Apple Watch Series 3 is not just an upgrade of Apple Watch 2 but is more likely to be a replacement of the previous model. This device is a flag-bearer for fitness and longevity, with a water-resistant casing for swimming, run and cycle tracking on board and the heart rate monitor on the underside. Watch 3 has improved heart rate monitoring and can take calls even when you’re out running. Every feature of Apple Watch Series 3 is centered around the fact that you can live a better, healthier lifestyle with this device.

 

Packaging and Design

Apple Watch Series 3 has become pretty iconic that when you’re wearing an Apple Watch the recognition is instant. It is elegant and light. The 1.65-inch display (on the 42mm version) is certainly the optimal size and shape for allowing more data display. The screen uses OLED technology which is clear vivid and bright. The screen switches itself off to preserve battery when not in use prompting you to flick your wrist to see the display again.

Watch 3 comes in two versions, one with just the GPS only, and the other version is with 4G/LTE or cellular connectivity on board. What is impressive is that both have all-new chipset inside as well as some key new features. With its square, curved design, the antenna is integrated and squeezed in behind the screen barely affecting the device’s overall thickness.

Watch 3 now sports a red dot to signify it’s the new model. There has been a slight upgrade in its manufacturing process and you can feel the difference when clicking the Digital Crown or power button, it feels firmer than Apple Watch 2.

 

Performance

Apple Watch Series 3 is a smartwatch that has good battery life. Watch 3 is running the latest Watch OS4 and has a faster dual-core processor which is a significant and useful upgrade. It also has an upgraded chipset and altimeter as well. The call quality of Watch 3 is also good since the voice quality out of the speaker and the sensitivity of the microphone is superb even while running.

For the first time, it included a barometric altimeter that assists with tracking activity, flights of stairs climbed and outdoor workouts including elevation gain. The heart monitoring is more advanced than ever — aside from counting your heart beats per minute, it also records your daily resting heart rate, your workout ranges, and even pulse while walking thus, providing you a chart or data of whether you are improving or not.

Another relatively recent upgrade of Watch 3 is the addition of music streaming that includes Apple Music directly and Beats Radio. You can access both simply with just a tap through the Watch and ask Siri on the go to play the kind of music you want, although it’s very fiddly.

One more best thing about Apple Watch 3 is that it’s got 16G internal storage for the LTE version while with just the GPS has 8G which gives you more space to store tracks from your phone if you have an Apple Music subscription since it naturally syncs tracks that you play regularly from the phone. The Watch 3 needs to be charging so it’s best done overnight. Apple Watch 3 tracks precisely as well as a dedicated running watch. Battery life if you go for the non-LTE version is stellar and when connected to a phone, can last two days off charge. In LTE-mode, the battery life still lasts over 24 hours even with runs, workouts, and motion tracking all day.

 

Verdict

The Apple Watch 3 as a fitness tracker, is probably one of the best smartwatches on the market when we are talking of out-and-out functionality, raw power and the tremendous amount of things you can do with it. It is best for fitness enthusiasts who need a smartwatch with a longer battery life, improved screen, GPS, and water-resistant capabilities. The 4G and non-4G version of Apple Watch Series 3 are quite impressive especially the non-4G version which delivers good value for money and top fitness capabilities from the wrist. However, despite the improvements to the software this latest Watch is rather expensive, and it’s landing in a world of increasingly impressive fitness-focused watches with smart capabilities. The upgrade may not be that massive but compared to the price of the previous model, it is still great. You have to really use the upgraded features of this latest model to make it a worthwhile purchase. Despite the Apple music streaming capabilities, the added cost for the LTE version is not an ideal thing to recommend. For that reason alone, we fully recommend the non-LTE version as the smartwatch of choice.

 

FAQs

A. How does the Apple Watch Series 3 LTE work?
The Apple Watch Series 3 has a built-in eSIM, essentially giving you the same cellular capabilities as on your smartphone — even when that’s not around. Both devices will share the same phone number, and you’ll get all the same notifications you would when connected to your iPhone over Bluetooth.
For example, if someone calls you and your phone is miles away, you can still answer the call and speak through your Bluetooth headphones. If someone texts, you can also text them back from the wrist.

B. Can the Apple Watch Series 3 stream music from Spotify?
No. With Apple Music being the company’s proprietary music streaming service, it hasn’t yet allowed Spotify users to run their tunes from the watch.

C. Is the Apple Watch compatible with my smartphone?
The minimum requirements for an iPhone user are that you have an iPhone 5 or later running at least iOS 8.2. Android phones are not compatible with any Apple Watch.

D. Will Apple Watch Series 3 track my sleep?
No. Likely due to the Watch’s limited battery life, Apple is yet to prioritize sleep tracking. However, if this improves in future generations, the tech would likely be in place.

E. Can Apple Watch Series 3 take pictures?
No. Apple has yet to install camera control through the Apple Watch, despite its link via Bluetooth to iPhones. Apple seemingly has no plans to install a camera on the device itself, either.

 

Good: Apple Watch Series 3 is a smartwatch that has good battery life especially when not reliant on LTE. It has a clear and bright screen and its fitness features are fantastic. It has its own cellular connection inside, so even without your phone beside you, it can work independently like receiving phone calls and some app notifications (if app is set to “standalone mode”). Apple Watch 3 has snappier performance, improved exercise tracking, and the display is super bright and clear.

Not so good: Apple Watch Series 3 is exclusively iPhone compatible and cannot be used with any other phone. Siri is still patchy and doesn’t always work. It is quite pricey for 4G model. In addition to that, your you cannot fully use Watch 3 when driving since ambient noise makes it harder to hear what’s being said. The LTE version is a lot more expensive and you need to pay extra on top to have your data fed to another device by your provider. LTE has a big impact on battery life. Apple Watch 3 has no roaming capability because it doesn’t support global bands out of the country.