Bright design
The basis of the fitness bracelet is a color AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 0.95 inches. The display is a standard size for such devices - it is not very large, but it contains all the necessary information: time, weather and the number of steps taken. The brightness of the screen can be adjusted (three modes), and there are also several dials in the settings, including the classic one in the form of an analog clock.
The bracelet body is quite thin and feels like a regular watch on your hand. The editor received a gadget in orange coloring: it looks bright and stylish. There is also a black model on sale. The strap is removable - just pull out the plugs and disconnect it from the case. Replacement straps are not officially sold yet, but they can be found at a ridiculous price on Aliexpress.
Simple controls
You can control the bracelet either from a smartphone or using a touch screen. To select a section, you need to tap on its icon. To go back an item, swipe left. The button at the bottom of the display returns to the main screen.
The device menu has several main tabs:
- Home screen with clock and weather.
- Training information: number of steps, calories, kilometers, running minutes.
- Start heart rate measurement.
- Sleep data.
- Starting a workout: running outside, running on a treadmill, swimming in the pool, walking, cycling, exercise bike and free training (this could be dancing or, for example, exercise-warm-up). For each type of activity, you can set a goal (“run 5 km”) and signals about the result already achieved.
- Alipay payment - the function does not work in Russia. In principle, it can be removed from the menu through the application.
- The “More” section provides access to dial settings, brightness, phone search, data reset, etc.
- Messages.
You can connect the bracelet to your smartphone through the Huawei Wear application or the standard “Health”, which is installed by default on the manufacturer’s gadgets. To do this, just scan the QR code in the application that appears on the bracelet screen when you turn it on for the first time.
We tested the Band 3 in conjunction with a Huawei phone to get access to all its functions. For example, when you launch the camera on a smartphone with EMUI 8.2 and higher, an icon appears on the bracelet screen, clicking on which you can take a photo. This is handy if you want to take a group photo without a selfie stick or can't reach the camera button.
About the product
The Huawei Honor Band 3 NFC Carbon Black fitness bracelet is one of the latest innovations from Huawei, which has long established itself as one of the industry trend setters. Huawei Honor Band 3 NFC Carbon has all the distinctive features of a modern fitness bracelet, without which it is now impossible to imagine a good device, such as: heart rate measurement, calorie consumption control, pedometer, monitoring the duration and quality of sleep, good water resistance, etc. But each buyer would like to see only the best new technical achievements in their device - which is what Huawei presents in its device. Stylish design that allows the bracelet to look good on your hand, both during sports and in everyday life. Ergonomics, thanks to which the Honor Band 3 NFC Carbon is not felt at all on the wrist, making long-term use of the device as comfortable as possible. Long battery life up to 30 days, and, perhaps, the main feature of the Huawei Honor Band 3 NFC Carbon is the ability to make contactless payments using an NFC chip in China.
A fitness bracelet is indispensable when playing any sports. It will be an excellent companion for sports activities not only in the gym, but also in nature. Thanks to the IP68 protection rating, the device is waterproof up to 5 bar, which allows it to withstand immersion under water up to 50 meters. An important feature is the presence of a function for calculating the distance swam, which will help improve the quality of training, and counting the calories burned will show how intense they were.
A high-precision heart rate monitor monitors your heart rate in real time. Thanks to measurements that take into account 10 types of physical activity, as well as different heart rate zones, the statistics are the most accurate.
Analyze your achievements, track your routes using the GPS tracker on your smartphone and do much more with the special Huawei Wear application, which further expands the capabilities of the bracelet.
After an active day, the best way to recuperate is a healthy sleep. Thanks to the function of tracking the duration and quality of sleep, you can get the most out of your rest, and a smart alarm clock will help make waking up easy and pleasant. There is no need to worry about the problem with most modern gadgets - poor energy efficiency. Now you don’t have to worry that the charge will run out at the most inopportune moment, because thanks to the high-capacity third-generation battery, the gadget can work for up to 30 days on one full charge.
The Huawei Honor Band 3 NFC Carbon fitness bracelet will become your indispensable assistant, now you will not miss a single important call, message from social networks, emails or events indicated in the calendar. Perhaps one of the most distinctive features of the device is the possibility of contactless payment using an NFC chip in China. This is especially true in a dynamically developing world, when cash and plastic cards are becoming obsolete. Be in trend, because it is not only very convenient and practical, but also absolutely safe.
Bracelet at work
First of all, we used the bracelet to track steps, trying to walk the “reference 10,000” per day. The gadget counts steps quite accurately and does not allow itself to be deceived by a simple wave of the hand.
To measure heart rate, the model uses special Huawei TruSeen 3.0 technology based on an AI algorithm. In the application, you can enable continuous heart rate monitoring and monitor it throughout the entire workout or even the entire day.
The bracelet can also display notifications from a smartphone. It is convenient to put your mobile phone on silent mode, but still see incoming messages on the bracelet. In the Band 3 settings, you can select the programs from which notifications will come - the list is quite large, and not just social networks and instant messengers.
Another interesting technology - Huawei TruSleep 2.0 - is used for sleep monitoring. It helps analyze your sleep, recognizing 6 common problems and offering about 200 solutions to them. The bracelet records all the information received during your vacation in the application.
The manufacturer emphasizes that Band 3 is suitable for swimming and diving to a depth of up to 50 m. We didn’t dive that deep (the editor was against it for some reason), but we checked how training works in swimming mode in a pool. Here the bracelet was a pleasant surprise - the gadget not only counts the calories burned, but also takes into account the swimming style, the number of strokes and lanes overcome, and also displays the average individual performance indicator (SWOLF). In the application you can see complete training statistics - in the form of a list or graph.
We especially liked the Find My Phone feature, which you can launch directly from the bracelet. At the same time, the connected smartphone will begin to emit a sound signal - useful for those who constantly lose it.
Who should not buy Huawei Band 3 Pro
Despite the fact that the error of the heart rate monitor can still be minimized, we do not recommend using this tracker for constant heart rate monitoring, since discrepancies with real values can reach 30 beats per minute. For these purposes, we advise you to familiarize yourself with our rating:
The best fitness bracelets with accurate heart rate measurement
We also don't recommend you buy the Huawei Band 3 Pro if you only need the gadget to receive notifications and use multimedia features. Still, this bracelet is aimed at monitoring sports activity and constant use of GPS. We recommend that you consider the Xiaomi Mi band 4 as a fashion accessory:
Review of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 fitness bracelet
Autonomy of the fitness bracelet
The manufacturer promises that Band 3 will work for 5 days at maximum load - with the TruSleep and TruSeen functions enabled (sleep and heart rate monitoring). Without constant heartbeat measurement, the gadget will last about 7 days - we used the device in this mode.
If you do not exercise every day and turn off smartphone notifications, the bracelet will work even for 8 days without recharging. If you turn off sleep monitoring, the operating time will be 12 days.
The gadget is charged from a small platform with a microUSB port and magnetic contacts. This is not as convenient as a connector built into the case, because in addition to the charger, you also have to use an additional adapter part. But today, many wearable devices charge this way. It takes about an hour and a half to fully charge the bracelet.
Technical characteristics and operating time
The Honor Band 3 smartwatch differs from its main competitor, the Xiaomi Mi Band, and has the following characteristics:
- display diagonal - 0.97 inches;
- case material - plastic;
- strap material: silicone;
- screen type - IPS;
- presence of a heart rate monitor;
- presence of a pedometer;
- battery capacity - 100 mAh;
- weight - 18 g.
Since the device’s battery capacity is 100 mAh, the gadget can work in autonomous mode for about a month - provided that the device’s display is always turned off and the bracelet is used exclusively as a fitness tracker to track its own activity.
With the screen always on in active mode, the watch can work for up to 3 days in a row. The device charges from 0% to 100% within 5 hours.
