Apple Watch 3 (or, technically, the Apple Watch Series 3) builds on the previous iteration by working without the phone anywhere nearby, as well as a faster processor.
The new device isn’t a huge upgrade on the previous iteration by any means, but it does come with some useful updates that make it worth checking out – especially if you like to leave your phone
The Apple Watch 3 now adds in LTE connectivity, so you’ll be able to stay connected on the move, which will make it a better standalone device if you don’t fancy lugging a massive handset with you.
The Watch 3 also completely replaces the Watch 2 – you can’t by the latter device from Apple, but there is a non-LTE option if you just want the GPS model of the newest Apple Watch.
Apple Watch 3 release date and price
The original Apple Watch started at £299 when it launched, and the Apple Watch 2 upped the prices to £369.
The Series 3 starts at £329 if you’re content with not having LTE cellular connectivity – that’s if you just want to have GPS connectivity and water resistance.
If you want to ramp it up to include the headline new feature, that soars right up to £399 – the most expensive starting price for an Apple Watch yet.
In the UK, you’ll be paying £5 per month on top of your phone contract, with rumored prices of £25 per month to have a new contract with the Phone.
In the US, it’ll be $10 per month on T-Mobile and Verizon to connect the Watch on top of your contract, and you can have it on a monthly cost of just over $16 for the base model
In terms of design, you’re not going to see much of a difference between the Apple Watch, Apple Watch 2 and Apple Watch 3 – they’re all sticking with the same square formation (so no appearance of the round model we wondered if we might be getting).
And with the Apple Watch 3 disappearing from shop shelves, this upgraded Watch 3 just takes the same display and chassis from that model and looks almost identical.
The 1.65-inch OLED display is still one of the better ones on the market, but you still have to ‘raise to wake’ the screen to actually see the time, rather than having it on constantly.
Apple’s ability to register when you’re raising your wrist is among the best, but it’s still not as good as being able to glance down and see what hour it is without a quiver of the limb.
The maintenance of the design is good news in one way, as it means the band ecosystem won’t have to be rebooted to account for the altered format – there’s nothing worse than a fragmented accessories marketplace.
The only slight design change: the digital crown now has a red dot on the top, marking out that you’re using the latest of Apple’s timepieces.
The screen is the same, the shape the same, the band connector the same – it’s impressive that Apple has managed to lump in so much tech without increasing the thickness from the Apple Watch 2, but some design upgrades would have made this feel like more than just a slight evolution.
Apple Watch 3 vs Apple Watch 1
In terms of your actual choice of Apple Watch, it’s going to be between the Watch 3 and the first Watch, first announced in 2014 and launched in early 2015.
There’s a big disparity in features and performance… but also, in terms of price too.
The Apple Watch 3 has LTE connectivity, a red dot on the digital crown, water resistance to allow you take the watch swimming, and a speaker to let you hear Siri on the go.
You can take calls, see how many stairs you’ve climbed, use GPS to track your running and cycling and, well, everything performs that little bit faster.
If you’re just looking for a second screen on your wrist, the Series 1 model will work just fine, but if you’ve got any inclination to exercise or get that little bit fitter (or just want a Watch that performs better with a brighter screen) then an upgrade makes a lot of sense.
verdict
The Apple Watch 3 LTE delivers a really minimal upgrade in that it essentially just adds in connectivity to its latest wearable.
However, with the Apple Watch 2 no longer sold by Apple, and stocks likely to run dry quickly in other stores, this is the only Watch it’s worth looking at from the Cupertino brand.
The real choice is between the Apple Watch with or without LTE – having that connection makes things simpler, but in reality we imagine most people will enjoy the cheaper GPS-only model and still get the benefit of enhanced speed, better screen (over the Apple Watch 1) and superior feature-set to get a good mix of convenience and activity tracking each day.
