Live Science Verdict
While it ’s long in the tooth , verging on too expensive and getting slow , the Watch 3 rest a cost - efficient way to get into Apple ’s world of fitness without breaking the bank .
admittance to Apple ’s Fitness+ platform
refined phone notifications
S3 chipset is slow
toll has n’t dropped in years
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It ’s been over four years since the Apple Watch 3 come out , but the Cupertino brand is observe it alert by offering it for over half the price of the top - end sentry 7 , making it the low-cost pick if you ’re thinking of get into the Apple Watch world .
It ’s a sly call though - back in 2017 , many of the Watch 3 feature of speech were cutting boundary , where now they ’re petty run - of - the - mill and have been heavily usurped by a lot of otherfitness trackerson the market .
Software : Watch OS 8
Compatibility : Apple
Battery sprightliness : 26 time of day interracial - use
store : 8 GB
Display and size : 38mm/42 mm
GPS : Yes
urine resistivity : Yes
ticker rate : Yes
Sleep tracker : Yes
stone’s throw tally : Yes
Music : Yes
However , Apple has maintained a passably healthy lead as the earth ’s best smartwatch manufacturer , especially in full term of sales , and has systematically been upgrading its Watch software system to bring feature to its range of a function - including the sr. Watch 3 .
It comes with a good range of band designs - easily swappable thanks to the lugs at the top and bottom of the machine - and while it lack many of the computer hardware upgrade that later Watches bring ( specially when it get to the display ) it ’s also rife with the deoxyribonucleic acid that relieve oneself Apple Watches so popular .
If you ’re looking at buying a Watch 3 , then you ’ll be capable to pick it up in 38 mm or 42 mm version , depending on the wrist sizing you ’ve vex , and it begin at just $ 199 now - although , say that , it ’s been at the terms point for year now , and we recollect it ’s high time that Apple abbreviate it further if it ’s going to be the low-cost way to get into the Apple Watch ecosystem .
That enjoin , it is a chinchy way to get into things like Fitness+ , Apple ’s guided physical exercise chopine that you may take anyway and uses your Watch to supervise functioning and salve your physical exertion . It ’s a dainty system , and three calendar month of free use come in bundled with the Watch 3 .
But you ’ll need to be sure you ’re OK with the ' basic ' example of the Apple Watch if you go for the third - coevals model , as you are do some relatively significant compromises . If budget is less of a concern , theApple Watch 6andApple Watch 7are superior models .
Apple Watch 3: Design and display
Back in 2017 , we thought the Apple Watch 3 had a swell exhibit . hopeful and intense , the OLED technology glow through . But now , compare to the Watch 7 or Watch SE ( which are also on sale ) it looks tiny in compare .
The biggest alteration is the bezels - they look A-one chunky on the Watch 3 , coming in over 4 mm compared to the 1 millimetre off the Watch 7 . Given the case has n’t altered that much in size ( the Watch 7 is now useable in 41 mm and 45 millimetre sizes , compare to the 38 mm and 42 m options of the Watch 3 ) the reduction in bezel is stellar , and with the Watch 3 you ’ve got so much less space to poke at .
It ’s not as undimmed as raw watch either , but we ca n’t say we really struggled with seeing what was on it at all in this modern - day retest . Sure , it ’s not the brightest or orotund , but it ’s always seeable out of doors and when raise the wrist .
The Apple Watch 3 also lacks the always - on display , which will go dim when you lower your wrist , but still show the time and some information . You demand to flick your wrist in an overstated fashion with the Watch 3 to see the time , which is irksome ( although , you will get used to the motion quickly ) .
In full term of the design , it ’s never really changed in term of the way an Apple Watch looks - the Digital Crown on the side does n’t have the pleasant haptic feedback that newer watches have , but other than that it ’s just a bite smaller than newer models .
However , we would say the 38 mm framework is a little on the minor sizing these days - if you’re able to get away with the 42 millimetre pick , we paint a picture you mark off that out .
Apple Watch 3: Set up
The Apple Watch 3 , like its wearable siblings , is a cinch to rig up . Hold it close to your earphone and it ’ll instantly commence pair , using the photographic camera to start the connexion . There you answer some questions about your preferences , set the passcode , show some fittingness goals and you ’re off .
It takes a while to get going , specially if you ’re restoring from a backup of an old Watch , but once it ’s ready you ’re honorable to go .
In terms of serviceableness , there are few smartwatches on the market as secure as the Apple Watch kitchen stove in terms of how you use them - the notifications are rich and clear-cut , the Taptic Engine ( which makes it sense like the Watch is knock on your articulatio radiocarpea to let you know things are befall ) is sublime and even the fiddly Digital Crown does n’t feel whole useless all the time , especially when scrolling through a menu .
We would intimate that you change from the uneven grid set up to a list horizon of your apps , as it ’s so much easier to find the title you require when it ’s in alphabetical orderliness - although it does n’t look as nice , it ’s easy to apply .
The Watch faces continue to get well and advantageously from Apple as time goes on , and now you may have quick entree to features of many apps through the complications offered on the boldness . Whether it ’s tracking the phases of the moon , using your favorite images as wallpaper or keep Pride , Apple has many - although it ’s still staggeringly bother it does n’t leave third - party face yet , and you do n’t get access to all the fresh Watch faces .
Apple Watch 3: Features and performance
So , then , how does using the Apple Watch 3 feel Clarence Day to twenty-four hours , especially in light of the other high - power smartwatches available , often not much more money ( and sometimes less ) ?
Well , the first matter you might observe in a side - by - side compare is the speed - the Watch 3 postulate a few seconds to register job , jumping between apps need a clear beat longer than you might expect .
This is OK a mountain of the time , but when you ’re on a runnel and want to swipe to commute your music , it becomes vex .
However , when it comes to fitness trailing , the Watch 3 is still as good as more recent Apple Watch models in some respects . The Move Rings , the methods of following how active you are per daylight in a more visual way , are a nice way to help you stay level-headed , and they ’re just as in effect on the Watch 3 .
The GPS carrying into action when you ’re out running is just fine - partially because you ’ll generally have your phone with you and it ’ll draw location datum from that , but on its own it ’s still OK . Not as accurate as many others , as it ca n’t sense as many satellites , but fine in terms of telling you how far and tight you ran with comparative accuracy .
you could now track a all-encompassing range of action with the Apple Watch , from saltation to running to HIIT workouts , and we loosely regain the Watch 3 to be good enough in full term of tracking these sweat - inducing sessions and fill our fitness rings consequently .
One affair that you could now do with recent software system upgrades is track your sleep - but we would n’t suggest you buy the Watch 3 ( or any Watch ) for that from Apple , as it ’s really basic information that does n’t really give much of an brainwave . you may download other apps to help you with this , but we suppose devices like Garmin or Fitbit are far right at the job .
The heart rate monitor on the back is n’t the best out there either . We found it to be generally precise , giving the same responses as other optical heart rate sensor ( as in , using unripe LEDs to spot your heart charge per unit on the go ) .
It ’s also a good enough system to let you know when you ’re having low or gamey kernel pace moment that you may have overlook or not expected , although it lack a blood oxygen sensor or ECG role . But it sometimes would recede performance if you put it on the wrong part of your wrist , as it needs more detector to compete these days .
Whether you need these though , is entirely up to you . We ’ve not seen much usage for them in our examination , so we think most people would mirthfully live without them .
When it comes to battery life , Apple remain as confusing as ever , saying that its lookout can last 18 hours but they often go further than that .
For example , we used the Apple Watch from 8:30pm one night until around 11 post-mortem examination a day later - this let in a half - 60 minutes test in the center , as well as incessant connection to the Watch and heart rate monitoring . It also lose only 5 % of battery during that run ( while , confessedly , still connected to the phone ) , showing that the Apple Watch 3 ’s barrage resiliency has n’t been harmed in recent software package update .
Apple has removed the Watch 3 LTE version of the gimmick in recent days , allowing you to just buy the GPS - only version to keep it low cost .
That omission means you ca n’t take or make calls on the Watch 3 when out and about , but you’re able to use it to answer when a affiliated telephone rings . The speaker is a petty on the quiet side compared to later models , but fine enough .
But all the above does n’t really scratch the airfoil of what the Apple Watch 3 is adequate to of - if you ’re engraft in the world of Apple ’s HomeKit smart devices , you could raise your articulatio radiocarpea to issue a command to turn off a lamp , or laid automations .
You ’ve got a nifty torch that can blaze out brightness level into a room , a Walkie - Talkie to chat to friends with ( although we rapidly tired of this gimmick to be true ) , an easy voice fipple pipe , and more .
If you wish the mind of using your Apple Watch as a music player , then you should likely steer clear of the Watch 3 - it can do it , and can now store offline music from both Apple Music and Spotify . But with only 8 GB of storage onboard , liken to the 32 GB of raw Apple Watches , that ’s not enough in our persuasion .
Should you buy the Apple Watch 3?
It ’s a tricky interrogation , and it entirely depends on whether you need a introductory fitness tracker to sit alongside your iPhone , and whether you ’re on a stricter budget .
If you’re able to afford it , we suggest going for the new Apple Watch 7 or poking up to the Watch SE as a halfway house , as you ’ll get more features and , crucially , a faster user interface .
However , if you never try those example , you wo n’t remark too much as the Watch 3 run just fine as arunning ticker . You wo n’t get themostaccurate Global Positioning System trailing , heart rate or sleep trailing , but it ’ll work , again , just fine .
you’re able to get the saucy meditation apps , the pleasurable Fitness+ weapons platform and the range of apps and notifications that the picket is do it for - if you want to get an older or less technical school - instill family phallus into fitness , the Watch 3 could be a nifty start point .
If this product isn’t for you
eThe latest and greatest from Apple , you could make a secure logical argument that the 41 mm Apple Watch 7 is a much smart bargain than the Watch 3 , such is its speed , physical fitness trailing and capacity improvements . That said , you get the same foundation execution for half the price with the Watch 3 , so you ’ll need to really want to maximise the welfare of the New vigil to go for that .
For less than the Apple Watch 3 you may get a blood oxygen monitor , unmortgaged and brilliant screen , GPS tracking , excellent fitness insights and so much more fromFitbit Versa 4 . Coupled with a great app experience and a much longer barrage fire life , you might well consider this smartwatch - especially if you ’re thinking of switching from Apple in the good future .
A little more expensive than the Watch 3 , theGarmin Forerunner 245nevertheless take a suite of fittingness , nap and wellness tracking to its aerodynamic consistence , and provides day of barrage fire life that fully take over that of the Watch 3 . It might lack the build lineament , but if you ’re a more serious moon-curser or cyclist , we advise you steer down the Garmin path - and the app is so much more fully - featured than Apple ’s Health option too .
