I Tested Samsung’s $60 Galaxy Fit 3: It’s Basic, but in a Good Way

The Galaxy made 3 teters on the edge of being a smartwatch and a fitness tracker. Everything, from its intermediate size, to its clever intelligent features, it is difficult to classify as one or the other. But while I test this simple and charming wrist, its main attraction has become crystalline.

What is most attractive in this hybrid smartwatch, as I choose to call it, is its price. At $ 60, it is the most affordable way to access the Robust health ecosystem of Samsung via the Samsung Health application. If you are already a Samsung user and you can temper your expectations, it might bother to be considered. It also does not hurt that it is easy for the eyes and does not control my wrist of 6.5 inches like other traditional intelligent watches (especially those with budget, some of which can be a horror).

At a time when there are dozens of intelligent watches in the running for your attention, with a dizzying range of functionalities, the Fit 3 stands out due to its simple appeal and a price of fewer dollars less than that of the flagship product Galaxy Watch 7 and other competitors such as OnePlus Watch 3. After three weeks of use of Fit 3, I appreciate its value of the battery, even if I always recommend the slightly more expensive Amazfit BIP 6 For most people.

Galaxy Fit 3 Design

At first glance, its 1.6 -inch (40 mm) AMOLED screen could easily pass for a full -size smartwatch – not what you are generally expecting from a tracker. It has a rounded rectangular screen with an aluminum frame which is delivered in subtle pink gold (like mine), silver or dark gray. Only a few aspects of its design refer to its true hybrid form. The rectangular screen is much narrower than those you will find on other smart watches, such as the Amazfit BIP 6 or even the Apple Watch. By default, this limits the quantity of information you can display on the screen, but in my opinion, it also makes the design more elegant. In addition, Fit 3 has only one physical button (there is no crown or rotary telescope).

Galaxy Fit 3 Battery Life

Where it shines is the battery life. Operating at full speed, the watch lasted three full days, and this includes an always activated display, the mirroring of all the notifications of my phone, sleep tracking and at least one training per day. Without the display always on, you may be able to stretch it up to the 13 days promised from Samsung. This longevity is partly due to the smallest screen and because Fit 3 does not execute an operating system rich in functionalities like To carrythat you will find in the most recent Galaxy Watch range. Be that as it may, it is easier to keep the Fit 3 loaded for a day’s use and monitoring of sleep than its Galaxy Watch counterparts, who often give the 48 -hour brand (even ultra). It also invoices quickly and can go from zero to 100% in just over an hour.

Galaxy made 3 “intelligent” features (or its absence)

The great sacrifice here, and the reason why I do not consider Fit 3 as a full smartwatch, it is its limited intelligent features. Even when associated with a galaxy phone (I associated it with a Galaxy S25 Plus), its functionality seems limited and does not support vocal dictation or mobile payments. It is also compatible with non-galaxy Android phonesBut you will lose even more features, such as the camera remote control or alarm synchronization.

I did not think that I would miss a vocal assistant as much as I do, but bring the Fit 3 made me realize that the dictation and the vocal commands have become a large part of the way in which I use a smartwatch, whether it is textual responses, defining a timer while I cook or taking calls. All you can do is refuse a call and send a canned response to the caller.

The same goes for text messages. You cannot launch a text or dictate an answer, but you can respond via pre-written messages that you can customize with something more conversational than those that are preloaded. I added a “give me a second while I arrive on my phone.” It is not ideal, but at least it bought me time to search my Mary Poppins without background for my phone. I plan to add a personalized “piss off” response for Robophing scam texts.

The other big miss for me was mobile payments. Without NFC, you will not be able to pay for things with your wrist on Fit 3.

Otherwise, Fit 3 is remarkable for its lack of selection of applications. I had to survive without some of my regular third -party applications, such as the remote control Roku TV and Spotify, but I agreed to use them on the phone. Fit 3 always has the basics: alarm, calculator, meteorological application, camera remote control (for galaxy phones) and the Samsung health application. The last one is the star here, and one of the main reasons why you would consider obtaining it in the first place.

Galaxy Fit 3 Health and Fitness

Let us distant one thing: Fit 3 has no integrated GPS. This means that you will be attached to your phone during shopping if you want a really precise follow -up. It was my biggest complaint with regard to fitness features, because the S25 Plus is not the most delicate of friends, and there are times when I just want to leave it behind and disconnect for 30 minutes. I tried to make a 5 km without my phone, and as a result, the follow-up and mapping of the Fit 3 race were prohibited by about half a kilometer, three tenths of Mile.

Fit 3 can follow more than 100 different exercises and automatically record races, walks, rowing and elliptical training. However, automatic monitoring is not activated by default, so you will have to switch it to the settings. You can also take it swimming (simply not water skiing) because it is evaluated for 5atm (50 meters) and has an IP68 side.

I tested the monitoring of the heart rate alongside my polar chest strap (the gold stallion for consumer-oriented heart rate monitoring) and I found it generally precise, although slow to record heart rate peaks. This is quite common with most of the wrist -based devices that I have tested. Once I approached my maximum heart rate (total effort), Fit 3 showed a difference of 2 to 5 points compared to the chest strap and took a few seconds to make up for it. However, in the training summary, the final numbers for the average and maximum heart rate were similar and less than 2 points from each other.

Fit 3 also offers high and low heart rate alerts, but it has no ECG application. He can monitor stress levels and blood oxygen saturation, and he even has a fall detection function that calls emergency services if he feels a hard fall and you don’t get up. You can also activate SOS manually by pressing the side button five times.

Galaxy Fit 3 Sleep

Fit 3 has robust sleep tracking features, similar to those found on the Samsung Galaxy Lighting Watches. Fit 3 can detect the sleep stages and even monitor snoring using the microphone of the galaxy Phone. After seven nights, it also provides personalized sleep coaching, although I have not accumulated enough data in my tests to activate this feature. It also offers a sleep score every morning which should be correlated with your energy levels, but I found it a little questionable, since it gave me a score of 91 (aka “excellent”) one night when I only slept for six and a half hours.

Who should buy the Galaxy Fit 3?

The Galaxy Fit 3 will not impress anyone with its features or its design, but it could with its price. At $ 60, it is the lowest input cost for users of Galaxy Phone who seek to start following their health and physical shape in the same ecosystem. Its elegant design, its robust health measures and its lasting battery deserve it to be considered even if you do not have a Samsung phone. There are a few Budgetary smartwatches BUT your money, and although it is not the best or the only option, it is a solid choice, with a simple user interface and easy to navigate. The biggest problem could be to get your hands on it. At the time of publishing, he is out of stock Samsung store and available only via Third -party retailers like Walmart.