Note: Read this before you buy another smartwatch
A couple of months ago I started looking for a smartwatch I'd actually keep. I'm not the guy who reads gadget blogs. I was just tired of charging a watch every night and seeing the warranty run out at 12 months.
So I opened a spreadsheet. Six watches. Two hours.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 at $799. Garmin Forerunner 265 at $349. Fitbit Charge 6, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, Huawei GT 4. And a $120 one I almost left off the list.
Five of them aren't on my wrist. The $120 one is. Six months later, I still charge it once a week and forget about it.
Below is the comparison that ended the search. Read it and decide. I'm not going to push you.
The two columns that ended it.
GARD PRO ULTRA 3
LEADING SMARTWATCHWhere Apple still wins: paying with your watch, built-in cellular, and Spotify offline.
For everyone who doesn't need that on a daily basis, the spreadsheet was pretty clear.
Most watches in the spreadsheet landed at 1-3 days of real-world battery. The Ultra 3 row read "more than a week." I assumed that was a marketing number. Up to 90 days in power-saving mode. Up to 5 days with intensive GPS use.
Six months in, I charge it Sunday morning while making coffee. By the following Sunday it's around 30%. The whole "charge my watch every night" routine is just gone.
Specs you can read on any website. Customer service you can't fake. I sent a question at 10:30 PM on a Tuesday before I bought it. Reply in 12 minutes. From a real person, not a chatbot.
Trustpilot helped here too. 4.4 stars, 8,000+ reviews, filtered for "customer service." The pattern was consistent. Real people, fast replies, no scripts.
Most reviews are written within a week of buying. That's not the data you want when you're spending money on a watch you'll wear for two years. The Trustpilot review pool let me filter for people who'd had the watch for 3 months, 6 months, a year. Almost all of them were still wearing it.
The 1-year reviews were the ones I trusted most. That's the column that's actually hard to fake. A brand can't manufacture a year of someone wearing their watch.
Heart rate. Sleep. Steps. Notifications. GPS for the occasional walk. Battery. That's the whole list for me. The Ultra 3 has more than that. 5 sensors, 110+ sport modes, blood oxygen, stress tracking. Wellness reference tools. No medical diagnosis, just a daily check. I use maybe six. The rest are there if I want them.
Looks expensive. People at work always assume it's something more. It didn't hurt the decision.
The sticker-price column told one story. The 3-year column told another. Apple Watch Ultra 3 is $799. Most people replace within ~2.5 years because the battery degrades. Over 3 years that's roughly $960.
Gard Pro Ultra 3 is $119.99 with a 2-year warranty. Even if I bought a second one in year 3 (I don't think I'll need to), I'm at $240. Close to $720 saved over 3 years. Same wrist. Same data. Different bill.
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Real Gard Pro Ultra 3 owners sharing their experience.
Without a doubt a great smart watch. Thought it might get some interference from the work I do. Handling machinery with high hand vibration. No interference whatsoever. Couldn’t recommend enough. Great value for money, robust, waterproof dust proof. Tradesmen dream watch.
The watch is great when comparing it to the Apple ultra top spec which I still use. The Gardpro is literally plug and play, battery life is amazing, highly recommend it for those looking for a time piece that pretty much covers everything a smart watch should. Subtle difference in the calorie measurement though, seems to tally less than the Apple does. Suppose it could be down to settings and config etc… either way great product. Need more watch faces to choose from..
Great customer service, and a fantastic product in the gard pro ultra 3. Excellent battery life and big clear screen which is eay to navigate. Very pleased with my purchase.
Great product,price is the best in this segment and certainly rugged with more than enough features for anyone.
Very happy indeed, quick and easy ordering and transaction. Received it quicker than I expected. The watch is great and well worth the money. I have had mine just over two weeks, I charged it as soon as I got it and I still have over 60% battery life. I have now brought my wife one.
I am very satisfied with my smartwatch. All the health indicators work accurately and it looks very well on . It also feels very light you wouldn't realise you were wearing a watch. I would definitely recommend it.
It was the wedding anniversary gift for my husband and he LOVED IT ! The look with the size of the watch (He is 6"4) is amazing, colour and features (especially at the gym he said). I'm glad that I bought this for him! Very satisfied :)
I bought this watch for my wife because I was so impressed with my own. My wife has several medical issues that require her to monitor her BP, heart rate and body temperature at regular intervals. She has also started trying to increase the number of steps a day to help herself. The Gardpro can do all of this and more for a very competitive price. Highly recommend.
This watch is for my teenage son and he loves it. He says it has long battery life. He checks his text messages, measures his workouts and progress, and says it fits well. Delivery took a little longer than I was expecting but that wasn't a big deal.
The watch is of a very good build quality, it looks sleek and premium. Super easy to set up and the battery (so far) is amazing as I have not had to charge it yet and it's been nearly three weeks! I would certainly recommend as I personally can't justify the prices of the 'branded' smart watches but with this one you dont need to. Loads of features and all working well. Great purchase and a reassuring guarantee from the company.
Great watch. Love the "analogue" face. Easy to navigate. Easy to check daily steps. Robust structure. Comfortable to wear. Excellent for keeping tabs on walking and cycling distances. Very glad I bought it.
The information in the marketing was backed up by a quality product. Very happy with the delivery time and value for money smart watch which has all the features I required. I was also impressed with the clarity and volume of the builtin speaker. The blutooth connection range is also great and better than I expected. All in all a great value for money well made watch.
My Gard pro watch is exactly as it was described. It was easy to set up. I had a problem with my first watch and customer service was prompt in replying and walking me through the process in rectifying the problem. I would definitely recommend this company and watch to friends and family.
I ordered a watch from Gard pro for my partner. He was extremely pleased with it but unfortunately the strap broke. I got in touch with customer service and they sorted it out straight away, even sent me a spare. Fantastic watch and incredible service. Thank you.
I bought a Samsung Smart watch 1st and was so disappointed with the short battery life for the price so got my money back and bought a Ultra 3 and have been amazed with the battery life. All of the functions I wanted in a smart watch work great along with the app so really pleased with the watch and would very much recommend.
This is by far the best watch. The screen and all the other apps are clear. I previously had ultra watch and this health series 3 watch is much better than ultra series. Thank you Gard Pro for your fantastic support.
I have never owned a smartwatch before and had questions about it. Gardpro was very helpful and provided excellent customer service. Thank you!
good communication while watch was being shipped,honest communication. Was easy to set up with app. Seems good quality. Easy reading and good choice of watch faces.
