galaxy Watch 3 for phone notifications during the morning on work days. My main 'smart watch' interest is... does the watch audibly ring when my phone rings in Bluetooth range, so I can get to my phone and answer it and/or ring the person back. I don't care so much about answering the call, or replying to text/fb messenger on the watch... I just want to know something is incoming. And.. as a Forerunner owner, will losing all those buttons bother me. I'm kind of used to all the information the 245 provides me, so it would bother me probably dropping back to a Venu 3, but a Venu 4 does 99% of what the Forerunner 570 does, but you have to use the swipe screen because you don't have the buttons.. My running is down to 3 or 4 20-30 minute, 3km runs a week.. all easy pace, so I'm not doing different Interval training runs, or Threshold runs etc.. I'd like to think that touch once to start a run, and touch twice to end a run is all I would really need..

I had a samsung galaxy watch and my bestie had an apple watch. We both switched to garmin. I have the forerunner 165, and she has the vivoactive. One of best features of the garmin watches is battery life - one charge lasts about a week with daily workout tracking

Same! Galaxy has a peloton app on it, activated automatically. Highly recommend.

For battery life I would go Ticwatch or OnePlus 3. I have the latest Galaxy Watch and while the watch itself is slimmer than my Ticwatch 5, its battery life isn't great. I would have 70% battery left after listening to podcasts all day on my Ticwatch, while I have less than 50% with my Galaxy Watch.

I wore my galaxy watch for 3 years climbing with no protection on it and while it got some scratches, it never really got anything on the screen and nothing cracked, it's a pretty durable piece of hardware. The only time it really got in the way of climbing was on the occasional very large sloper where you get an arm on the hold and on crack climbs. I don't wear it anymore because I no longer enjoy smart watches in general, but it was a pretty solid piece of tech in terms of durability.

I use my galaxy watch because I like to listen to music while I climb without having my phone near by. I use a protective screen on the watch. I run through em quickly.

NRC does not require Apple products. Works just fine with my Samsung Galaxy Watch.

My experience with ticwatch was with the original pro and then the 3 pro. The original pro was laggy to the point of being unusable, and the 3 pro, when it eventually did get one of the few system updates, had the battery completely die not long after. I got fed up with ticwatch, and you can't trust them for anything to be honest. I've used the galaxy watch since the active 2 and up through the 7 (44mm). Working fine for me, but I don't particularly care for samsung's choice of notification cards (whole-screen horizontally-scrolled cards as opposed to a vertical list like most other watches). But it isn't a dealbreaker. Most everything else, I think samsung has the best overall experience. You could also look into a pixel watch 3. I used the pixel watch 2 and 3 (the 3 is no different from the 2 experience except for the larger size option; the SOC is the same and the software is the same). I think google's software features and fit-and-finish is lacking for their watch (for example, there is no option on a pixel watch to just automatically turn on the screen when a notification comes in to view the notification; you have to manually interact with it by either tapping the screen within a few seconds or lift-to-wake the watch, which is very unreliable--that actually was a dealbreaker for me).

You mention you want to use your watch for hiking I believe you are better with the Galaxy watch. The step count on the galaxy watches is right on the step count on the Oneplus watches is off. I have read this for the Oneplus 2, I experienced it on my Oneplus 2R and the Oneplus 3 has the same processors so I would be concerned. The galaxy watches get the updates the Ticwatches do not. My galaxy watches already have wear 5.0. The other problem with the Oneplus watch is the sleep monitoring. If you take a nap it will link in with your sleep score and you can not remove it. The galaxy watches have a much better sleep monitoring and if you take a nap it is registered separately so you can remove it or keep it. The stress monitoring on the Oneplus watch simply does not work. Galaxy watches win here again. If vibration strength is important to you the Galaxy 5 and 5 pro have the strongest vibration. I could go on and on.

I wear a galaxy watch and it's protected by my glove.

I have a Galaxy watch that I sometimes use. I only really find the heart rate useful and have been looking for an alternative. Refs are inconsistent in my (Sunday) league around the use of watches even if they're covered.

I have Samsung as well. A 4+ yr old galaxy watch and the app on my lg phone lol

I just got the OnePlus Watch 3 and I'm loving it. It's doing everything you mentioned and lasting me something like 4ish days, long enough that I'm kinda losing track. Usually I throw it on the charger when I shower and don't need to actually set aside any other time to charge it. I use it for sleep tracking, workout tracking, Google Wallet payments, all the normal stuff and looks pretty great IMO. I'd definitely recommend it. Like it way better than my Samsung Galaxy Watch that I had before this.... the 6 I think? Maybe 5.

People have been claiming that Google was going to end fitbut over 2 years ago. It's still fine. I tried a galaxy watch, but you have to charge it every day, just like the apple watch. My fitbit goes for days. I just charge it every other day while I shower. I've never run out of battery.

It’s not a fair comparison to an Apple or galaxy watch. It’s great for those of us who wear traditional watches but want something that can help track stats. One big benefit you missed is the sleep tracking. It’s way better than anything Apple watch can offer, and who wants to wear a watch while sleeping?

There's nothing wrong with climbing with a watch on. I do it almost exclusively with my Galaxy watch that I like and tracks pretty much everything you mention. Throw a wristband over it to keep it from getting scratched up and you're good to go. Just make sure to loosen it a notch before your session to allow for muscle contractions.

I have a Galaxy watch now, but it's crap as a fitness tracker. When I want accurate data, I wear my old Garmin. I think it's a Forerunner 235? That may not be in production anymore, but any of the entry-level Garmins would work.

You lost me at #1. I've had the last 4 galaxy watches and the pixel 3 watch blows them all away.... By far.

If you will use the new functions that the watch allows you, it is totally worth the change. If it is only decorative, there are smartwatches with longer battery life at the same price. I went from the Huawei GT Line to the Galaxy, and it was totally worth it. If you have an LTE and you are worried about not being able to call in emergencies, use the "Watch Only" mode, you get up to a week of life and you use it when you need it.

Built in speaker and microphone is compelling I won't lie.

That's fair. I've used my Galaxy Watch to answer calls before though so I'll choose this model for that feature.

Just a tidbit, a test with just 1 person as the source is never going to be a "scientific" test. My personal testing had both mess up the health tracking but the step count was better on galaxy.

Yup. I've never scratched a watch in my life but my Pixel Watch 2 scratched all the time, even rubbing against my sheets when I slept. Luckily I was able to get it replaced later on under warranty but ever since I've used screen protectors to prevent scratching. I've owned three generations of Galaxy Watch and never scratched a single one so it's definitely not me but the Pixel Watch itself.

My three year old galaxy watch lasts 4 days. I use it for GPS tracking every day too. Less than 2 day battery life is terrible, idk why people find it acceptable. Garmin watches are similar or better than my galaxy watch too.

Galaxy watches don't play nice with Strava. I used a Galaxy watch previously & liked it, except that I lost data several times & it would stop talking to Strava and I'd have to reset it. I'm not the only one. I eventually gave up and got a Garmin.

just joined from galaxy watch, and MAN I feel the exact same 😭

It's like Apples to Oranges. Galaxy Watch has better watch faces and more customization but the apple watch has more third party apps and the heart rate tracking was always better for me on the Apple Watch. Also Samsung health gives you far more insights than apple health app

I've got both. I'd say they're about the same but Samsung health is better than Fitbit. The pixel watch keeps my heart rate more accurate than the galaxy watch though but not by much

I trashed one Galaxy Watch by wearing it in a dry sauna for 20 minutes and then immediately swimming laps in a cold pool. Since then, I don't chance it with my new watch. It's sits safely in a locker with my phone and ear buds, while I'm in the sauna.

I've used them all, not sure I agree that the aw is better, galaxy has some really important (for me) things that aw doesn't. Also, I like round for watches, the aw is basically a tiny iPad! If you are really into watches though, Garmin is miles ahead of both. Expensive but worth it, if you're an enthusiast.

As someone with a coros pace pro, Fenix 8 and Galaxy watch. Just stick to your apple watch unless you want to sacrifice a lot of smart features for battery life. If battery life is what you want go for the coros pace pro. Garmins are unnecessarily expensive.

Bad exp ko sa Galaxy watch mabagal and madali malowbat after a year. Limited na din support sa iOS. :(

Just to piggyback on this a bit, any trackers work well for steps for sqaush? My Galaxy watch really struggles. 

Galaxy Watch probably has the most of what a WearOS watch can offer but a fair bit of features are Samsung exclusive. Pixel Watches I believe offer mostly the same with a little less bells and whistles than a galaxy watch but with better health features with fitbit integration that isn't locked to pixels. Also looks more fashionable IMO. Blends with my outfits when using a stylish watch band. Just looks like a watch instead of a smart watch. One plus I don't know too much about other than it has actual battery life that lasts days. I feel like it would be the defacto best one but I haven't heard many people speak on it.

Don't get Samsung Galaxy watch if you want to connect with H365. I just got it recently. The step sync with H365 is always less by atleast ~1000 steps. Doesn't sync sleep hrs and MVPA at all. I'm losing the points because of this. I tried to change some settings from online reviews and also tried reconnecting with app/watch etc. Still same. Checked with both Samsung and H365 customer service. Both useless and don't have a solution for this. Both sides blaming the other for this issue. I can't return the watch because the 14 day return period is over. I don't like it but still using because no choice. My previous apple watch and Garmin was great. Everything sync perfectly.

What is it like on workout detection? My Samsung Galaxy does a far better job than my Ticwatch pro 5, but the battery on the galaxy watch is terrible in comparison so I end up swapping watches depending on what I'm doing. Even on a treadmill with both watches on, the galaxy tracks better despite the treadmill being made by Mobvoi! It would be nice to have a watch that does both.

Yeah, especially because it supports the qwerty KB - probably the one thing I'll miss coming from my galaxy watch

I'm in the two watch gang, Galaxy Watch on the right as a tracker and my watch du jour on the left.

Bought my mother (83 yo) a FR265 to monitor her heart rate while cycling and to use the live track feature in case she has an accident while out riding. Garmin decided to put live track behind a subscription, so there's no way I'd recommend it anymore. Samsung galaxy watch has some useful health tracking data, but battery isn't as good as Garmin's. When they do, I'm off Garmin.

Samsung Galaxy watch and arccos

For the first part, no, galaxy watches are kind of shit for health and fitness tracking tbh. They gave the sensing hardware, but their algorithms and health app are crap.

I use my samsung Galaxy Watch together with my iphone, I can use music controls, get notifications and keeps track of my steps, how lazy i have been and even how much sleep i get.. Yes i am a lazy person :p

I just went into the app store and installed the samsung galaxy watch (Gear S) (i dont have the gear s but in the app u can choose the right wearable) I just hate the square apple watches cuz square, galaxy watch gives me the feeling i am wearing a watch

Aside from navigation, a dedicated bike computer will give all information you need on your handlebar. Like what the OP asked, real cyclists need to see the information when they need to as looking at your wrist while biking isn't ideal. Also, my experience with using my Galaxy watch which biking isn't that great as it drains the battery really quickly.

You will be back to Garmin lol. I've tried apple watch ultra, Samsung Galaxy watches and ultra, and pixel watch 3. Nothing compares to the metrics Garmin provides. Plus the battery life is incredible. Don't have to think about charging at all. Everything is built into Garmin. You don't have to pay for other apps to get similar functionality. I'm a golfer and it's so nice to have the golf features built into the watch versus having to pay extra for them. Morning report is amazing. Body battery. Now evening report too. Plus the watch is very reliable. I can't go back. I love my Fenix 8 too much. And the flashlight is chefs kiss.

Its very dependent on your budget, what phone you have, battery life you want, and actual features you want it to have. If you have a samsung phone, you can get either a Galaxy Watch (high on features, but only 2 day battery) or a Galaxy fit (very limited features but 7 day battery life) If you have an iPhone, obviously the Apple Watch works best, but battery life is abysmal. If youre ok with a 3rd party watch that has its own app to sync, the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro is pretty hard to beat. 10-15 day battery life. Has built in GPS, dive computer, and looks sleek as hell.

Yeah--that is helpful. However, the Afib check is what I liked from my Galaxy watch.

I love pixel watch faces, but for full features, I would choose galaxy watch

I used my Samsung Galaxy watch with it all the time and it's fine.

I never realized I should be worried about my watch battery dying on longer runs. I have a Galaxy watch and have to charge it twice as often as my partner with their apple watch. However, I use a lot of my smartwatch features, I wonder if eventually be worth it to just have 2 watches. I hate having to use battery saving on my watch, it makes it frustrating to use.

What phone do you have? You'll be happier if you stay in that ecosystem. I am in the Pixel ecosystem and love it. My sister is in the Galaxy ecosystem and she loves it. The Pixel Watch is great and works best with Pixel phones. The Galaxy watch is also great and works best with Galaxy phones. They each have features that are exclusive to their ecosystem, and you may miss out if you get a Galaxy watch but have a Pixel phone and vice versa.

How's there Samsung handle replying to text messages? I had a galaxy watch years ago and that could be hit or miss. My pw3 was hit or miss last year but seems like updates fixed it and it's reliable

Love my Galaxy watch. I would say consider what phone you're going to pair it with, if it's a Samsung considered Galaxy if it's a pixel consider pixel watch Etc

I did. And 2 days later went back to galaxy watch lol

My galaxy watch got really bad during the end of its life. Couldn't rely on any of its data and battery only lasted 2 days max. My charge6 is less than a year old, so I'm planning on letting this one ride for a couple to a few years and see how the chips fall

Considering that it tracks steps/heart rate, I dont think it can really provide any useful information when doing curls or benching or etc. Do other watches provide any unique metrics there?

Ahh, I usually only track cardio with the watch. It looks like you can actually add custom workouts on the Samsung Health app. It can track specified data like Sets/Rest or calories burned. You can select free weights/machine etc Looks like you can also create routines. Shit, I might use this

But you can track a row machine on the galaxy watch...

Currently, Galaxy Watches and Pixel Watches

Samsung nerfs its watches if you don't use them with Galaxy phones? I didn't know that.

I put my Galaxy watch on my ankle and it tracks it brilliantly!

You can obviously use swimming activity outdoors but it's more designed to be used indoors where you can set the length of the pool you're in. Galaxy watches eg. Have "Outdoor swimming" exercise which tracks your GPS and calculates rates based on that

Mate, I was pretty frustrated with my old Samsung Galaxy watch for swimming. It had inaccurate lap counting and then attempting to stop using a touch screen with wet hands. 😅 No watch used for swimming should have a touch screen! My Garmin 255 music is great. Accurate and has never messed up with laps and...no touch screen, just buttons that work.