SERIES 3 IWATCH

The SERIES 3 IWATCH is still for sale in 2022, nearly 5 years after its release.

Apple kept the device around for a low-priced entry point for consumers.

Even when the Apple Watch SE was revealed, Apple didn’t stop selling the aging Series 3.

Rumors suggest the “Apple Watch Series 8” lineup could finally bump the Series 3 out of the market.

Although, Apple will still provide watch OS updates to the Series 3 for at least a few more years for customers who may have purchased their watch recently.

Apple Watch Series 3 Features

External design

From the outside, this Apple Watch has the same familiar design as the Apple Watch Series 2,

with a square OLED Retina display, protected by sapphire crystal in the stainless steel and ceramic models,

and Ion-X glass for the aluminum versions.

Available in two sizes, the 38-millimeter model has a resolution of 272 x 340 pixels,

while the 42-millimeter has a 312 x 390-pixel display. Both are capable of 1,000 nits of brightness.

General specifications

As is customary, Apple made changes to the internals of the Apple Watch,

improving it in both performance and features compared to previous models.

Apple developed the S3 processor for the third-generation smartwatch,

a dual-core chip that boasts a 70% performance increase over the S2.

As well as providing quicker app launch times and smoother graphics compared to its predecessor,

this addition also made it possible for Siri to speak back to the user, using the Apple Watch’s built-in speaker.

Cellular connectivity

Apple offered two types of Apple Watch in this 2017 model

These can include streaming audio services such as Apple Music, accessing Find My Friends,

Messages, and third-party apps such as WeChat.

Apple Music streaming through the Apple Watch wasn’t immediately available.

Apple later introduced it as part of an update for watchOS 4.1 in October 2017.

Streaming through the LTE connection does affect battery life,

similar to how streaming while using the built-in GPS functionality can lower the usage time to just three hours.

You can assign the watch the same phone number and account as your paired iPhone.

This allows text messages and calls to pass through to the Apple Watch even if far away from your iPhone.

You can also receive and place calls using the Apple Watch’s built-in speaker and microphone. However,

it will also pair with AirPods for a more private conversation.

To add LTE connectivity without changing the design or size, Apple used a built-in eSIM. This design decision takes up one-hundredth of the space of a traditional SIM card, eliminating the need to add a SIM slot.

The display also doubles as the antenna for the Apple Watch for cellular communications, rather than using a separate aerial component.

Due to the nature of how the Apple Watch Series 3 can connect to the phone network, it will only work through a limited number of carriers, a list Apple has published on its website.

In the United States, the supported carriers include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, with customers expected to pay $10 per month to add the device to their service plan.

watchOS 7

Apple announced the next major OS update for Apple Watch, watchOS 7, at WWDC 2020. The update launched in September 2020. Significant changes include handwashing timers, sleep tracking, and mobility metrics. Apple Watch Series 3 and newer can migrate to the update.

Building on top of the basic tracking offered in Bedtime, the sleep tracking system included in watchOS 7 provided more data about how a user sleeps.

By tracking small movements using the built-in accelerometer, users could see how well they slept and keep track of their long-term sleep patterns.