Amazfit Stratos 3 is one of the best Xiaomi smartwatch, now available in UK, for sports and outdoor activities. It has GPS, internal memory for music and costs $239.99, but see if it is right for you in the full review.
The smart watch does not go unnoticed on the wrist, being relatively large, but there are good reasons for it. Autonomy can be up to 14 days and with the wide range of sensors you have access to several useful metrics.
Design of the smartwatch Xiaomi
When opening the case we find a round watch, familiar and strongly inspired by the chronograph genre. First impressions are good and meet their purpose – accurately track activity or fitness of the user.
With a shiny metallic-looking rim surrounding the screen, there is a noticeable concern with the build quality and appearance of the Amazfit Stratos 3. Although reinforced plastic is the predominant material, there is panache in this product.
large but very comfortable!
This is a very light watch, about 60 grams, already with the bracelet. On the right side we have 4 buttons, # 1 has a pronounced texture and is used to turn smartwatch on / off, select activities and access options “Select“
Next we have two buttons more disguised and elongated that serve to to sail through the interface (up and down), or browse through the options. Finally we have another protruding round button to go back “Back“
The included bracelet has 22 mm Wide, it is made of silicone, very comfortable all day and can be easily changed if needed. It has a metal buckle and an extra rim to accommodate the excess strap.
Xiaomi’s smart watch didn’t leave my wrist for about 7 days. Sleeping, showering, running, resting and in other everyday situations, there is no feeling of discomfort when using the smartwatch for long periods.
O 1.34 inch screen It is complete and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 glass and has an oleophobic treatment that reduces the accumulation of fingerprints and water droplets. It is also worth mentioning that the watch is waterproof to 50 m, or 5 ATM.
The Xiaomi smartwatch has a touchscreen, but can only be used via the physical buttons. This is useful when we are training, have shaking hands, covered with moisture, or when the watch is wet.
At the bottom we have all the main optical sensors of the watch, the BioTracker TM PPG. Inside there is an accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, plus heart rate and oximetry.
The screen is round, complete and it can be both amazing and unpleasant. Common display resolution transflective 320 × 300 pixels, the definition of the displayed image is very good, but when we turn on the lighting we have a blue and unattractive aura.
It is excellent outdoors and is always on. In fact, the more intense the light falls on it, the easier we can see what is being displayed on the screen. Already when your backlight turns on, the scenery is what we see in the images and video.
This is due to the implementation of a transflective screen – which can reflect as well as let in the light, as Wikipedia briefly explains on this page.
It is also worth mentioning that it is a very economical screen in energy consumption. On the other hand, we do not have a light sensor so its adjustment is not automatic, but adjustable in 4 steps.
The FIRSTBEAT algorithm is able to automatically detect the beginning of the practice of some activity. Moreover, it is quite accurate in this recognition, as well as in the measurement and metrics recorded by its sensors.
There are a total of 19 pre-programmed sports in this fitness smartwatch and a dedicated processor for these activities. Also worth mentioning is the support and recognition of “multi-sport”, or various modalities mixed throughout a training session.
Evaluate, assist, set training goals, sharpen our potential and motivate the user to stay active. Metrics are displayed in both the company application and the clock.
19 modalities included in this Xiaomi smartwatch
Included sports are: running, treadmill, cross-country, hiking, elliptical, tennis, climbing, skiing, soccer, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, rope jumping, swimming in or in the pool. open water, hiking, triathlon, multi sports, canoeing, and fitness.
Amazfit Stratos 3 can cross-check data from various training sessions and different modalities to give us a follow-up and summary of our Training Load (TD).
Unfortunately the interface is not available in UK’s from UK (or Brazil) at this time. It is also worth mentioning that smartwatch uses AmazfitOS software and operating system with periodic firmware updates.
Best smartwatch with GPS
Stratos 3 is one of the best, if not the best, smartwach with GPS in this price range. With a Sony GNSS chip, the Xiaomi watch can use every global positioning system to track our travels.
You choose to combine two systems in 3 patterns: GPS + BEIDOU, GPS + GLONASS or GPS + Galileo.
There are also 3 operating modes for continuous GPS tracking, precise, balanced and energy saving mode.
In precise mode the stated battery life is 35 hours; in balanced mode is 45 hours; In energy saving mode it is 70 hours. In all cases, other clock metrics are also tracked.
It is worth mentioning that the smartwatch has two processing cores and 512 MB of RAM. The first is dedicated to fitness and sports, with the second being in charge of the other functions.
The operating system, Amazfit OS, is based on gestures or swipes and we can only navigate with the physical side buttons.
The user experience has improved with a recent firmware update that has made the clock faster.
Even so, it is not extraordinarily fast and you will notice slight delays (delay) by opening some menus and options. Something that is not frustrating, but should nevertheless be pointed out as factuality.
The internal storage of 4 GB, of which 1.9 GB are available to the user, can be used to receive your favorite songs. So you can pair a pair of Bluetooth headsets and go training without your smartphone.
Please note that the watch has no microphone, no speaker or no data connection so you will not be able to make calls. Already, on the other hand, has Bluetooth connection 4.2 and 5.0, Besides WiFi at 2.4 GHz to, for example, download firmware updates.
Data synchronization with the companion app is fast and Bluetooth pairing as well. This greatly facilitates the transfer of music to Stratos 3 and also makes it a more versatile product.
The app Amazfit is available for Android and iOS for free. From there you synchronize the clock, choose the watchfaces, See activity reports, charts you can share on social networks, and more product details.
It is also from the app that you can more easily see if there is a firmware update, view the route taken during training (GPS location) and view detailed reports on sleep quality and overall fitness.
It is worth mentioning that a lot of this information is also displayed on the watch, but its screen – smaller than that of the mobile phone – makes it easy for you to consult with your smartphone. The app itself is fast, stable, intuitive and continues to receive new functions.
Battery life of 14 days
Equipped with a battery of 300 mAh, the Amazfit Stratos 3 smartwatch has an average autonomy of 7 days in Smart mode. This will be the most common scenario for any watch user, but there is an ultra-saving mode, Ultra mode.
By enabling this mode the screen resolution appears to decrease and the functions are reduced to a minimum. On the other hand, with a full charge, Ultra mode can deliver up to about 14 days.
If you are using GPS location continuously, the range can be 35 hours, 45 hours, or 70 hours depending on the accuracy of location tracking and other biometric sensors.
The watch is charged via the included magnetic base and, more specifically, by means of the pogo pins or magnetic fittings. On average, it takes 2 hours at 2:30 hours fully charged.
Strengths of Amazfit Stratos 3:
Battery life up to 14 days Range of exercises / sports supported (19) Outdoor screen visibility Waterproof up to 50m or 5 ATM Simple and well structured application User comfort With integrated GPS Integration between training and sports
Weaknesses of Amazfit Stratos 3:
Interface not available in UK’s (PT or BR) Watch thickness – greater than 13 mm Large diameter – 48.6 mm Screen backlight (without auto adjustment) Few notifications displayed on watch
Verdict
The Amazfit Stratos 3 it costs $239.99 in UK and is now available in official stores – Banggood. For those looking for a smartwatch with GPS and great battery life, we are pleased to recommend this good product with ADN Xiaomi.
By practicing outdoors you will have a screen always on and with wonderful visibility. When you raise your wrist you will find a blue glow that is far from ideal, not even an AMOLED screen, but the autonomy for 7 (or more) days pays off!
There is “trade-offs ” as mentioned above and notifications of your mobile phone applications are scarce or null. This may change with a firmware upgrade and fortunately these are usual thanks to Amazfit.
The watch itself is very light, yet robust and fit for any sport. A complete tool that will assist you during practice, will add various relief metrics and conveniently present you with all the information.
留言