The Reason You Shouldn't Buy This Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 3 has been around for a while now, with the company selling it for over half a decade as an entry point into its smartwatch ecosystem. At an asking price of just $199, there's a lot to like, especially when compared to smartwatches in the rival Wear OS system or those running custom RTOS-based skins with barely a fraction of the apps that Apple Watch Series 3 has at its disposal.
However, Apple Watch Series 3 has really started to show its age. Ever since watchOS 7 was released back in 2020, Apple Watch Series 3 users have been complaining about issues with software upgrades. The smartwatch offers only 8 GB of onboard space, which leaves little to no idle space for installing the new software updates. Apple even has a support page that tells users to first unpair the smartwatch, wipe the storage, and then set it up as new with the latest watchOS software available.
Needless to say, it's not the most productive way of installing a software update. But that's not the end of it. The Apple Watch Series 3's processor struggles with the latest-gen apps, and there is no dearth of users out there complaining about slow application loading speeds and generally sluggish performance.
The software update journey comes to a halt
Now there's more reason to stay away from the Apple Watch Series 3, despite its enticingly low asking price. Apple has officially listed on the aging smartwatch's product comparison page that it won't get to see another OS upgrade. Apple's watchOS 9, the latest iteration of the company's smartwatch operating system, is not coming to Apple Watch Series 3.
This latest version of the operating system introduces a ton of features such as new analysis metrics for runners, a more comprehensive suite of sleep tracking markers, and a new app for tracking medications. None of them will grace Apple Watch Series 3, which is reason enough to shy away from buying it at its retail price. Even if those features don't matter to you, the deal still looks pretty bad, especially when a premium of $79 will net you the Apple Watch SE.
Aside from being compatible with watchOS 9, slated to roll out in the Fall, Apple Watch SE also offers a 30% larger display, supports the fall detection feature, allows users to connect multiple units with a single iPhone with family sharing, offers an improved second-generation optical heart rate sensor, and facilitates emergency international calling. As it is with all smart devices, with time comes obsolescence.