Apple Watch Series 3 Review
Forget about those young upstarts, this golden oldie has withstood the test of time and remains a force to be reckoned with. The Apple Watch Series 3 may have been around for a while, but with a classic design, excellent fitness tracking and fab updated features, it still feels fresh and innovative.
Apple Watch Series 3 Review
Design:
A great looking smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 3 is the traditional square shape with rounded edges and has a timeless elegance, in keeping with its status as one of the classic smartwatches. In my opinion, this is still one of the better-looking smartwatches out there. Others may have a quirkier style, but why mess around with a time-honoured design?!
Available in aluminium, stainless-steel and ceramic versions, with the aluminium version available in gold, silver, or space grey and the ceramic version available in white or grey. All models are thin and lightweight, making for a comfortable and wearable piece of arm candy. As you may have noticed, we have a wide range of stunning Apple Watch Series 3 Straps for you to choose from, all of which are suitable for all of the different versions (aluminium, stainless-steel or ceramic) and all of which are guaranteed to accentuate this smartwatch’s stylish design.
Also note-worthy is the ultrabright display which gives great clarity, even in bright outdoor light, so it’s perfect for keeping an eye on your statistics while you’re out for a run.
Functionality:
As you’d expect from an Apple product, the Apple Watch Series 3 has loads to offer when it comes to features and feels like a slick, premium package.
It does pretty much the full works and it does them well: fitness tracking, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, you name it. It’s swim-proof and comes with in-built GPS, so you can kiss goodbye to your phone when you’re out for a run. The good people at Apple have even added a barometric altimeter to measure elevation, making it the ideal companion for hiking, skiing, or even just good old-fashioned stair climbing.
This smartwatch also receives text messages and notifications and enables you to make and receive calls and respond to messages using voice dictation or the Scribble handwriting–to-text function. It also comes with Siri activation and Apple Pay connectivity. Plus, my personal favourite, Apple Music streaming (for the LTE version) – A massive bonus for outdoor exercising. All these capabilities combined make the Apple Watch Series 3 feel like the complete package. So much so, you can feel free to leave your phone at home, safe in the knowledge you have all you need on your wrist…. Just remember to take your house keys with you!
Pros:
More affordable than other Apple models, this smartwatch offers you accuracy, efficiency, ease of use and advanced technology. It’s supported by the latest watchOS 7 software and annual software updates have been undertaken, meaning it continues to pack a punch in terms of up to the minute functionality and an overall fresh, modern user experience.
I loved its excellent fitness tracking features and found its heart health functions second to none - with a wide range of information at your disposal, plus an overall chart to help you work out whether improvements have been made.
As I’ve already mentioned, I was a huge fan of the Apple Music streaming capability (for the LTE version), which is a very unique and advanced feature and makes the smartwatch experience feel seamless. It’s incredibly freeing to be able to stream songs on a run without being weighed down by a phone (a first-world problem I know, but a problem nonetheless!) and to be able to switch tracks with just the flick of a finger. Plus, the streaming was as reliable as you might expect from Apple, with no time lag or frustrating buffering and excellent music quality.
I found the call quality was also brilliant, especially when paired with Apple’s AirPods. As is the way with these things, I couldn’t quite shake the sense of embarrassment that comes with having a hands-free conversation in public, i.e. looking like I was talking to myself. However, such sights are pretty commonplace these days, so no-one tends to take any notice. Plus, when the call quality is this good, who cares?!
There is a great app store available, featuring thousands of apps. As you’d expect from such a range, the apps do vary in terms of usefulness, but there are plenty of decent ones for you to choose from. There’s also extensive internal storage, so if you don’t have the LTE version for streaming music, you can store lots of tracks from your phone and still enjoy a phone-free run. Add to this the superb battery life, pin-point precise on-board GPS and the clear, bright screen and there really isn’t much not to love about this smartwatch.
Cons:
I’ll keep this short and sweet, as I think we’ve already established there is very little wrong with this smartwatch in my eyes. However, in an ideal world, it would have an in-built ECG monitor and provide a wider, more complete range of sleep-tracking data.
Verdict:
Having been released over 3 years ago, the Apple Watch Series 3 remains one of the best fitness trackers and, in fact, one of the best smartwatches full-stop, certainly at this price-point. Due to the various improvements and modernisations which have been made over the years, this is a smartwatch which has truly evolved to meet the growing needs and expectations of the user. It’s a reliable, powerful and versatile workout buddy, particularly if your exercise of choice is running.