The Honor Magic V, Honor’s first foldable phone, has not arrived alone. The Chinese company, formerly a Huawei sub-brand and now an independent company, has also launched a new high-end smartwatch, the Honor Watch GS 3, a very complete device with a truly premium finish.
The watch has been launched in China and, as with the foldable, we do not yet know if Honor will decide to bring it to the global market. If so, we will update the article to reflect its official price and availability. That said, let’s see what the new Honor Watch GS 3 has to offer.
Honor Watch GS 3 technical specifications
| Honor Watch GS 3 | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and Weight | 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.5 mm 44 grams without strap |
| Strap | 140-210 mm Fluoroelastomer, leather |
| Screen | 1.43-inch AMOLED Resolution 466 x 466 pixels 326 dpi |
| Operating System | Own Honor |
| Battery | 451 mAh Fast charge |
| RAM | 32 MB |
| Internal Storage | 4GB |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 LE |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0 or higher iOS 9.0 or higher |
| Geopositioning | Integrated GPS chip BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| Waterproof | 5 ATM |
| Sensors | PPG module SpO2 Acceleration Gyroscope Geomagnetic Heart rate Ambient light Barometric pressure Capacitive |
| Buttons | Two |
| Others | NFC 1x microphone 1x speaker 100 sports modes Sleep tracking Third-party apps |
| Price | 1,499 yuan |
Honor’s most powerful
Honor hasn’t skimped on anything in its new smartwatch. The Honor Watch GS 3 has a 46-millimeter round case that is made of 316L stainless steel. The strap, meanwhile, can be made of fluoroelastomer or leather, depending on the version we choose. In this case, we find two buttons, the microphone, the speaker, and the lower PPG sensor, which we will talk about later.
As far as the display is concerned, the device incorporates a 1.53-inch AMOLED panel with 466 x 466 pixels resolution, which translates to about 326 pixels per inch. This is a really good figure for this type of watch and, on paper, it doesn’t look bad. The screen is also slightly curved around the edges to improve immersion, but the fact is that the bezels still seem to be making an appearance.
Inside the device, it features an eight-channel artificial intelligence engine that, combined with the PPG module, offers heart rate tracking. According to Honor, the overall accuracy of this function is 97%, but in any case, it is worth remembering that we are not talking about a medical device. The watch also monitors SpO2 in real-time, sleep, and stress.
In terms of sport, the device incorporates more than 100 sport modes and an integrated GPS chip compatible with major constellations and dual-band. According to Honor, the chip takes 47% less time to fix our position. With its 451 mAh, Honor promises up to 30 hours of battery life with GPS always on, which is not bad at all. Without GPS, the theoretical maximum autonomy amounts to 14 days.
Another aspect worth noting is that as a smartwatch that it is, the Honor Watch GS 3 allows you to receive notifications on the wrist (no mention if they can be answered) and calls. Speaking of calls, thanks to the microphone and speaker, we will be able to answer them directly from our wrist.
Finally, it is interesting that the Honor Watch GS 3 is compatible with third-party apps. Previous Honor watches lacked this feature, but the company ensures that in its new model, through the Sports Health app, you can download third-party apps, thus increasing the options of your watch. This “app store”, however, is not compatible with iOS.
Pricing and Availability of the Honor Watch GS 3
The Honor Watch GS 3 has been unveiled in China alongside the Honor Magic V and, therefore, we do not yet know if it will leave China or not. We will update in case it does. In its home market, the watch is available in several finishes (silver, gold, and black) and is priced at 1,499 yuan.
