Amazfit Active 3 Premium – a running watch with sapphire glass that lasts 12 days
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Every January, half the people I know decide they’re runners now. By February the expensive smartwatch they bought for it is charging on the nightstand. Every night. Forever.
The Amazfit Active 3 Premium is a GPS running watch for people who are just getting started. It has a 1.32-inch AMOLED screen under sapphire glass, offline maps, built-in training plans from 5K to marathon, and Amazfit rates the battery at up to 12 days. It costs $169.99.
That’s a lot of watch for the price of a nice pair of running shoes.
What is the Amazfit Active 3 Premium?
Amazfit is the watch brand of Zepp Health. The Active 3 Premium went on sale on February 26, 2026, at Amazfit.com and on Amazon, in Apex Silver, Atlas Blue and Aero White. Amazfit pitches it at entry-level runners, and five-time Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas is one of its ambassadors.
According to Amazfit:
- 45 mm stainless steel frame with scratch-resistant sapphire glass
- 1.32-inch AMOLED screen with up to 3,000 nits of brightness
- Up to 12 days of typical use, 7 days of heavy use, or 24 hours of continuous GPS
- Six satellite systems, free offline maps, turn-by-turn directions and automatic rerouting
- 4 GB of storage for maps and podcasts
- Microphone and speaker for Bluetooth calls on your wrist
- 50 meters of water resistance
How does it work?
It pairs with the free Zepp app on iPhone or Android. Amazfit says there’s no subscription. Zepp Coach builds a running plan around your goal and adjusts it as you go, and the watch tracks running power, ground contact time and lactate threshold for when you get nerdy about it. Workouts sync to Strava, Runna, TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu.
The good and the not-so-good
What I like:
- The value. Tom’s Guide calls it ridiculously good value and points out it costs $230 less than an Apple Watch Series 11.
- A battery you charge once a week or so, instead of every night.
- Sapphire glass and a steel frame, so it should shrug off the odd scrape.
- Live Science says it’s among the best entry-level running watches it has tested.
- 4.5 stars from 476 ratings on Amazon.
What could be better:
- Single-band GPS. Gadgets & Wearables lists it as a con, and The Runtesters saw accuracy suffer on some routes.
- TechRadar notes there’s no automatic workout detection, so you have to remember to press start.
- The Runtesters found the app store, watch faces and payment support weaker than on Apple or Google watches.
- It charges on a magnetic base, and there’s no USB-C cable in the box.
Who is the Amazfit Active 3 Premium for?
The new-year runner, the couch-to-5K starter, and anyone who wants a good-looking smartwatch that doesn’t need a charger every night. It’s an easy gift because it works with both iPhone and Android.
Serious trail runners who care about every meter of GPS accuracy should spend more on a dual-band watch. And if they’d rather not wear a screen at all, a smart ring like the RingConn Gen 3 tracks sleep and activity without one. For more ideas, see our best health gadgets.
Where can I buy the Amazfit Active 3 Premium?
Amazfit sells it through its own store on Amazon. The Apex Silver version with a black band was $169.99 at the time of writing (October 2026).
New Year’s resolution, sorted. Now you just have to go running.