Amazfit Balance 3 (Stainless Steel, 48mm)

Amazfit Balance 3 (Stainless Steel, 48mm)

By Amazfit · Fitness Trackers · Phones & Computers

  • 1.5-inch AMOLED 480x480px sapphire glass
  • Up to 3,000 nits peak brightness
  • 64GB storage
  • Dual-band 6-satellite GPS
  • Up to 21 days typical battery, 41h GPS

Lowest price seen
~$369.99 (approx.)
from $369.99 at Amazon

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

A large 48mm GPS fitness watch with a bright 1.5-inch sapphire AMOLED, dual-band six-system GPS, 64GB for offline maps and music, and up to 21 days of typical battery. It is a training watch first and a smartwatch second, so check the case size against your wrist and expect a thinner independent-testing record than the big brands.

Strengths

  • Bright 1.5-inch sapphire AMOLED rated to 3,000 nits, readable in strong sunlight.
  • Long battery: up to 21 days typical and 41 hours in accuracy GPS mode.
  • Dual-band, six-system GPS tracked within about 30–40m of a Garmin over 7.5km runs.
  • 64GB of storage for offline maps and music.
  • Three-button-plus-crown controls work with sweaty hands or in rain.
  • Genuinely practical built-in red and white flashlight.

Weaknesses

  • The 48mm case is large and may not suit small wrists.
  • The new button and crown controls take time to learn.
  • The Zepp Health app still has rough edges and needs polish.
  • Optical heart rate is less reliable during intervals and sharp effort changes.
  • An altitude discrepancy against Garmin was seen, though a firmware update later targeted it.
  • App-platform depth is limited next to Apple Watch or Wear OS.

Verified specifications

ModelA2566, 48mm stainless steel case.
Display1.5-inch AMOLED, 480 × 480 px, 323 ppi, sapphire glass, rated up to 3,000 nits peak.
Operating systemZepp OS 6.
Storage64GB for offline maps, music and files.
Battery658 mAh, magnetic charging; up to 21 days typical use, 10 days heavy use, 7 days with always-on display, 41 hours in accuracy GPS and 84 hours in power-saving GPS.
GPSdual-band GNSS across six satellite systems (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS, Beidou) with a circularly polarised antenna.
Water resistance10 ATM; Amazfit cites ISO 22810:2010 and an SGS test for a 100m/328ft static rating for up to 10 minutes.
Health sensorBioTracker 6.0 (5PD + 2LED).
Sensorsaccelerometer, gyroscope, barometric altimeter, geomagnetic sensor, ambient light, optical heart rate, SpO2, temperature, microphone and speaker.
Health metricsheart rate, SpO2, stress, HRV, skin temperature, sleep and breathing rate; no ECG, blood pressure or body composition.
Sports180+ modes, 25 auto-recognised strength exercises, HYROX Training and Race modes and Virtual Pace.
Controlsthree physical buttons plus a rotating crown, and a built-in red and white LED flashlight.
ConnectivityBluetooth 5.2, BLE, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, NFC/Zepp Pay (region-dependent) and Bluetooth calling.
Dimensions51.4 × 51.4 × 14.6 mm including the heart-rate sensor, 12.5 mm without; 62 g in stainless steel without a strap.
In the boxwatch, magnetic charging base and user manual; no USB Type-C cable.
CompatibilityAndroid 8.0+ and iOS 17.0+.
Full research notes and sources

What the independent test found

Only one substantive hands-on test exists for this watch: Gadgets & Wearables scored it 8.0/10 and measured it against a Garmin over two 7.5km runs. Total GPS distance differed by about 30m in the open and about 40m when half the run was in dense woodland, which the reviewer called close enough. Heart rate was near-identical on both runs: 144 vs 146 bpm average with an identical 162 max, then 132 vs 133 average with an identical 147 max. The reviewer still recommends a chest or arm strap for intervals, because wrist optical heart rate is less reliable during sharp effort changes, and noted an altitude discrepancy against Garmin that Amazfit later targeted with a firmware update.

Battery, GPS and the case

Amazfit rates the 658 mAh cell at up to 21 days of typical use, 10 days of heavy use and 7 days with the always-on display on. In GPS modes it claims 41 hours in accuracy mode and 84 hours in power saving. The case is thin for its diameter at 12.5 mm without the sensor, so it spreads across the wrist, but the 48mm size (one outlet publishes 51.4mm including the sensor) will be too big for small wrists. Recharging uses a magnetic base, and the box does not include a USB Type-C cable.

The app and the smartwatch question

The watch runs Zepp OS 6 and handles notifications, calls and Zepp Flow voice control, but the reviewer stresses it is not an Apple Watch or Wear OS-class app platform. The Zepp Health app is useful yet still rough around the edges, with a layout that needs polish as more recovery and readiness signals are added. Health tracking covers heart rate, SpO2, stress, HRV, skin temperature, sleep and breathing; there is no ECG, blood pressure or body composition. Water resistance is 10 ATM, which Amazfit backs with an ISO 22810:2010 static rating of 100m for up to 10 minutes.

Owner sentiment

On Amazfit’s own product page, owners single out the value against Apple and Garmin, the built-in flashlight and the Zepp app. The independent reviewer adds praise for the large readable display, controls that work with sweaty hands or rain, the thin case for its size, the GPS battery life and the flashlight. No exact-model hardware failure pattern showed up in the sources, and there is not enough owner data to estimate a defect rate.

Which model this is

This page covers the Amazfit Balance 3 in the 48mm Stainless Steel finish, model A2566, which Amazfit launched on June 2, 2026 at $369.99. A Titanium version shares the same model number and hardware in a lighter 55g case, at $449.99. Don’t confuse it with the Balance Ultra (model A2553), the older Balance 2 or the original 2023 Balance.

Stainless Steel is ASIN B0H383F5QN.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Retail and launch:

Owner reports:

  • No exact-model owner threads or lab tests were found in the sources.

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