Black Shark GS3 Ultra: Rugged Smartwatch King
Black Shark GS3 Ultra: The Rugged Smartwatch Ready to Dominate 2025
Black Shark is back in the smartwatch game, and they’re not messing around! More than a year after the well-received Black Shark GS3, the Xiaomi ecosystem brand has unleashed the Black Shark GS3 Ultra. This rugged smartwatch isn’t just a minor upgrade; it’s a complete overhaul designed to challenge the top dogs in the rugged wearable market. With its beefed-up design, premium materials, and impressive features, the GS3 Ultra is shaping up to be one of the most compelling and resilient smartwatches of 2025. Let’s dive into what makes this wearable a potential game-changer!
A Tank on Your Wrist: Design and Durability
The first thing you’ll notice about the GS3 Ultra is its rugged aesthetic. The reinforced metal frame screams durability, complemented by four mechanical-style buttons that evoke classic tactical watches. It’s a watch that looks like it can take a beating – and it probably can!
The front boasts a vibrant 1.43-inch circular AMOLED display with a sharp 466 x 466 resolution and a brilliant 1,000 nits of brightness. That means you’ll have no trouble seeing the screen, even in direct sunlight. The display is protected by 9H hardness Gorilla Glass and can display a staggering 16.7 million colors. Black Shark has also included over 270 official watch faces, many with eye-catching animations that perfectly match the brand’s gaming DNA.
Unmatched Ruggedness
The real selling point here is the Black Shark GS3 Ultra‘s durability. It boasts military-grade MIL-STD-810H certification, meaning it can withstand drops, vibrations, and extreme temperatures. It’s also water-resistant to 5 ATM (up to 50 meters). But the real kicker is the rare IP69K certification. This means it can handle high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, a feat very few smartwatches can claim. If you’re looking for a smartwatch that can survive almost anything, the GS3 Ultra might just be it. For more about the brand, check out the official Black Shark website.
GS3 Ultra
Fitness Focused: Tracking and Navigation
Beyond its ruggedness, the GS3 Ultra is packed with features for fitness enthusiasts. It offers over 160 workout modes and automatic activity detection for activities like walking, running, elliptical training, and rowing. It also continuously monitors your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and stress levels.
Sleep Tracking Done Right
The GS3 Ultra also provides comprehensive sleep tracking, differentiating between deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep, and awakenings. It even tracks daytime naps, which is a welcome feature for those who need more precise control over their rest. Perhaps this wearable could be a good alternative for users of Amazfit!
Key details of Black Shark GS3 Ultra
Pinpoint Accuracy
Navigation is another area where the GS3 Ultra excels. It features dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) along with BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo, and NavIC support. This ensures excellent accuracy, even in challenging urban environments or densely wooded areas. Plus, you can even take calls directly on the watch thanks to its noise-canceling microphone (ENC) and integrated speaker. Speaking of calls, the next Redmi phone will likely be capable of this too!
Battery Life That Lasts
Perhaps the most impressive spec is the battery life. Black Shark claims up to 18 days of typical use and up to 45 days in Ultra-Long Standby mode. While the exact battery capacity hasn’t been revealed, the company mentions “high-density batteries” specifically designed for this model. If these claims hold true in real-world testing, the GS3 Ultra could have one of the best battery life on the market, putting many competitors, including models from Garmin, Apple, and Samsung, to shame.
Xiaomi
Price and Availability
The GS3 Ultra is currently available in black and silver. The design is undeniably masculine and aggressive, resembling premium adventure watches with the signature Black Shark gaming flair (think LED lights on the buttons and animated boot screens).
While pricing and exact launch dates haven’t been announced yet, it’s expected to launch first in the Chinese market through platforms like JD.com and Tmall. A global rollout, likely through AliExpress and official distributors, should follow. Hopefully the price is competitive with the POCO series!
The Verdict: A Rugged Powerhouse
The Black Shark GS3 Ultra doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it expertly combines almost every feature a demanding user could want in 2025. Its extreme durability, high-quality display, accurate GPS, comprehensive fitness tracking, and outstanding battery life make it a serious contender. If Black Shark can price it aggressively (the original GS3 hovered around €100-120 depending on the market), the GS3 Ultra could become the go-to choice for anyone seeking an all-terrain smartwatch without breaking the bank. This is also another example of Xiaomi´s diverse product ecosystem.
Black Shark’s connection to the Xiaomi ecosystem, since its acquisition in 2018, allows it to leverage Xiaomi’s supply chain, display technology, sensors, and battery expertise. Many components in the GS3 Ultra are likely similar to those found in Redmi watches or the Xiaomi Watch S-series. This synergy allows Black Shark to target specific niches, like gamers and outdoor enthusiasts, without directly competing with Xiaomi’s main product lines. You could even say this is just the beginning, and soon we will be talking about the HyperOS version for wearables!
