I like smartwatches that look like actual watches, with a nice, simple look, and the vivo Watch 3 hit the mark this year. Slim, sleek, and round, the vivo Watch 3 is a pretty good-looking watch that struck my interest almost immediately.
But we mustn’t judge a book by its cover nor a watch by its face; so how does the vivo Watch 3 measure up in daily life?
Editor
Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
Design & Build
The vivo Watch 3 looks like a normal watch, with its sleek, rounded design that makes it look much like a traditional timepiece. In this, it bears quite a striking resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Google Pixel Watch 3.
The vivo Watch 3 sports two buttons on the side, one rotatable crown and the other flatter, regular button. The body is made from aluminium alloy, which allows for a sturdy yet lightweight device that is also durable.
That said, I noticed the screen protrudes slightly from the body, making it feel a bit bulkier than it looks.
Our review unit came with the Asteroid Black rubber sports strap. They’re comfortable, and swapping straps is incredibly easy, thanks to the quick-release button.
Display
The 1.43-inch AMOLED display on the vivo Watch 3 is nothing short of stunning. With a 466 x 466 resolution, everything looks sharp and vibrant. I’m particularly impressed by how well it handles outdoor visibility—even in direct sunlight, I didn’t have to squint to see the time or notifications.
One thing that did bother me, though, is the thickness of the bezels around the display. I was expecting a more premium look, but the thick bezels were a bit of a letdown. To compensate, I opted for a watch face with a black background to blend the bezels into the design. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s definitely something that took me a while to get used to.
Performance
The vivo Watch 3 does decently in fitness tracking, but that’s really about it. It has fancy hardware, like the 8-channel heart rate monitoring and 16-channel blood oxygen tracking that vivo claims to be highly accurate. It yielded results similar to those of my regular smartwatch (HUAWEI Watch GT 4).
Like all smartwatches, it also has an auto-detect workout feature, which, to my pleasant surprise, is more accurate than the Watch GT 4. It often detects my outdoor walking way before the GT 4, which has a habit of only prompting me when I have already gotten to my destination. The vivo Watch 3, however, detected the walking session about 5 minutes after I started walking.
With 100 sports modes, there’s no shortage of options for tracking various activities. However, I have to admit that it’s not as feature-packed as some of its pricier competitors, like the Huawei Watch GT4 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. That said, it’s a bit more affordable, so the trade-off might be worth it for those looking for solid, no-fuss health tracking.
As for compatibility, you can pair the Watch 3 with any Android phone via the vivo Health app. It’s relatively simple, but the app itself is pretty basic and not the most intuitive.
I noticed some lag when syncing data between the watch and my phone. And if you’re an iPhone user, you’re out of luck — the app isn’t available on the Apple App Store, which feels like a missed opportunity for potential users.
A few other features make the vivo Watch 3 more versatile. The music control function is quite handy — I was able to store and play music directly from the watch, which can pair with Bluetooth earbuds for listening on the go.
However, one drawback I noticed is that while notifications come through reliably, there’s no way to reply from the watch itself. It’s purely a notification monitoring device, which might be disappointing for those who expect more interactivity.
Battery
One area where the vivo Watch 3 really shines is its battery life. On standard usage, I got a solid 14 days out of a full charge, which is impressive for a smartwatch, even with AOD on. I didn’t find myself needing to charge the watch too frequently, which is always a plus in my book.
Charging is done via a magnetic puck that comes in the box, but here’s where my minor gripe comes in — it only charges with the provided puck. I would love to see smartwatch manufacturers move toward a universal charger, similar to how USB-C has become the standard for smartphones. It would make life a whole lot easier, especially when you have multiple devices.
Verdict
The vivo Watch 3 is a decent smartwatch with a sleek design, robust health monitoring, and outstanding battery life. However, it’s not as comprehensive as other smartwatches in its price range. If you’re primarily looking for a fitness-focused watch and don’t mind sacrificing some smart features, this might be a good option. However, for those who need full smartwatch capabilities and reliable app functionality, it may be better to look elsewhere.