Samsung Galaxy Watch3 adds classic rotating bezel, fall detection and costs from RM1,699

Call us traditionalists but we loved the classic, manly design embodied in the Gear S3 Frontier smartwatch that debuted a few years back and its rotating bezel. At Galaxy Unpacked 2020, Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch3 brings back the rotating bezel and some impressive new features to accompany it too.

The Galaxy Watch3 comes in 45mm and 41mm watch sizes and is 14% thinner, 8% smaller and 15% lighter while packing a larger display compared to the previous generation Galaxy Watch. The 45mm version has a 1.4-inch Super AMOLED display while the smaller 41mm version has a 1.2-inch sized Super AMOLED display. Of critical importance is that the Galaxy Watch3 brings back the beloved rotating bezel seen in the Gear S3 series to navigate the menus.

In terms of hardware, the Galaxy Watch3 packs an Exynos 9110 1.15GHz dual-core processor running their Tizen OS 5.5 wearable firmware. The watches have 1GB RAM and 8GB of onboard storage with variants that come with LTE and others that come with WiFi only. Malaysia will be getting the WiFi only versions for the Galaxy Watch3.

Other mod-cons with the new Galaxy Watch3 include the addition of the blood oxygen (Sp02) monitor as well as a health monitor app that helps to monitor blood pressure and electrocardiogram readings.

These features will need approval on a per-country basis though they are, by default, baked into the watch itself and it’s only when approval is given by a local country’s regulatory body can they be activated and used. In Malaysia, there’s no clear idea as yet when they’ll be activated.

Another key feature with the Galaxy Watch3, especially for senior citizens is that it has fall detection and if the wearer encounters a mishap, they’re able  to send an SOS notification to chosen contacts.

These unique features aside, the Galaxy Watch3 has other more practical features that include a running analysis with real-time feedback to your form or lack thereof when on a run and the opportunity to select from one of 120 workouts that you can cast to your smartphone or Samsung SmartTV for you to follow. Like its predecessors, it’s also able to rank your sleep quality too. 

The Galaxy Watch3 is rated IP68 for water resistance with the ability to be used at up to 5ATM which should make it a viable prospect for swimming. In terms of materials, it comes with a steel case and leather straps though a more premium version with a Titanium case exists with metal straps.

Samsung Galaxy Watch3 price

In Malaysia, the 45mm version is up for preorders with a price tag of RM1,799 in Mystic Silver or Mystic Black.

The 41mm version is available for RM1,699 in either Mystic Silver or Mystic Bronze. Preorders in Malaysia for either variant of the Galaxy Watch3 get a free wireless charging stand. For more details, check out their official page here. For details on the official Samsung preorder, check out our piece here and the official preorder page here.