Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE and cellular is the ultimate wearable and the smartwatch to rule them all .
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Apple Watch Series 3has relieved my Forgotten Phone Anxiety . You know the belief : You attain your destination and paw at the outside of your pocket to finger the speech sound - sized clump and it is n’t there . And you panic .
Mind you , my stomach still expend when I realize my earpiece is n’t with me ( even times when I hadpurposefullyleft it at home ) , but now my fears quickly subside . With an LTE - equip Apple Watch Series 3 on my wrist , I do n’t need to turn around and channelize back to my sign of the zodiac . I know that if someone is trying to get in touch with me , they can , and if an urgent electronic mail comes in , I can answer it .
Apple Watch Series 3 is the gold standard of smartwatches, even in silver aluminum.
Apple Watch Series 3 is the gold standard of smartwatches , even in silver aluminum .
That being say , I did n’t postulate more than a duad day with my LTE - outfit Apple Watch Series 3 to see that it ’s not meant to be aside from an iPhone for very long . Its main merchandising tip might be independency , but it ’s still a generation or two away from being a full replacement for your iPhone .
But man is it close .
Apple Watch Series 3 is the gold standard of smartwatches, even in silver aluminum.
Apple Watch History
This Apple Watch has since been replace with a new model , and you may find links to all our Apple Watch reviews below . Do take note that we ’re expecting to seeApple Watch Series 10 , Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE third generation , runningwatchOS 11 , establish in September 2024 at the company’sGlowtime event(seehow to look on the September issue ) . If you ’re in the market for a new Apple Watch , see ourApple Watch buying guide , troll - up of thebest Apple Watch deals , and advice on whether you shouldbuy Apple Watch now or hold back . You might also be interested in what othernew Apple productsare come this yr , and when is thenext Apple event .
Timeless Apple Watch design
Reviews of Apple ware generally consecrate many words to design , but there ’s not a whole lot to say about Apple Watch Series 3 . It ’s the same property as Series 2 ( 38.6 x 33.3x 11.4 or 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 millimeters , depending on which size you take ) , and there ’s just one new color , gray , in the $ 1,299 ceramic Edition theoretical account , as well as a tweaked amber aluminum to match the iPhone 8 . That means all honest-to-god bands , stands , and chargers will work fine .
Good news program circle collector : you may still commingle and match old band with Apple Watch Series 3 .
If you want to pick nits , it ’s about a millimeter thicker than the Series 1 model Apple is still betray . But that ’s with more storage ( 16 GB versus 8 GB ) , a braggart stamp battery , GPS , 50 - meter body of water resistance , a barometric altimeter , and , of course , cellular . I ’ve essay several LTE - enabled Android Wear watches that make the 42 mm Apple Watch look small , so putting such capabilities in the 38 mm manikin is nothing less than a noteworthy feat of engineering .
Good news band collectors: You can still mix and match old bands with Apple Watch Series 3.
Some people are likely to fixate on is the red dot on the Digital Crown . There does n’t appear to be any technical grounds for it , so it ’s good to assume it ’s rigorously there to distinguish itself from the non - cellular model . And that it does . I never really noticed the color of the Digital Crown before , but the red circle was hard to miss against my trial model ’s silver aluminum dead body and seashell sport loop banding .
Yep , that ’s a cerise dot all right .
I kind of like it , but I could see why multitude despise it so much , especially if you ’re the kind of person who constantly changes band . It ’s a curious design option , but I would n’t be surprised to see similar flourish on next model . Apple Watch ’s design is already iconic , and I do n’t see a monolithic redesign in the circuit board for Series 4 or 5 . Apple positions its scout as jewellery like a Rolex or Omega , so the familiarity of the design is important . The ruddy dot is a unadulterated direction to showcase newness , even status , without change what makes Apple Watch so placeable .
Yep, that’s a red dot all right.
Speed and other internal improvements
While it might seem the same as models that came before , Apple Watch Series 3 could n’t be more unlike on the inside . Along with LTE , there ’s also a new S3 central processing unit and W2 wireless chips , which give the Series 3 Apple Watch a tremendous velocity boost .
It only takes a second or two for apps to brush up with Apple Watch Series 3 .
Navigation and vivification are much smoother now , but most importantly , apps open much spry . The fastness of third - party apps was a jolly major pain full stop with previous generation of Apple Watch ( peculiarly the original manikin , which most people will be upgrading from ) , and the new internals make a huge difference . I did n’t experience any lag when launching stock apps , and third - company ones seldom demonstrate the spinning loading ring while updating . Even raise - to - wake seems quicker ( though the want of an always - on display is still a bummer ) .
It only takes a second or two for apps to refresh with Apple Watch Series 3.
That bring in Apple Watch Series 3 much more of a standalone equipment , even without LTE . Where I mostly trust on my old Apple Watch for quick notifications , by the goal of my testing I was instinctively using my Series 3 to respond to messages , agree sports scores , even read headlines . Siri ’s responsiveness is particularly telling , but everything from stocks to sports to weather now debase within a second or two . By the time the S4 chip come around , watch apps will be just as fast as the ones on our iPhones , if not faster .
All day and then some
Apple lay claim the same 18 - time of day electric battery life with either the LTE or non - LTE Series 3 Apple Watches , but as with all battery claims , that does n’t tell the whole story . Apple does n’t wish to give technical specs for its batteries , but iFixit ’s teardown launch a 279 mAh cell inside the 38 mm LTE model , a minuscular upgrade over the Series 2 ’s 273mAh assault and battery . iFixit did n’t spread out a 42 mm manakin , but presumptively its battery is also a little larger than the Series 2 good example ’s 334mAh one .
Apple Watch Series 3 ( center ) is the same size of it as the original Apple Watch ( right ) and noticeably smaller than the LG Watch Sport ( left ) , but it still get better battery aliveness than both of them .
But while Apple Watch ’s battery is a just deal smaller than most of its competitor ’ , it fairly much bollocks up them all out . With a earphone nearby most of the time , I breezed through a full day and most of a second gear . That include wearing it while I slept , get song , checking scores , answer to messages , arrest direction — all of the usual things you ’d do while wearing it . While Series 3 might pale in comparability to Fitbit Ionic ’s four- to five- day battery life , OG Apple Watch upgraders will certainly see a dainty boost in assault and battery life .
Apple Watch Series 3 (center) is the same size as the original Apple Watch (right) and noticeably smaller than the LG Watch Sport (left), but it still gets better battery life than both of them.
Granted , those number drop pretty quickly when relying alone on LTE . When I pass on my headphone at habitation and used my vigil for everything — including a lengthy stretchiness of listen to medicine , a brace Apple Pay purchases , drive directions , and freehanded use of the Siri side — I barely catch through 8 hours . When I made a straight 60 minutes of phone calls , my electric battery dropped to 68 percent . An hr of music mixed with messages and emails cost a niggling more than 10 percent .
Even when playing music for foresighted stretches , you ’ll still get heavy assault and battery life with Apple Watch Series 3 .
But that ’s not a distinctive economic consumption pillowcase . When jumping between phone and LTE connection as most people will do , I was easy able to make it through a full day . With the elision of making call and listening to medicine , I measure my Apple Watch interactions in arcsecond , not minutes , but even when using it far more than I normally would ( both tethered and severally ) , I never require to fall back to Power Reserve mode .
Even when playing music for long stretches, you’ll still get great battery life with Apple Watch Series 3.
A healthy boost for athletes
Apple has tamp its Series 3 watch with some new physical fitness feature as well , and it stacks up well to Fitbit ’s NewIonicwatch , with an expanded and enhanced Workout app , and a barometric altimeter design to measure elevation . old ticker still valuate flights climbed , but it ’s that much more accurate on Apple Watch Series 3 .
The new Heart Rate app is n’t just for athletes .
Apple has n’t actually updated the essence - rate sensor for its Series 3 lookout man , but it ’s express a whole lot more out of it . establish the Heart Rate app , and you ’ll get a bunch of new data , including your current beat - per - second reading as well as your resting rate and walking ordinary . Even as a non - jock , I found it utile , especially the feature that alerts you to any abnormality ( gratefully I did n’t get to prove it , however ) .
The new Heart Rate app isn’t just for athletes.
Butmusicis Apple Watch Series 3 ’s orca new physical fitness feature . All throughout watchOS 4 there are little sense of touch that make it easy to hear and control your music : you could swipe lead in the Workout app to bring in up medicine ascendance , a Now Playing box seat appears on the Siri watch face , and the medicine app will mechanically sync playlist while lodge . However , you still ca n’t play euphony through the Apple Watch ’s loudspeaker , and right LTE cyclosis wo n’t arrive until the forthcoming 4.1 update .
LTE brings it all together
All of the above upgrades are nice , but Apple Watch Series 3 is all about one thing : its cellular connection . For the first sentence , an Apple Watch can operate severally of your phone , and it ’s a liberating , transcendent experience … most of the time .
The complication on Explorer would be great as an selection on other watch faces .
I ’ve used a variety of LTE watch fromSamsung , LG , andZTE , and Apple Watch Series 3 is the first that fork out on its promise . Setup with the eSim and my Verizon chronicle was remarkably simple , taking less than a arcminute , and the only setting to talk of is an on / off on/off switch . LTE merely takes over when your sentinel is out of scope of your sound . I was very aware of when it was running at first , but after a couple daylight I cease obsessively agree to see if my watch was connected .
The complication on Explorer would be great as an option on other watch faces.
It ’s not perfect , however . I did n’t have anywhere close theconstant problem with unauthenticated networksthat some early reviewers have , but there were still instances where my watch showed a red “ x ” while roll to indicate that it was disconnected from the cellular web . Resetting my phone ’s internet options and deleting some former saved meshing my Mac helped immensely , but that ’s not something you should have to do to ensure a static connection . Apple issue the4.0.1 updatewhile writing this review to make up it , but it did n’t fix some of my other casual problem .
In inadequate coverage area , I happen that the watch routinely dropped its connecter where my phone was able to hang on with a bar or two . If I was on a call when I left my house , it consistently dropped when change from Wi - Fi to cellular . And once it required a hard reset to get LTE going on my watch again again .
In strong coverage areas , however , my picket worked great . Overall my issues were infrequent and as expect for a first - gen merchandise . I did need the ability to tally a cellular complicatedness to any watch face . The aerial is n’t nearly as inviolable as it is on the iPhone , and unless you ’re using the Explorer typeface , you ca n’t quickly tell apart how potent your connexion is without heading into the mini Control Center first . I ’m hoping this is a raw feature in watchOS 4.1 , along with a fix for my Wi - Fi handoff offspring .
When you walk away from your phone with an LTE Apple Watch, you don’t need to freak out anymore.
When you walk forth from your phone with an LTE Apple Watch , you do n’t need to freak out anymore .
But even with the above hiccups , LTE on Apple Watch Series 3 is game - changing . I routinely leave my phone on the charger while leaving the house for quick errands or to pick up my son from schoolhouse , and my watch dutifully kept me up - to - date with notification . I never missed a message , call , score , or breaking news brief , and Siri ’s improved reactivity let me quickly send messages over LTE without needing to scribble letter on the screen . And at times , my watch really refreshedfasterthan when it was tethered to my phone .
watchOS still a work in progress
Just because you’re able to use Apple Watch without your phone does n’t make it an iPhone replacement . Even with watchOS 4 , many third - company apps still depend on the phone for data retrieval , and things like checking my Twitter timeline , controlling my Hue lights , or peeking at my Ring video recording buzzer feed just were n’t possible . developer have slowly been moving aside from building Apple Watch apps — just last workweek Twitter vanish from the store , and I had major issues with it even before that happened — but I ’m hopeful LTE compels them to get back on dining table .
Android Wear 2.0 ’s frolic Store is something Apple might need to borrow for watchOS 5 .
And here ’s something that would serve spur interest : an on - watch App Store . It ’s one of the best feature film of Android Wear 2.0 , and it would be amazing to quickly find and install a vigil app while away from our phone . Also missing is a farm animal Notes app . While there are a few third - party options , I desire a way to quickly call for Siri to take a note and have it sync back to my iPhone . As it stands , that ca n’t bump .
Android Wear 2.0’s Play Store is something Apple might want to borrow for watchOS 5.
I love have a list view for apps — seriously , I ’m never using the honeycomb screenland ever again — but the new Dock is n’t as great . It ’s basically a task manager / app switcher , and I much preferred the original Glances or watchOS 3 ’s snapshots , which would let you get little piece of info without in reality opening the app . With the novel method acting , apps need to be launched before they ’re updated , like the iPhone ’s app switcher . Fast app switching is n’t nearly as utile on the watch as it is on the phone , and I ’d care to see Apple revert to the old version in watch OS 5 . Glanceability is significant , and it ’s not really there in watchOS 4 .
Say goodbye to the honeycomb screen forever with watchOS 4 ’s list pick .
My preferred new watch grimace on watch OS 4 was already the Siri one ( sorry Buzz and Woody ) , but Apple Watch Series 3 takes it to a new level . With LTE connectivity , the Siri face is even more utilitarian when my earphone ’s not around , as it continuously show a flow of news , weather condition , stocks , and photos . LTE and the Siri side did n’t seem to have a obtrusive impact on battery life . Third - company app support would make the Siri face that much better , but something tells me we ’ll have to wait a while before that get in .
Say goodbye to the honeycomb screen forever with watchOS 4’s list option.
But mostly watchOS is simply a step , not a saltation , forward . There are still occasional bugs . For model , I could n’t take a screenshot despite toggling , restarting , and re - pairing , and the side button is less useful than ever . But you ’re still not going to find a better wearable platform .
Should you buy an Apple Watch Series 3?
For my role , Apple Watch Series 3 is a computer software update and a pair apps aside from being my dream machine . But even in its current form , it ’s land mile ahead of its closest challenger when it comes to functionality and secpar ahead with design . There ’s a reason Apple has n’t visually changed its watch in three generations : It ’s nearly perfect .
Even from far out , the Digital Crown ’s red superman will evidence everyone you ’re special .
you may quibble over Mary Leontyne Price , but it ’s a bit like compare a Casio watch to a Tag Heuer or a Rolex . you could save a few bucks by get a tacky Android Wear or Fitbit watch , but you ’ll unquestionably get your money ’s worth by choosing an Apple Watch Series 3 . At $ 329/$359 for the GPS manakin or $ 399/$429 for LTE , it ’s just a sumptuousness token anymore . Granted , you could expend $ 1,200 on a ceramic Edition or Hermès forked enlistment , but the low-priced entry - level variation models calculate and act just as good .
Even from far away, the Digital Crown’s red dot will tell everyone you’re special.
Apple is the only company committed to developing a self-coloured wearable weapons platform . Fitbit ’s Ionic is initially underwhelming as a smartwatch , Samsung ’s Tizen bone is still scramble with security and adoption , and we ’ve yet to see a meaningful Android Wear 2.0 watch after six month of public availability . LTE has its issues — most of which will be snuff out in the first package update — but Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE is the first cellular smartwatch to get it right . Apple Watch Series 3 might not be an iPhone replacement , but it ’s the closest thing to an all - day , independent wearable you ’re potential to discover .
And it ’s the best curative for Forgotten Phone Anxiety .
