The Vivo Watch 3 has officially arrived in China, with the company announcing the smartwatch will boast up to 16 days of battery life and be used to debut a new proprietary operating system.
The latest generation arrives nearly two years after the Vivo Watch 2 was released in China, and, as we saw back then, there are currently no details regarding a global edition of the budget watch.
What we do know is that the Watch 3 brings plenty of change.
The design has been completely overhauled from its predecessor; appearing to take plenty of inspiration from the Google Pixel Watch 2 with its domed display, crown, and single side button.
The 46mm design has initially been released in two case colors - black and silver - each with the same 1.43-inch AMOLED display boasting a 466 x 466-pixel resolution.
Vivo
The leather strap version of the Watch 3 - on sale for CNY 1,199 (around $165/£135) - has lugs on either connection to the watch case, while the silicone band - available for CNY 1,099 (around $150/£125) - instead fits neatly into the device's edge.
For those in China, there's also an eSIM version of the Watch 3 to consider for a slight premium.
Vivo's device will run on BlueOS - an all-new operating system the company suggests offers app support, integration with its Jovi smart assistant and a catalog of health and fitness tracking features.
Intriguingly, Vivo also indicates that the Watch 3's 505mAh battery can see the device reach 16 days when stretched, and even manage eight days in the standard Bluetooth mode.
With all settings turned on and with heavy use, that estimate then shakes down to around three days, says Vivo.
Given the company doesn't appear to have any plans to release the watch in other regions in 2023, we may be waiting until next year to test this one out. Stay tuned, though - we'll be sure to bring you any information relating to a global edition when we have it.
How we test
Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.
Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides.
He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror.