Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 Review: Best Budget Tracker?

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Let’s be honest, we’ve all thought about getting a bit healthier. Maybe it’s taking the dog for an extra-long walk around the park, trying to beat a personal best on a run, or just figuring out why we wake up feeling like we haven’t slept a wink. The world of fitness trackers promises to help, but a quick look online can leave your head spinning—and your wallet trembling. With top-end smartwatches costing as much as a weekend away, it’s easy to wonder: do you really need all those bells and whistles?

Enter the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3. It’s a slim, sleek little band that costs less than a fancy meal out, but it claims to do a lot of what its pricier cousins can. It wants to be your fitness mate, your sleep coach, and your personal assistant, all strapped to your wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Fit3 (Gray), 40mm AMOLED Display with Aluminium Body, Comprehensive Fitness and Health Tracking, Upto…

Exclusively compatible with Android devices, featuring a large AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass and an aluminum body.
Provides up to 13 days of battery life and supports fast charging, reaching 65% in just 30 minutes.
Offers comprehensive health and fitness tracking powered by the Samsung Health app.
Includes advanced monitoring features such as sleep coaching, SpO2, heart rate, and stress tracking.
Built to be durable with 5ATM and IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance, making it suitable for various sports.

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But in a crowded market filled with cheap and cheerful trackers, is the Galaxy Fit 3 genuinely a good deal, or is it just another gadget destined for the sock drawer? We’re going to find out. This is the ultimate, no-nonsense guide for any Brit who’s curious about tracking their health without breaking the bank. We’ll dive into everything from how it feels to wear, how well it tracks your sleep after a late-night kebab, and whether that battery life claim is actually true. So, grab a cuppa, and let’s get into it.

A First Glance: Design, Comfort, and That Gorgeous Screen

When you first unbox the Galaxy Fit 3, one thing stands out: it feels much more expensive than it is. In a world of flimsy, plastic fitness bands, Samsung has given this one a solid aluminium body. It’s a small touch, but it makes the tracker feel sturdy and grown-up.

Sleek, Simple, and Surprisingly Premium

At just 37 grams, the Fit 3 is incredibly lightweight. To put that in perspective, it weighs about the same as a couple of £2 coins. You genuinely forget you’re wearing it, which is exactly what you want from a device that’s meant to be on your wrist 24/7. Whether you’re typing at a desk, doing the washing up, or trying to get comfortable in bed, it never feels bulky or annoying.

The strap is made from a soft, flexible silicone that doesn’t pinch or irritate your skin, even when you get a bit sweaty at the gym. It uses a simple tuck-under clasp, which means there’s no flappy bit of strap getting caught on your jumper. It’s a neat and tidy design that adds to its minimalist look. You can pick it up in a few different colours, including a smart Grey, a sleek Silver, and a more eye-catching Pink Gold, so there’s an option for most tastes.

Honestly, it looks less like a nerdy fitness tracker and more like a modern, stylish watch. It’s smart enough to wear to the office but casual enough for a weekend kickabout.

That AMOLED Screen: A Touch of Class

The real star of the show here is the screen. The Galaxy Fit 3 has a 1.6-inch AMOLED display, and if you’re not sure what that means, just think of the vibrant, colourful screens on modern smartphones.

What is AMOLED? In simple terms, it means colours are bright and punchy, and blacks are truly black. This isn’t one of those dull, greyish screens you see on some cheap trackers. It’s sharp, clear, and incredibly easy to read, even when you’re squinting in that rare bit of British sunshine.
A Bigger View: The screen is also much larger than on previous Samsung fitness bands. This means you can see more at a glance—more of your text messages, more of your workout stats, and bigger, bolder watch faces.
Always-On Display: Just like a proper smartwatch, you can set the screen to be ‘Always-On’. This means it will always show the time in a dimmed, low-power mode, so you don’t have to flick your wrist every time you want to check the time. It’s a great feature, but be warned: it does munch through the battery a bit faster.

The screen is also covered in what Samsung calls ‘2.5D Curved Glass’. All this really means is that the edges of the glass are slightly rounded, so they flow smoothly into the metal frame. It’s another one of those small, premium details that makes the whole device feel polished and well-made.

The Heart of the Matter: Health and Fitness Tracking

Okay, it looks good, but can it actually do the job? A fitness tracker lives or dies by how well it tracks your health. The Galaxy Fit 3 is packed with sensors to give you a detailed picture of what’s going on with your body, from your heart rate to your sleep quality.

Your Daily Health MOT

Think of the Fit 3 as a little MOT for your body that runs all day, every day. It keeps an eye on the important stuff, helping you spot patterns and understand your health better.

Heart Rate Monitoring: The Fit 3 tracks your heart rate 24/7. It can tell you your resting heart rate (a good measure of your overall fitness) and alert you if it suddenly goes unusually high or low. During a workout, it shows you which heart rate ‘zone’ you’re in, so you know if you’re pushing yourself hard enough (or maybe too hard).
Blood Oxygen (SpO2): This feature measures the level of oxygen in your blood. While most of us don’t need to watch this constantly, it can be a useful indicator of your respiratory health, especially during sleep. If your levels dip, it could be a sign of breathing issues.
Stress Tracking: Feeling frazzled? The Fit 3 thinks it can tell. It measures tiny variations in your heart rate to estimate your stress levels throughout the day. If it detects you’re getting stressed, it can guide you through some simple breathing exercises to help you calm down. It’s a nice touch for our hectic modern lives.
Sleep Tracking: The Killer Feature: This is where the Galaxy Fit 3 really shines. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re always tired, this could give you the answers. It automatically tracks when you fall asleep and wake up, breaking your night down into different stages: Light, Deep, and REM sleep. Each morning, the Samsung Health app gives you a ‘Sleep Score’ out of 100 and tells you what you did well (like having lots of deep sleep) and where you could improve.

It even offers Advanced Sleep Coaching. After tracking you for a week, it assigns you a ‘Sleep Animal’ (like a lion or a penguin) that represents your sleeping style and gives you a tailored, month-long programme of tips and tricks to help you build better sleep habits. For a budget tracker, this level of detail is seriously impressive.

Getting a Sweat On: Workout and Activity Tracking

Whether you’re a gym bunny or just trying to hit your daily step count, the Fit 3 has you covered. It can track over 100 different types of workouts. This includes all the usual suspects like running, walking, and cycling, as well as swimming (it’s waterproof!), gym machines, and even sports like football and tennis.

It also has automatic workout detection for common activities. If you start a brisk walk to the shops or jump on your bike, after a few minutes the watch will buzz and ask if you want to start tracking it as a workout. It’s clever and saves you from forgetting to press ‘start’.

However, there’s one big thing missing: built-in GPS.

What does no GPS mean? It means the watch can’t track your location on its own. If you go for a run or a cycle and want to see an accurate map of your route, or get precise data on your distance and pace, you must take your phone with you. The watch will ‘borrow’ the GPS from your phone.
Is it a deal-breaker? For serious runners or cyclists who love analysing their routes and want to leave their bulky phone at home, this could be a major drawback. But for the average person who’s happy to have their phone in their pocket, or who mostly works out at the gym, it’s probably not a big issue. It’s one of the main compromises Samsung made to keep the price so low.

Safety First: Fall Detection and SOS

The Fit 3 also has a couple of clever safety features that are usually found on much more expensive devices.

Fall Detection: If you have a sudden hard fall, the watch will notice. It will pop up a message asking if you need help. If you don’t respond, it can automatically send an alert to your pre-selected emergency contacts, letting them know what’s happened and sharing your location. It’s a fantastic feature for older relatives, or for anyone who exercises alone.
Emergency SOS: If you ever feel unsafe, you can quickly press the side button five times. This will immediately send an SOS message to your emergency contacts with your location.

These features provide a little extra peace of mind and add real value, especially for a tracker at this price.

Living with the Fit 3: Battery, Software, and Smart Features

A gadget is only useful if it fits into your life easily. It needs a battery that lasts, software that’s easy to use, and features that actually help you out day-to-day.

The 13-Day Battery Claim: Reality vs. Marketing

Samsung claims the Galaxy Fit 3 can last up to 13 days on a single charge. That’s a bold claim, and in the real world, it’s a bit optimistic.

Your actual battery life will depend heavily on how you use the watch. If you turn on the Always-On Display, have your heart rate measured constantly, and get hundreds of notifications a day, you’ll be lucky to get 3-4 days.

However, with more typical, sensible usage—checking the time, tracking a daily workout, and getting a normal amount of notifications—you can realistically expect to get between 7 and 10 days. Which, let’s be fair, is still brilliant. It means you only have to think about charging it about once a week.

When you do need to charge it, it’s pretty quick. The magnetic charger snaps satisfyingly onto the back and can get you from empty to 65% in just 30 minutes. So, a quick blast while you’re in the shower is enough to give you several days of power.

The Brains Behind the Brawn: Software and The App

The software on the watch itself is simple and easy to get the hang of. You swipe left and right to see different ‘tiles’ for things like your activity, sleep, or the weather. It’s smooth, responsive, and doesn’t overcomplicate things.

The real hub for all your data is the Samsung Health app on your phone. This is where you can dive deep into your stats, see charts of your progress over time, and follow guided workout videos. The app is well-designed and presents your information in a way that’s easy to understand, with helpful explanations of what all the numbers actually mean.

But there’s a massive catch here: the Galaxy Fit 3 is Android only. If you have an iPhone, it simply will not work. This is a deliberate move by Samsung to keep you in their ecosystem. So, for the millions of Apple users in the UK, the Fit 3 is unfortunately a non-starter.

More Than Just a Step Counter: Smartwatch-lite Features

While it’s definitely a fitness tracker first, the Fit 3 has a few handy smartwatch features that make it a great everyday companion.

Notifications: You can see incoming calls, text messages, WhatsApps, and alerts from any app on your phone. You can’t take calls (there’s no speaker or microphone), but you can reject them or send a pre-written quick reply like “On my way” or “Can’t talk right now”.
Media Controls: Listening to Spotify on the bus? You can use your watch to play, pause, or skip tracks without having to pull your phone out of your pocket.
Camera Remote: You can use the watch as a remote shutter for your phone’s camera. It’s perfect for setting up a group photo and making sure you’re actually in it.
Find My Phone: A lifesaver for anyone who is constantly putting their phone down and forgetting where.

However, another key feature is missing: NFC for contactless payments. You won’t be able to tap your wrist to pay for your morning coffee or your train ticket. For some, this will be a major disappointment and a reason to look at slightly more expensive options from Fitbit or Garmin.

The Verdict: Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3?

So, after all that, we come to the big question: is the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 worth your hard-earned cash? The answer is a definite yes, but with a few important ‘ifs’.

Who is the Galaxy Fit 3 For?

This is a brilliant little device for a few specific types of people:

The Casual Health Enthusiast: If you want to keep an eye on your steps, track a few workouts a week, and get some fascinating insights into your sleep without getting bogged down in professional-level data, this is perfect for you.
The Wearable Newcomer: If you’re curious about fitness trackers but don’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on something you might not use, the Fit 3 is an affordable and excellent starting point.
The Samsung Phone User: If you already have a Samsung phone, the Fit 3 will work seamlessly with it. The integration is smooth, and you’ll get the best possible experience.
The Sleep-Obsessed: The sleep tracking on the Fit 3 is genuinely outstanding for the price. If improving your sleep is your main goal, this tracker is one of the best budget options out there.

Who Should Look Elsewhere?

The Fit 3 isn’t for everyone. You should probably give it a miss if you are:

A Serious Athlete: If you’re a dedicated runner, cyclist, or hiker who needs pinpoint-accurate GPS tracking, maps on your wrist, and advanced performance metrics, you’ll need to spend more on a proper sports watch from a brand like Garmin.
An iPhone User: As we’ve mentioned, this is a deal-breaker. It’s not compatible with iPhones, simple as that.
A Contactless Payment Fan: If you love the convenience of paying with your watch, you’ll be disappointed here. The lack of NFC is a real shame.

The Price Point: Bang for Your Buck?

In the UK, the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 typically sells for between £35 and £60, depending on the retailer and any current deals. This puts it in direct competition with trackers like the Fitbit Inspire 3, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8, and the Huawei Band 8.

How does it stack up? Very well. It generally offers a larger, brighter, and more premium-feeling screen than its rivals. Its sleep tracking is arguably best-in-class for the price. Where it falls short is on GPS (which some competitors lack too) and contactless payments (which the Fitbit offers). The Fitbit also has a more established and socially-focused app ecosystem, which some people prefer.

The Final Word

The Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 is a fantastic achievement. It’s a budget fitness tracker that feels anything but budget. It delivers a premium design, a beautiful display, and a set of health and sleep tracking features that are genuinely useful and insightful.

Yes, there are compromises. The lack of built-in GPS and contactless payments will be deal-breakers for some. And the fact it shuns iPhone users is a major limitation. But if you’re an Android user looking for an affordable, stylish, and highly capable tracker to help you on your health journey, the Galaxy Fit 3 is arguably the new king of the budget class. It gets the fundamentals absolutely right and offers incredible value for money. It’s a solid, sensible, and surprisingly sophisticated choice.

Samsung Galaxy Fit3 (Gray), 40mm AMOLED Display with Aluminium Body, Comprehensive Fitness and Health Tracking, Upto 13-Day Battery with Fast Charging, 5ATM…

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Further Reading:

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 Review: Is This the Best Budget Fitness Tracker for Brits?