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Apple Watch 2 Left - Apple Watch 3 Right |
Apple has released the new Apple Watch called Apple Watch 3 on Sept 15, is it worthed?
The big new feature this year is cellular, making the watch more independent than ever. But do its new internals mean you should be rushing to trade in your Watch Series 2? Or should you hold fire until next year?
1. Design Changes?
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Apple Watch 3 |
The only slight difference is that red spot on the cellular mode’s digital crown. And if you’re desperate for that on your Series 2.
2. Features Improvement?
The Series 3 has two big new features: mobile internet (on the $399 ‘cellular’ version) and a built-in barometric altimeter, which lets your Watch measure changes in altitude. How does the cellular connection work? A tiny little eSIM in the watch can ‘borrow’ your iPhone’s number to stream Apple Music and take calls, among other things. The stinger is that you’ll need to also have an iPhone on the EE network (which is the only one to offer the cellular Apple Watch, for now), and pay an extra $5 per month contract. It’s difficult to say right now how well the cellular connection will work, and how useful it’ll be. Unless you’re an early adopter, a ‘wait and see’ approach seems wise. But what about the $329, non-cellular Series 3? Sure, it has that barometric altimeter to work out when you’re climbing stairs or mountains, but is that the only thing it offers over the Series 2 No, there are a few internal differences that should future-proof it for forthcoming software updates and apps. Like the Series 2, the Watch 3 has a dual-core processor, but Apple says it’s a whopping 70% faster. There’s also a new wireless chip, the W2. It’s more efficient, has faster Wi-Fi and allows for the new 4G connection. While these do help make watchOS 4 feel a bit zippier (as we discovered in our hands-on), it’s unlikely the Series 2 will grind to a halt over the next year. If you own an Apple Watch Series 1, then an upgrade feels like a no-brainer. But it’s probably not enough to justify an upgrade from an Apple Watch 2, unless you’ve already spent months treating your old Watch like dirt and are tired of its scratched and tarnished face.
3. Battery Life?
Okay as we know the battery life is what we need on improvements.
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Apple Watch |
One of the changes we were hoping for in the Watch Series 3 was better battery life. It’s what we want in every new smartwatch and phone, if we’re honest. And, drumroll, we don’t get it, sadly. Like last time around, Apple has aimed for '18 hours' of use for both of its new models. That doesn't sound great compared to something like the Fitbit Ionic's claimed four days, but it does include a lot of time checks, notifications, 30 minutes of fitness tracking and 45 minutes of app use. Still, most of the Apple Watch owners we know don’t do quite that much, and are able to get up to two days' use between charges. And that's likely a good ballpark for the Series 3, unless you're streaming Apple Music for hours.
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