The Huawei Watch 2 and the Samsung Gear S3 are both high-end smartwatches made by two of the most respectable electronics companies. Both of these watches are fitness smartwatches, which means that they are a ‘3-in-one’ wristwatch.
Fitness smartwatches tell the time, but that is only the start. They collect your fitness data such as your heart rate while resting and during exercise, how many calories you have burned that day. Some even have a built-in GPS system to map out your running or cycling route.
The ‘smart’ part of a smart fitness watch refers to how your watch keeps you ‘connected’ with your social media notifications, calendar, incoming phone calls, and even allows you to make payments.
You can link your mobile phone up with your smartwatch to view all of your phone notifications, without having to take your phone out of your pocket every time. There is often an option to add your smartwatch to your cell phone plan, allowing you to leave your phone behind when you go out for a run or to the shops.
We are going to be diving into what the Huawei Watch 2 and the Samsung Gear S3 do. We will cover their main features and compare the two watches on what they have to offer the user. A lot of the features may be very similar, however, there are some differences. Knowing as much about what these watches have to offer you will help you decide what is more appropriate for your needs.
Table of Contents
The Huawei Watch 2
4G and Untethered Connection
You will no longer need to rely on your mobile phone being glued to your hip to stay connected. The Huawei Watch 2 displays your notifications and shows who is calling you, all while your smartphone is out of reach, freeing your hand off your cell phone and allowing you to take a run comfortably.
Insert a SIM or eSIM card and get all of the benefits of having a mobile phone with you, without actually having the phone with you. The smartwatch can conveniently use 4G, NFC, Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi.
Design and Aesthetics
The Huawei Watch 2 doesn’t exude ‘look at me, I’m a smartwatch.’ It has a pretty classic look. It has a rotating bezel, side buttons, and is round, rather than square like most smartwatches. You can choose from a number of watch faces or download one you like.
The bottom right button takes you straight to the fitness app. Now there is no need to faff about or get distracted during your exercise routine trying to find your real-time fitness statistics.
This smartwatch is made of extremely tough material, perfect for anyone that takes part in outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and dirt bike riding. It does not rely solely on its touch screen features, meaning that if your hands are wet or dirty, you can still navigate your way around the smartwatch using the side buttons and bezel.
Fitness Metrics and Monitoring
Knowing your average heart rate during a workout is just as important as being aware of your resting heart rate. Fitness fanatics will appreciate this feature as it makes calculating your personal peak or fat burning and heart rate zones that much easier.
You also have the ability to view your heart rate for the last 6 hours from an easy to read graph. The heart rate monitor is relatively accurate and extremely reliable.
You can use all of these statistics to build a fitness and workout plan. Not only that, but you can also even make a food plan using the information provided to you on how many calories you consume versus the calories you burn on a daily and weekly basis.
On Wrist Exercise Coach
Motivating comments and construction feedback about your fitness level and progress is provided on the watch. It is a bit like having a virtual coach strapped to your wrist. The smartwatch displays goal achievements and shows your distance, laps covered, and average time while you are cycling or running.
Building a fitness plan based on accurate data is key to improving your fitness level. Advice, recovery time information, personal best’s and VO2 Max can be viewed on the watch at just a swipe of your finger.
<h3?GPS Facilities
GPS works without needing to have your phone with you. If you love outdoor activities then you will find this feature really useful. The Huawei Watch shows you your real-time GPS location and maps out the cycling or running route that you are on, as well as suggest alternative routes for you to take.
Apps
Download apps through AndroidWear 2.0 to use on your smartwatch. Some apps don’t even require your smartphone in order for you to use them. Things like CNN, Uber, and Spotify are accessible directly through the smartwatch.
Battery Life
The battery can last for up to 2 days. This all depends on how much you use your smartwatch, i.e if you are using GPS or other facilities for a long period of time the battery life will be diminished. You can put the smartwatch on Watch Mode to save battery and it will still count your steps.
Water Resistance
Wear this smart fitness watch while showering, swimming, and during any other water-related activities up to a depth of 50 meters. It is not recommended to be worn while driving or in water that is hotter than 37 degrees celsius.
Mobile Phone Compatibility
It is compatible with IOS and Android phones. Android users should download the Android Wear app and IOS users need to download the Wear OS app by Google. There is however one catch, IOS users will not get all of the apps and features available to Android users.
PROS
- Water resistant up to 50 meters
- Battery life is brilliant
- OLED display is easy to see in all lighting
- Looks high-end and premium
CONS
- It has very limited watch faces
- Significantly lacks crucial features when used with IOS
The Samsung Gear S3
Here are the Gear S3’s main features:
Design and Aesthetics
The Samsung Gear S3 is undoubtedly sleek and sophisticated. It has a round watch face and two buttons on the right-hand side as well as being a touch screen with an OLED screen. There are plenty of watch faces to choose from, along with replacement bands reinventing your style with every outfit change.
Both men and women can wear the Samsung Gear S3 because it isn’t too bulky or too delicate. Simply change the straps and choose an appropriate watch face for your personal style and enjoy it!
Notifications
Connect your mobile phone to your smartwatch to view all of your messages, notifications, and incoming phone calls. You need to be in close proximity to your cell phone for this information to be accessible via the smartwatch. Forget your phone in your car you won’t be able to access any phone information.
It does save you having to rummage around in your pocket or gym bag to find your phone to answer calls because the Gear S3 has a built-in microphone, which allows you to have your conversations with the smartwatch. You can even take screenshots on your watch and view your photo gallery when it is connected to your phone.
Making Payments
Losing your wallet or forgetting it at home when you’ve got a busy day ahead of you is extremely frustrating. The Gear S3 comes to the rescue.
Most shops accept contactless payments nowadays, which means you can pay directly from the Gear S3. All you need to do is hover the smartwatch over the contactless payment terminal, it is as easy as that!
Built-In GPS
Being in a new and unfamiliar city may take some getting used to. Explore new places using GPS navigation on your wristwatch without getting lost. And of course, the Gear S3 uses its GPS navigation features to map out the best hiking or cycling routes for you while providing fitness metrics that you can analyze later.
Ease Of Use
If you need to check something on the watch quickly, having to flick through a few homepages to get to what you want can be a bit inconvenient. The rotating bezel on the Samsung Gear S3 handles that for you really quickly, allowing you to get to the app or feature you need faster.
Battery Life
The wireless charger cannot be ignored. Instead of having to plug the whole watch into the charger, simply rest it on the charging pad and leave it for a couple of hours to fully charge. The Gear S3 can go for around 3 days before it needs to be recharged.
Fitness Tracking</h3
The S Health app is built into the Gear S3 and tracks heart rate (resting and during exercise), calories in and out, steps are taken and sleep quality. None of these need to be activated in order to be tracked, so there is no risk of forgetting to track basic fitness metrics.
There is a fitness leader board with the majority of the activities on the smartwatch, allowing you to see where you stand in comparison to others using the app. The Gear S3 also lets you set fitness goals and monitor your progress.
Apps
There is nothing better than having apps downloaded directly onto a smartwatch. Lets face it, Ordering an Uber at the flick of your wrist is great if you’re stuck somewhere. Or you can connect your smartwatch to Bluetooth headphones and listen to your Spotify playlist, change the songs as and when you like with just a swipe.
Mobile Phone Compatibility
Android and IOS phones can both be used with the Samsung Gear S3.
Water Resistance
The Gear S3 is water-resistant making a run in the rain that much more enjoyable. There is no need to remove your watch when you wash your hands or when you get in the shower.
Built-In Speaker
You can answer and make phone calls directly from the fitness smartwatch and that is all thanks to the built-in speaker. Most smartwatches do not have this feature and can only accept or reject calls coming into your cell phone.
PROS
- Water resistant
- Compatible with Androids and iPhones
- Easy to use
- Contactless payments with the smartwatch
CONS
- Not enough apps available
- Simple design
The Final Verdict
While taking into consideration all of the amazing features that both the Huawei Watch 2 and the Samsung Gear S3 have to offer its users, I feel like the Gear S3 is much more superior and therefore wins the ‘watch-off’.
The Gear S3 looks more elegant and can be worn by both men and women. The design isn’t as in your face and chunky as the Huawei Watch 2, which in my opinion, only suits a heavier build and wider wrist.
Both iPhones and Androids work equally as well on the Gear S3, whereas the Huawei Watch 2 had fewer available features for IOS users. In this day and age where IOS is such a powerhouse, not having an equal amount of available features for these users is a massive downfall.
The battery life is a little better with the Samsung Gear S3 and gives you 3 days’ worth of use with every charge, which is significantly better than the Huawei Watch. The battery life of 3 days means it isn’t a big deal if you leave your charger at home on a long weekend away.
