Samsung has announced the latest model in its long line of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 3. The Watch 3 succeeds the Galaxy Watch that was first released in 2018 and joins the Galaxy Watch Active and Watch Active 2 in Samsung’s current lineup. It will be available for purchase starting on August 6th for $399.99 and up.
The Galaxy Watch 3 looks similar to the prior model, with a physical rotating dial, two buttons on the side, and a chunkier design compared to the sleeker and simpler Active models. But Samsung says it’s 14 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the Galaxy Watch, which should make it more comfortable to wear, especially for those with smaller wrists. At the same time, the screen size has increased to 1.4 inches on the larger variant.
The Watch 3 is available in two different sizes, 41mm and 45mm, each with Bluetooth or LTE variations. The 41mm version will be available in bronze or silver, while the 45mm watch will be in silver or black. Both models have full-color, always-on OLED displays with Gorilla Glass.
With the Watch 3, Samsung is playing a bit of catch-up. ECG is a feature Apple already unveiled in the Watch Series 4, and it’s not the only existing tool the Galaxy Watch 3 is adding. Samsung is calling one of these “trip detection,” which is basically a different way of saying “fall detection” something that debuted on the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018. Samsung says it version will only recognize falls when “engaged in dynamic motion not when still,” though.
When the Galaxy Watch 3 detects an emergency, whether it’s a fall or an anomaly in your pulse or blood pressure, it can alert your selected contacts with a customizable SOS message. You can use the Samsung Health app to pick up to four contacts for such situations.
Samsung also updated the Watch 3’s sleep tracking tool, revamping its system that used to monitor just your REM cycles. Now, it will log your time asleep, breath and heart rate to give you more comprehensive data on your night’s rest and provide a report each morning with tips on how to improve your slumber. It sounds very similar to Fitbit’s approach, with Samsung saying it monitors four stages of sleep and delivers a score each day.
Samsung Watch 3 also does a slew of other things thanks to Tizen OS. You’ll be able to measure your stress level, play music through Spotify, send and receive messages, make NFC payments through Samsung Pay. There’s also water resistance of up to 5ATM so you can take the watch swimming. LTE models are also available, with the 41mm cellular version starting at $449.
We will have a review of the new Galaxy Watch 3 in the near future, so stay tuned for more.
