Apple Watch Series 3 Review (2024)

Editors' Note: Following the launch of the Apple Watch Series 5, the Apple Watch Series 3 now costs $199 for the GPS model and $299 for the cellular model. Apple is no longer selling the Series 1, Series 2, and Series 4 watches.

The Series 3 is compatible with the latest watchOS 6, which brings a dedicated App Store to the watch itself, although some software updates, like the new Noise app, are only available on the Series 4 or higher. While the Series 3 also lacks features from newer models like an always-on display, an ECG sensor, and fall detection, its $199 price makes it an excellent starter smartwatch for iPhone users, and it remains worthy of its initial 4-star rating. Our original review is below.

The Apple Watch is far and away the most popular smartwatch out there, so the company isn't trying to reinvent the wheel with the new Series 3. The two biggest changes are an increased focus on fitness, and a version with built-in cellular connectivity so you can stay connected even when your phone isn't around. It's quite expensive at $399 for the cellular model, and battery life takes a big hit when using LTE. But it's one of the best attempts at a truly standalone smartwatch we've seen if you're willing to deal with those trade-offs.

A Familiar Face

Apple has managed to cram LTE capability and a faster dual-core processor into the Series 3 without adding much bulk. The watch's case is the same size as the Series 2, while the back has been extended by a negligible 0.25mm—the thickness of two sheets of paper. The display itself is a multi-frequency antenna, and Apple has opted for an integrated eSIM card instead of a slot for a removable card to keep things slim. It also adds a new W2 wireless chip, which it says makes for faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speeds and better power efficiency.

When you compare the Series 3 with the LG Watch Sport, the difference is astounding. The Watch Sport is far too bulky for everyday wear or exercise. The Apple Watch doesn't particularly disappear on your wrist like a Timex, but next to LG's model, it looks positively petite.

The only noticeable design change from previous models is a red dot on the digital crown. There's no real reason for it—it just indicates that you have the LTE version (the GPS-only model has the same plain crown as the Series 1 and Series 2). As in previous models, there's a separate button below the crown. And like the Series 2, the Series 3 is water resistant, so you can use it in the pool (though Apple doesn't recommend submersion below shallow depths).

Both the cellular and non-cellular models come in 38mm and 42mm sizes. Each size is available with an aluminum body in gold, silver, or space gray, or a stainless steel body in silver or space black. The non-cellular version is only available in aluminum. The Nike+ models cost the same but feature a sportier design. The Watch Edition has a new ceramic option in gray for $1,299, while the Apple Watch Hermès starts at $1,199 depending on the band.

Performance and Battery Life

Cellular connectivity means you can use the Series 3 to take calls, reply to messages, talk to Siri, and access maps without needing a phone nearby. Setting up a cellular connection is easy. When you first pair the watch (an iPhone is required for this step), you're guided through activating LTE. I have service with T-Mobile, and all I had to do was enter the last four digits of the primary account holder on my plan. Cellular service was up and running in just a couple of minutes.

There isn't an app to measure LTE speeds on the watch itself, but anecdotally, cellular connectivity seemed to feel just about as fast as Wi-Fi. Despite some reports that the Watch suffers from connectivity issues (and a statement from Apple acknowledging an issue with Wi-Fi hand offs), I didn't experience any issues in testing.

Call quality was also clear. I spoke with several friends and family members, and none were able to tell I wasn't calling from my phone. To make a phone call, all you have to do is open the Call app and navigate through your contacts. You can talk directly into the watch if you aren't connected to a Bluetooth headset, and the built-in speaker is similar in volume to your average speakerphone; I was able to maintain a conversation while riding outside on my bike. It's also easy to dictate text replies via Siri, though the occasional typo is inevitable.

While you've always been able to play music with the watch, cellular support means you can now directly stream 40 million songs via Apple Music without it being tethered to an iPhone. That's useful for when you're working out, and want to leave your phone safe and sound in the locker, or even at home. Streaming Apple Music via the watch won't be available until October, however, so we'll have to wait to see how well it works.

As far as the new processor goes, performance is noticeably faster than the Series 1, particularly when it comes to opening third-party apps. It's also faster than the Fitbit Ionic, though you really have to pay close attention to notice any difference from the Series 2.

While the addition of LTE is easily the biggest new feature here, it's also the greatest liability. Apple estimates the Series 3 to last about 18 hours on a single charge. If you're not using cellular, you can probably get close to two days of moderate use. However, a 15-minute outdoor run using GPS and a 20-minute phone call resulted in a 24 percent battery drain. You'll definitely need to charge the battery every night, but if you plan to use LTE a lot, you might find yourself needing an emergency charge before the afternoon.

Doubling Down on Health

Cellular connectivity isn't the only new focus. The Series 3 adds a barometric altimeter to help track elevation and stairs climbed. And with watchOS 4, Apple is beefing up other fitness features as well. In addition to smart activity coaching, a redesigned Workout app, swim tracking, and GymKit compatibility, the new watchOS adds advanced heart rate monitoring.

You can now view your heart rate directly from the watch face. Apple is also catching up to other dedicated fitness trackers with new metrics like resting heart rate and recovery heart rate. Resting heart rate isn't anything new—we've seen it on plenty of other trackers and smartwatches. But recovery heart rate, or how quickly you return to normal after a workout, is a nice addition.

Along that vein, Apple is embracing the potential of possible medical use cases, much like Fitbit is doing with its Ionic smartwatch. The Series 3 will notify you if it detects an elevated heart rate when you're not active. Apple also expressed interest in measuring heart arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythms, via its Apple Heart Study partnership with the medical community. I never received a notification about an abnormal heartbeat while testing, which is at least somewhat indicative that you're unlikely to get a false positive.

For more standard heart rate measurements, the watch holds up well against dedicated fitness trackers and heart rate monitors. During exercise it was within 5 to 10 beats per minute of the Polar H10 chest strap, which is a solid result on par with many other wrist-based optical monitors we've tested.

However, the watch doesn't measure heart rate continuously outside of exercise in order to preserve battery life. That means you're only getting periodic measurements, which provide a good snapshot of your heart health, but not necessarily one as accurate as you get with a 24/7 monitor. For instance, the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Alta HR measure my resting heart rate as 60bpm and 57bpm, respectively. After a few days of wear, the Series 3 recorded it as 74bpm. This is a noticeable difference, likely because I didn't wear my Series 3 to bed. While dedicated trackers have enough battery to last the night, the Apple Watch just doesn't. And your heart rate drops dramatically as you sleep, so the watch is only giving you a sense of your resting heart rate during waking hours. It's valuable, but it's not the whole picture.

As for fitness tracking, the Series 3 does an admirable job, and the little tweaks in watchOS 4 help to smooth over some previous rough edges. For starters, the smart activity coaching is helpful for anyone looking for concrete and actionable reminders. On the Siri watch face, for instance, I received a reminder to take a 30-minute walk toward the end of the day to meet my Move goal.

In controlled testing, the Series 3 performed well. On a one-mile treadmill walk at 3.5 miles per hour, it logged 2,558 steps to the Yamax SW-200 Digi-Walker's 2,143 steps. It came even closer for a one-mile run at 5mph, logging 1,985 steps to the Yamax's 1,995. More importantly, it did well with distance tracking, logging 0.96 mile on the walk and and 1.07 miles on the run.

Of the core built-in apps, the Workout app has seen the most dramatic change. Not only do you have the ability to track high-intensity interval training, you no longer need to track each exercise separately. And you can now swipe right on the watch face, hit the plus button, and automatically record a new activity. Swiping left lets you control your music without having to wrestle your phone out of an armband.

watchOS 4

Aside from expanded fitness capabilities, Apple has tweaked a few other features in watchOS 4. It comes with some new watch faces, for instance. Kaledioscope is wonderfully psychedelic, and you can scroll the digital crown to play around with the pattern. If you're a Pixar lover, you can opt for an animated screen with Toy Story characters. They're fun, but not exactly game changers.

The Siri watch face, on the other hand, is very cool. In the top right of the screen, you see the date and time. The top left lets you access Siri. The rest of the face consists of cards that are tailored to your daily comings and goings. For instance, it shows your upcoming appointments and recent events, photos, reminders to breathe, and the occasional prodding to get up and move around.

Siri works reasonably well on the watch. You can ask general questions, open apps, call a contact, and send texts, all by voice. Occasionally, Siri will direct you to your phone for more complicated requests.

Apple's third-party app ecosystem remains much richer and far more advanced than the competition. When you set up the watch, you can automatically install any watchOS-compatible apps you already have on your phone. Android Wear still lags behind in big-name titles (and is frustrating to navigate), while Fitbit's burgeoning App Gallery is currently limited to just a handful of choices.

An Apple a Day

The Apple Watch Series 3 improves on the strengths of its predecessors, enhancing health and fitness features. As far as the user experience goes, it's far more streamlined than any Android Wear watch.

There isn't much of a difference here from the Series 1 or Series 2, however, unless you spring for the $399 cellular model. And whether you should do that comes down to how much you're willing to pay to stay connected at all times. If you can't go for a walk around the block without checking your email, the cellular Series 3 might be worth the extra scratch. It's also a good buy for anyone who wants to exercise and stay on LTE without their phone (literally) attached to their hip.

Everyone else, meanwhile, can save some money on the GPS-only model. And if you don't mind slower loading times, you can save even more by opting for the Series 1. There are also fitness trackers like the Fitbit Ionic to consider. The Ionic is a promising smartwatch-tracker hybrid that's not only accurate, it's about $100 cheaper than the Series 3, has superb battery life, and is platform agnostic. If you don't mind a potentially limited app ecosystem, it's a compelling alternative.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is the closest attempt we've seen at a truly standalone smartwatch yet, and for that it deserves credit. But at the end of the day, it's still just a neat accessory for your iPhone.