The Galaxy Fit3 does a fair job of fitness tracking, sleep tracking and essential notifications, as long as you keep your phone handy nearby.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Affordable price point | Will ONLY work with Samsung Android devices, not any other Android phone… except that it does, even when Samsung says it doesn’t. |
Good battery life | Custom charging cable |
Can track loads of different exercise types | Loses accuracy if you go running without your Samsung phone |
Score: 3.5/5
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Buy The Samsung Galaxy Fit3! | Buy On Amazon |
In this review
Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Design
Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Performance
Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Battery
Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Conclusion
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I’ve noted in the past that I’m a fan of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch lines, and especially the models that include Samsung’s own spinning bezel control.
The Galaxy Fit3 isn’t a smartwatch, but instead a much more affordable fitness tracker with a limited subset of smart watch functions. That’s a smart mix that I’ve appreciated in other devices such as the Fitbit Charge 6 in the past.
Samsung’s take on this kind of cheaper smart wearable has admirable battery life and an ease of use style that will endear it to many, but it’s limited only to Samsung phones, and it’s not ideal if you prefer to go running without your phone on you.
Update: So, after more than a few comments from readers/viewers around it working with other Android phones, I did some double checking, primarily because when Samsung pitched the Fit3 to me, I specifically asked if there were any Samsung-specific features for it (this happens with some devices, not just a Samsung thing) and was told by Samsung Australia representatives that it would ONLY work with a Samsung phone.
I initially declined reviewing it on that basis, because I didn’t have a compatible Samsung phone to test it with, so what would be the point?
Samsung then sent me a phone for the purpose of testing the Galaxy Fit3 — disclosed below — and I only tested it with that phone, because who better to know their devices than the company that makes them?
Sigh.
It does work with other Android devices — I’ve paired it up successfully with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for example — and while you’ve got to jump through more permissions hoops to get it up and running, it does indeed operate as long as you’ve got a recent enough Android phone.
Ethical disclaimer: Samsung Australia supplied the Galaxy Fit3 used in this review to me, along with a Samsung phone (in this case a Galaxy S24 FE), because as per their claims, I wouldn’t have been able to test it out otherwise. This has absolutely zero bearing on my critical analysis of the device, but I do strongly believe that ethical disclosure should be transparent and upfront. Now, on with the review.
Also Read:
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Heavy Duty Watch, Heavy Duty Price
Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic Review: Classically good
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Review: Good, but not much has changed
Design
Like most other fitness trackers on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 is built around a rectangular screen; it’s not trying to be a smartwatch replacement, because Samsung would very much prefer to sell you one of its fancier Galaxy Watch options if that’s more your style.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 packs in a 1.6 inch AMOLED display, larger than the comparable display on the Samsung Galaxy Fit2 it replaces, though at 18.5g it’s a fair bit heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Fit2’s 11.3g. On your wrist you’re not likely to notice that, however.
At a resolution of 256x402 it’s not what you’d call 4K resolution, but then that kind of detail would be utterly lost on a screen this small anyway. It’s perfect for the purposes that it’s designed for, with a nice bright display that dips brightness when not tilted towards your head, a common feature for this kind of tracker to maximise battery life.
If one button is too complex for you, this won't suit. But if it is, smart wearables probably aren't for you either.
Controls are simple, but then that’s going to happen if you built a fitness tracker with only one button. A single press takes you back to the primary watchface from anywhere, while a double press by default launches the My Exercises panel, though this can be customised to any other supported Samsung Galaxy Fit3 feature if you prefer. A long press on the side button gives you power options as well as the ability for others to access your medical information if you’re not able to do so.
Otherwise the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 uses a touch interface that’s quite similar to WearOS – swiping right for notifications, left for tiles, up for setttings and feature switches and down for an apps list – though this isn’t a WearOS device at all.
Touch response over the month I’ve been testing out the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 has been good throughout, even after workouts where I’ve been notably sweaty.
Speaking of sweaty, even at my hardest workout rate I’d find it tricky to stop the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 from working, as it’s IP68 rated for water resistance at up to 5ATM.
The Galaxy Fit3 uses a simple watch band style clasp that feels appropriate to its price point, which is my polite way of saying that it’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.
The model supplied to me was in basic grey, which goes with just about everything, though it is selling it in a Pink Gold finish in Australia also if that’s more your style. It appears that there’s also a white variant in other markets, and some sellers are offering up third party band solutions as well.
Performance
One big catch with the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 is that while it might look like it’s a WearOS device, it’s not – officially it’s running the open-source “FreeRTOS” operating system – and this does limit the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 to working only with Samsung phones.
While its underlying OS is open source, this is a closed platform device. If you’ve got a Pixel, an Oppo, a Motorola or a Xiaomi phone, this won’t be the fitness tracker for you in any way at all.
Update: See note above. It does work, though the process of install is a lot smoother on a Samsung phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 doesn’t pretend to be a full smartwatch, so its set of capabilities is more specifically constrained, with no third party apps at all. Outside health and fitness tracking, you get a simple media controller, phone finding, weather, calendar, timer, alarm, stopwatch, world clock, calculator and camera remote for your paired Samsung phone – and that’s all you get, period.
At this price that’s fine, and there’s definitely something to be said for simplicity. Many people will just want the basics of alert notifications from their paired phones along with fitness tracking, but this does mean that it misses out on features such as NFC for Samsung Pay or any kind of voice assistant – yes, even Samsung’s own Bixby is notably absent here.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 also handles sleep tracking if you’re keen on wearing a watch style device to bed. That’s not my favoured approach, and I typically found that the Samsung Galaxy Fit3’s sleep measurements were fair but not great. I’m yet to find a personal wearable that seems to spot when I’m having an insomniac night, sadly.
The Galaxy Fit3 features a simple optical scanner for heart rate measurement. So far, my heart is still beating.
On the fitness tracking side of matters, I tested the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 over a month in both Australia and Japan – because I was on holiday here, but somehow I always end up “working” in one way or another – I was at first happy enough with the Galaxy Fit3’s tracking regime, which claims to cover over 100 different exercise types with automatic tracking of many. I primarily run and walk, so I can’t say I’ve tested every last one.
I mentioned at first there, because while my first few runs with the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 on my wrist and my Samsung phone in an arm holster went fine, matters quickly changed when I tried taking a run without the phone present.
The issue here is that the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 has no inbuilt GPS hardware of its own at all. If you go running (as I did) without your phone on you, it has to simply guesstimate your distance, and this is a task that it’s not particularly good at.
On a track where I know precisely where the 5km point actually is, it typically undermeasured by a good 50m or more each and every time. If you never go running without your phone that’s not a problem, but if you prefer a more lightweight setup for your outdoor exercise, that’s going to be problematic for accurate tracking.
Battery
The smaller size of the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 relative to most smartwatches does naturally enough constrain quite how much battery power Samsung can pack into it.
It’s got a 208mAh battery, which isn’t huge if you’re thinking smartphones, but Samsung’s claim is that it can last for up to 13 days between charges. That’s because the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 typically dims the screen when it thinks you’re not looking at it, and it powers down rather quickly unless you’re directly interacting with it.
My own experiences over a month suggest that a week is entirely feasible, and maybe up to 10 days, but then I was using it rather a bit more than Samsung’s own tested specifications that call for (and I quote)
“Galaxy Fit3 connected to Galaxy smartphone via Bluetooth, including 52 notifications, 4 minutes of text checks, 9 minutes of time checks and 30 minutes of workouts over the course of 24 hours.”
Battery life is good, but the Samsung Galaxy Fit3 does have the all-too-common issue of using a custom pogo pin charging cable when it comes time to top it up. There’s no charger in the box, so you’ll need to have a USB-C plug handy to do so.
I’m not a fan of custom solutions, simply because if you lose or break the cable, you’re going to struggle for a while until you can replace it – and at this price, I suspect spares might be hard to come by and many may more simply opt for a new device entirely, which is wasteful.
Samsung Galaxy Fit3: Alex’s Verdict
If you’re a fan of Samsung devices and you’re strongly in the Samsung ecosystem such that you’re only going to be using a Samsung phone for the forseeable future, and you’re after an affordable and simple fitness tracker, then there’s a lot to like about the Galaxy Fit3.
However, if you want a more fully fleshed out app system or you prefer to go out exercising without your phone, then it’s much less compelling.
Samsung Galaxy Fit3: Pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 retails in Australia for $149.95, though some retailers I’ve noticed are selling it cheaper – at the time of writing Amazon Australia had them up for $114.99, which is much nicer – feel free to click the affiliate link below if you fancy one!
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I use a pixel 6a and it works perfectly with the Samsung fit 3. I don’t know about the os part but it works perfectly with my pixel.
Uhh … The Fit3 works with any Android phone. I use mine with my Pixel 7, while my wife uses hers with her Pixel 7a. I have friends who use theirs with a variety of other Android devices. You just need to download and install the Galaxy Wear app along with the associated Fit plugin that installs during the Wear installation. Over and above that, you can install the Samsung Health app for activity tracking.
That’s it.
Hi Mark,
Yep, it does — see review update above for my view on that situation.
Alex.
Hi, (I have sent this to another reviewer who has updated his article).
Just to say the fit 3 DOES work with non Samsung phones, I have a Motorola G82 5G with Android 13, so meets the Android 10+ criteria, before purchasing, on Black Friday for £39 (UK), I checked I could install both Samsung Health App and Wear App on my Motorola phone. I had a work Samsung A52, so initially used that account to register, but after a while my work admin blocked it, however as new Samsung fit 3 owner now I was able to set up a new Samsung account with my Gmail and it all works wonderfully. I bought my wife one, and as she has an S23 Ultra, apps were already installed so set up was a bit easier.
I have been using the sleep tracking, monitoring, snoring etc. on my Motorola G82 5G for 3 months now and very happy with it.
Regards David.
Hi David,
You’re entirely correct — I’ve added an amendment note to my review explaining the situation.
Cheers,
Alex.
Works with my Moto edge 40 just fine