vivo Watch 3 Review: BlueOS maiden voyage

Overview

The vivo Watch 3 was recently launched in Malaysia. This might be vivo’s first smartwatch entry in Malaysia. First, it may be noted that vivo has a long history of producing excellent smart wearables, ranging from its original Watch, Watch 2, Watch GT, and its sub-brand iQoo watch series.

Design

The vivo Watch 3 is designed in a circular design with two colors: Moonlight White and Asteroid Black. Two strap choices are available: a black silicone strap and a white leather strap. Our sample is the Asteroid Black design. It features a naturally round design on the watch body. This holistic approach of edgeless shape design gives the watch an Edenic simplicity of beauty.

vivo employed a stainless steel crown with a circular brushed metal finish. The crown operates similarly to a mechanical watch’s crown. Unlike a mechanical watch, the crown is placed diagonally instead of right in the middle. This unique placement stands out as one of the few smartwatches with this crown placement.

Below the crown is the confirmation button. At first, I mistakenly thought this was a sensor to collect user biodata. But it turns out that it isn’t. The vivo Watch also collects all user information from the optical heart rate sensor on the back.

The overall size is no bigger than three fingers together. Weighing in at only 36 grams and 11.3 millimeters thin, it is suitable for both men and women.

Display

Beneath the crystal, vivo equipped the watch with a beautiful 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It has a high pixel density of 466 x 466. The display also supports AOD for easy time telling without the need of waking up the watch. Based on our observation, at night, the AOD is bright and vibrant. We were able to light up the outline of our surroundings, which is enough to help navigate in the dark.

Strape

Our sample of vivo watch feature a black silicone strap. For over 2 weeks we have been wearing it from morning till night, we have not experience any form of skin irritation. This is something we like to double check on wearable by wearing it over time, as we had an nasty experience of rashes with certain strape when worn over long duration.

I’m not a fan of how the straps is secure though. Utilizing an reverse locking mechanism with a single harness. This design is extremely awkward for a big guy like me to wear, with I could only use that last few buckle hole. I would need to secure it like pushing it against a surface to properly buckle it.

Audio

It is not often that we need to highlight the audio of a smartwatch. But the vivo Watch 3 has a rather interesting approach to audio. On the left side of the watch, there is a large speaker unit. Users can transfer music to be played natively on the watch or on the phone.

The volume is relatively loud, reaching up to 80 dB with maximum volume at close range, akin to a police siren. I find it a missed opportunity not to include an SOS app on the watch, which would give users extra safety and take advantage of the loud volume.

Battery

The vivo Watch 3 features a 505 mAh battery capacity. vivo states that it can last up to 8 days in regular mode and 18 days in battery-saving mode with a single charge.

In our test, it took us 9 days of wearing it to drop the battery level to 5%. During these 9 days, we had been actively using the vivo Watch 3, with occasional access card use and music playback.

Well, that’s about cover move of the physical part of the watch, let’s move to the software.

BlueOS

BlueOS, or BlueRiver OS in China, is vivo ‘s in-house developed operating system. This OS is designed to maximize AI potential, and for now, the Watch 3 is the first to feature it.

The OS feels snappy and feature-packed, featuring health monitoring features like sleep, blood oxygen, heartbeat, and stress. It also has a sports monitoring feature that tracks numerous types of sports.

One essential feature I find that is a must for smartwatches nowadays is the NFC pass card feature. It supports common NFC access card features, allowing users to register access cards to the wallet and later use them. However, there is no Google Wallet support on BlueOS, so no payments can be made with the watch.

User experience

The vivo Watch 3 is a unique smartwatch. It is as comfortable as a smartband, with a small profile that is easy to wear during sleep. This is quite crucial as smartwatches can often be uncomfortable to wear during sleep due to their bulky frames and sharp edges. As mentioned earlier, the silicone strap does not cause any skin irritation when worn over time, which is crucial for sports users and users who use it for sleep tracking.

There are tons of watch faces available on the app, users can choose those that suit their mood. The variety of watch faces is impressive for a first-time BlueOS implementation. There is something for everyone and plenty to pick from.

As for using the Watch, other than usual time telling, navigating through it is an enticing experience. It is generally smooth, everything is about two or three swipes away, and the pull-up shortcuts have almost everything we need.

Conclusion

The Vivo Watch 3 is a promising smartwatch with a unique blend of comfort, features, and performance. Its lightweight design and comfortable silicone strap make it suitable for both daily wear and sleep tracking. The BlueOS operating system offers a smooth and feature-packed experience, including health monitoring, sports tracking, and NFC pass card functionality.

While the watch’s battery life is impressive, the lack of Google Wallet support may be a drawback for users who rely on contactless payments. Additionally, the unique crown placement might take some getting used to for users accustomed to traditional watch designs.

With that, we do recommend the vivo Watch 3. It presents a compelling option for those seeking a comfortable and feature-rich smartwatch with a focus on health and fitness tracking. With that, we award it with our Silver awards.

Help us!

So here you go, our review of vivo Watch 3 . If you agree with us and want to pick one up, do consider purchasing via the link below. The affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, but will be a great help to keep our lights on here at HelloExpress.
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