Amazfit Stratos 3 Review: Good Choice For Outdoor Activities And Fitness

Priced at Rs. 13,999, the Amazfit Stratos 3 packs a few unique features such as music storage capabilities and playing music via paired Bluetooth earbuds while tracking their activity. The unisex design of the smartwatch is quite strong, but could also be a bit bulky. This detailed review analyses these features and more, including the pros and cons of the smartwatch.

Amazfit Stratos 3 Specifications

Display: 1.34-inch MIP Transflective TFT
Screen: Corning Gorilla 3 generation tempered glass with anti-fingerprint coating
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 2.4GHz
Sensors: BioTracker PPG Bio-Tracking optical sensor, Air pressure sensor, geomagnetic sensor, acceleration sensor
Battery: 300mAh
Supports above Android 5.0 and iOS 10.0

 

Amazfit Stratos 3 Design: Bulky For Small Hands

The Amazfit Stratos 3 features a 316L stainless steel and zirconia ceramic bezel with reinforced plastic bottom case. It includes a 316L stainless steel button and a U-shaped frame. There are four physical buttons on the right side of the smartwatch, including the large ‘Select' and ‘Back' buttons; and two navigational buttons to move up and down.

The Amazfit Stratos 3 packs a unisex frame, which can get a bit bulky for small hands. Considering that the smartwatch will be worn throughout, day and night, the frame can get a bit bulky and at times, uncomfortable. Personally, I felt the frame a bit too large and was a tad bit uncomfortable while sleeping. The silicone straps for the smartwatch are good and water-resistant.

The display of the Amazfit Stratos 3 needs a special mention. It comes with Corning Gorilla 3 generation tempered glass with anti-fingerprint coating. The 1.34-inch MIP Transflective TFT Resolution 320 x 320 has a couple of handy features like always-on display. It is also 5ATM water-resistant, another plus point for the Amazfit Stratos 3.

The touchscreen is smooth and can be easily navigated without the physical buttons. The nearly bezel-less display presents all the reading clearly. One of the features I liked about the display is that it makes space for tiny indicators; for instance, if the smartphone isn't connected, there's a small indication on the main display. There's a similar indication when the music is being played from the smartwatch. Amazfit has included many watch faces to choose from for both Android and iOS.

Amazfit Stratos 3 Sports: So Many Choices

The Amazfit Stratos 3 includes a lot of sports to choose from. This includes multi-sport modes including categories under running and walking, outdoor sports, indoor sports, ball sports, swimming, combat sports, and more. Users can add their regular and favorite ones under the ‘Sports' category. If they wish to find more, it can be found under the ‘Add Sports' tab.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, I was unable to explore much of the outdoor sports features on the Amazfit Stratos 3. I explored indoor options like strength training, yoga, badminton, and indoor running. No matter the sport, the Amazfit smartwatch shows your current heart rate, the calories you're burning, and the effect it has on your body.

For instance, during a yoga session, the Amazfit Stratos 3 was indicating that my body was either in a warm-up stage or burning calories/fat. This is especially handy, as there's a continuous tab on your heart rate and the fat burning stages of your body. The watch can also be used to keep a record of the laps or reps.

Once the sport session is done, you can always go back and check your performance. Nearly every detail about the workout session is listed. This includes the anaerobic limit, aerobic, fat burning, and warm-up zones of the heart rate. There's also a detailed graph about the performance, which can be referred to for further improvements. (It's worth mentioning that the display is beautiful while checking the heart rate graph.)

Music Storage And Performance: A Lovely Feature

One of the best features I liked about the Amazfit Stratos 3 is the music storage. The smartwatch can be connected to a PC to transfer songs. Amazfit has provided 2GB onboard storage, which can store roughly 400 songs. On hearing the music feature on the smartwatch, it's often asked if there are speakers on it. No, but users can play the songs by connecting the smartwatch to their Bluetooth headphones.

The Bluetooth connectivity allows users to pair with their earbuds or any other Bluetooth player. I connected the Amazfit Stratos 3 with a Bluetooth player instead of earbuds and played it during my workout. Thanks to the music feature, you won't need your smartphone during any workout, be it a run or strength training.

At the same time, I felt that there's scope to improve the music storage feature. When I had to copy songs from my PC to the smartwatch, I realized it's been ages since I downloaded songs. Thanks to platforms like Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, we're used to streaming music rather than downloading it. Since Amazfit Stratos 3 comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, it would be lovely to see if we could connect to our Spotify account, rather than transferring songs physically.

Amazfit Stratos 3 Battery Performance Detailed

The Amazfit Stratos 3 packs a 300 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery and features two battery modes, namely the ultra endurance mode and the smart mode. Amazfit notes that the smartwatch lasts up to seven days on smart mode, which is what it usually runs on. Of course, this largely depends on the usage and settings. For me, the smart mode lasted up to three days, after which the battery dropped to 15 percent, indicating a low battery.

When I stopped the notifications and minimized the amount of music played from the smartwatch, I could push the battery to last up to four, a maximum of five days. The next mode I had to explore was the ultra endurance mode, which Amazfit notes to last up to 14 days. The ultra mode automatically switches the Amazfit Stratos 3 to a super-saving mode; this is to such an extent that the battery doesn't drop a percent for more than 24 hours.

I switched to the ultra mode when the battery indicated 35 percent. Two days later, the battery was still 31 percent. Again, the usage was largely limited when switched to ultra mode, as a lot of features aren't available. This is especially handy when going on long treks, hiking, and other such outdoor activities where it could be impossible to fuel the smartwatch.

What's more, the battery can also be conserved while running GPS. Amazfit has included an accurate mode, balanced mode, and a power-saving mode while using GPS. This again helps during outdoor sports and in times when you can't charge the Stratos 3 for days together.

The Amazfit Stratos 3 comes with a USB Magnetic charging stand, equipped with four POGO pins. The same cable can be used to connect with a PC to transfer music to the smartwatch. It takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours to fully charge the smartwatch.

Amazfit App: Needs Improvements

The Amazfit Stratos 3 provides nearly every information you need about your body. However, you can do more with the Amazfit app. Your details, goals, watch face, and other such settings can be updated on the Amazfit app. Although the smartwatch gives you the details of your sleep patterns, heart rate, activities, steps, and more - it is the app that gives you an in-depth analysis.

However, there are times when the app and the smartwatch might not sync, at least not seamlessly. The Amazfit Stratos 3 gives the users to either manually sync or automatically sync with the app. Either way, there could be a couple of glitches, and a few data might not appear on the app. It's best to check for the latest update for both the app and the watch OS.

Amazfit Stratos 3 Verdict: Great For Outdoor Activities

The Amazfit Stratos 3 packs some of the best features, especially if you're into sports. Rather than wearing it for business occasions, the smartwatch is created with a bulky design that can withstand rough and tough situations. Not to mention, the strong and sturdy battery that further makes it ideal for outdoor activities.

The Amazfit Stratos 3 ships for Rs. 13,999, which could be a bit more on the price range. Comparatively, the Amazfit T-Rex ships for Rs. 9,999 and has nearly similar features. However, the music storage is another unique feature to the Stratos 3, giving it another plus point. If you're into outdoor sports and looking for a wearable companion, the Amazfit Stratos 3 is your go-to option.