Apple Watch Series 3 Edition tested by Hodinkee

[OllyW]

The grey ceramic does look good.

Site owner Benjamin Clymer likes it but I bet most of his readers don't. 😀

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/apple-watch-series-3-edition-review

 

[bruinsrme]

I agree with the look.
Also, it was a solid look at the watch itself. What I liked about the review it was down to earth without any obnoxious mannerisms.
Still no regrets going with the white again.

 

[maflynn]

I could have missed it, but there's no mention of battery life, and that's what I'm most concerned about. I know the apple watch even the LTE is rated for 18 hours, but in real world usage - how is it?

 

[OllyW]

I could have missed it, but there's no mention of battery life, and that's what I'm most concerned about. I know the apple watch even the LTE is rated for 18 hours, but in real world usage - how is it?

It obviously has an impact on the battery life.

Not surprisingly, using LTE impacted battery life on the Series 3, although the second review unit showed battery life that was much more in line with what I expected. We spent a whole morning shooting video last week, with the Watch operating independently of the phone — about three hours of intermittent LTE usage. By noon, the Watch had drained to 30 percent. So I had to charge it later that afternoon, but that was still better than the experience I had with the first unit.

Taken from The Verge review.

 

[GoFlex]

Does anyone know how long the Apple Watch takes to charge?? I know the LTE battery life is poor but if you were going out and about let's say and wanted to forget the phone you could carry a battery pack with you (they're quite small now) and maybe charge it up on the way to the location or something??

 

[maflynn]

Taken from The Verge review.

Thanks for the link I didn't realize the embargo on the watch has been lifted. I'll start doing my due diligence.

 

[bruinsrme]

Battery Life:

When the series 0 was released the battery life was awful.
It got slightly better over time.

Series 2 came out the battery was better but still was a 50/50 I would make it through the day.

Series 2 today - I am up at 430AM and the watch hits the wrist by 5AM. When it hits the charger between 7pm and 9pm it is rare that its less than 40%.

I am very confident the battery life of the LTE will suck. Then again by watch OS 4.2 we will see some decent improvements.

 

[maflynn]

Series 2 today - I am up at 430AM and the watch hits the wrist by 5AM. When it hits the charger between 7pm and 9pm it is rare that its less than 40%.

I have a Series 0 and for me, I'd see about 40% around 8:00pm, now if depending on how many workouts I'll see 20 or less. In fact its not unusal for me to see low power warnings around 7:00pm. I attribute most of that to the fact that the watch is a few years older now and the battery is not as good as day 1.

I am very confident the battery life of the LTE will suck. Then again by watch OS 4.2 we will see some decent improvements.

You know, I kept going back and forth with my order regarding LTE vs. GPS and I took the plunge for LTE just because it offered more features but I was and continue to be concerned about impact of the LTE on the battery. My buyer's remorse is increasing at this stage.

 

[bruinsrme]

I have a Series 0 and for me, I'd see about 40% around 8:00pm, now if depending on how many workouts I'll see 20 or less. In fact its not unusal for me to see low power warnings around 7:00pm. I attribute most of that to the fact that the watch is a few years older now and the battery is not as good as day 1.


You know, I kept going back and forth with my order regarding LTE vs. GPS and I took the plunge for LTE just because it offered more features but I was and continue to be concerned about impact of the LTE on the battery. My buyer's remorse is increasing at this stage.

You bought a series 0. Many negative reviews and yet yours is still functioning today.

 

[maflynn]

You bought a series 0. Many negative reviews and yet yours is still functioning today.

I didn't buy the watch on day 1 (unlike the S3 which I did pre-order). I gave it plenty of time to shake out and fix those bugs and determine if the watch's features aline with my wants and needs. The buyer's remorse stems from a couple of areas.
1. The AW functions just fine for me right now. So I can live with it longer.
2. I've not needed LTE on my watch up until September 2017, so do I really need it?
3. Monthly cost on a feature that might not be used that much - while the cost isn't high, it still may not be a good use of my limited funds
4. Battery life impact as noted
5. I said I had a couple of areas of concern and I'm on bullet number 5 😱 😛

 

[profets]

I have a Series 3 Cellular pre-ordered, but am expecting LTE to take a significant hit on battery life. Of course the majority of the time I will have my iPhone with me so LTE won't be an issue.

The Series 2 battery life has been excellent. The two things that really hammer the battery (as expected) are GPS & HR monitoring during workouts. I think in that scenario its rated for 5 hours of use. I wouldn't be surprised to see LTE have a similar effect as well unfortunately.

 

[Farrellcollie]

I have a series 0 that lasts me all day. At, bedtime it’s at about 60%. The reason I upgraded to the LTE version this time is only because of the LTE. I have to carry two phones and the LTE version for me, is to replace one phone all day. If it cannot do that reliably, then it is not worth the additional monthly cost to me. Also added into the mix is the inability to use Pandora or listen to podcasts or anything other than Apple Music which I don’t use and disliked when I tried. It means that I probably will be returning the new watch I ordered. I’m also interested to find out how much impact on data -how much actually uses

 

[maflynn]

is to replace one phone all day. If it cannot do that reliably, then it is not worth the additional monthly cost to me.

I suppose it depends on how many calls or how long you're on the phone for. The cnet review stated some significant battery usage when he was on the phone for an hour (I think they said an hour).

 

[garethjs]

I'm pleased I got the grey. It looks really smart

 

[bruinsrme]

I didn't buy the watch on day 1 (unlike the S3 which I did pre-order). I gave it plenty of time to shake out and fix those bugs and determine if the watch's features aline with my wants and needs. The buyer's remorse stems from a couple of areas.
1. The AW functions just fine for me right now. So I can live with it longer.
2. I've not needed LTE on my watch up until September 2017, so do I really need it?
3. Monthly cost on a feature that might not be used that much - while the cost isn't high, it still may not be a good use of my limited funds
4. Battery life impact as noted
5. I said I had a couple of areas of concern and I'm on bullet number 5 😱 😛

In reply
1. no you can’t. See #2
2. You didn’t realize the functionality of the watch would have such an impact to your daily routine. Such an impact you are considering the LTE function to add to the integration of your routine.
3. And the first time your have the functionality on your wrist while the phone is else where the convenience fee with be overlooked. I have vowed to make coffee at home when I work from home and on saturdays to pay for the service.
4. Battery life will improve. Apple proves this time and time again.
5. Your reasons are riddled with the same every phone and gadget Apple releases seemingly has.

Here’s the pattern.
- why do I need it? People tell you, you don’t.
- you ponder if you really need it-
- I preordered it anyway now I am wondering.
- critics skeptical about performance, battery and performance.
- countless posts supporting claims by people that don’t have the product yet.
- people get their hands on the gadget and voice the same concerns.
- the device suddenly becomes part of your routine and you don’t leave home without and if you do you feel naked.
- update to the OS. Some say it kills the battery life while the vast majority see improvements with battery, functionality and performance.
- repeat the above and 3 months later most are non-issues and things keep improving.

-12 to 18 months later a new product release, the above is repeated.

 

[maflynn]

Your reasons are riddled with the same every phone and gadget Apple releases seemingly has

No, not for me. I've been on the iPad Mini for many years, only now upgrading. Similarly I'm on the Series 0 of the AW, so I don't do that with every apple release.

12 to 18 months later a new product release, the above is repeated.

No, with the iPad Pro, that I bought the advantages of what it offered were compelling and I was very happy with the purchase.

The watch is much different. Unlike other iDevices that I bought, I'm not full on lusting. Usually I try to listen to my gut and right now it's saying feed me 😛 After that its giving me pause regarding the Series 3. I have plenty of time to mull this over since my Nike won't ship until next month

 

[KarimLeVallois]

Deciding whether the grey will fit with suits/business casual attire...

 

[bruinsrme]

No, not for me. I've been on the iPad Mini for many years, only now upgrading. Similarly I'm on the Series 0 of the AW, so I don't do that with every apple release.


No, with the iPad Pro, that I bought the advantages of what it offered were compelling and I was very happy with the purchase.

The watch is much different. Unlike other iDevices that I bought, I'm not full on lusting. Usually I try to listen to my gut and right now it's saying feed me 😛 After that its giving me pause regarding the Series 3. I have plenty of time to mull this over since my Nike won't ship until next month

my take.
You’ll cancel it out of spite.
Then you’ll repurchase to have it by Christmas and you’ll question your gut the next time your hungry.

 

[maflynn]

You’ll cancel it out of spite.

Not spite, I have no anger issues, I have no frustration issues, all in all this is about getting value for my limited funds. If I feel that the series 3 is not a good value the money goes back into my savings account and I'll earn interest and/or use it for another purpose

And to be perfectly frank, I've not yet arrived at a decision. I actually pre-ordered the Nike with my doubts, but my thinking was that the staggered release gives me an option to pre-order and be fairly early in line with a Nike watch, but also a cushion of time to see the reviews and usage being reported. I can then finalize my decision process with more knowledge. Its a win-win situation for me, getting a Nike watch early on, but knowing all of the issues ahead of time. If those issues are such that I don't like it, I then cancel.

Then you’ll repurchase to have it by Christmas and you’ll question your gut the next time your hungry.

I have two kids, when Christmas rolls around, I simply don't have the $$ to spend on myself 😉

 

[zhenya]

The LTE model would have to be really bad for me to cancel it. I don't expect it to be perfect, but I do expect it to be a significant upgrade for those of us on S0 models still.

These initial models were/are really slow to the point of many apps barely functioning, yet I still derive enough value every day from the watch to make it more than worthwhile. A faster, waterproof watch with GPS and cellular is a huge upgrade.

Just today I forgot my phone at home (virtually never happens, but a sleepless night with a sick kid disrupted my morning routine while working to get the other kids to school). Fortunately even with my S0 it's no big deal as I'm still in contact here at work. The LTE model will just mean I'd still be in contact even between wifi points.

 

[bruinsrme]

Not spite, I have no anger issues, I have no frustration issues, all in all this is about getting value for my limited funds. If I feel that the series 3 is not a good value the money goes back into my savings account and I'll earn interest and/or use it for another purpose

And to be perfectly frank, I've not yet arrived at a decision. I actually pre-ordered the Nike with my doubts, but my thinking was that the staggered release gives me an option to pre-order and be fairly early in line with a Nike watch, but also a cushion of time to see the reviews and usage being reported. I can then finalize my decision process with more knowledge. Its a win-win situation for me, getting a Nike watch early on, but knowing all of the issues ahead of time. If those issues are such that I don't like it, I then cancel.


I have two kids, when Christmas rolls around, I simply don't have the $$ to spend on myself 😉

Compelling arguments when it involves kids.

Remember dad and mom have wants/needs 🙂
Hard lesson that I just learned

By the way I’m only busting your balls about the purchase.

 

[maflynn]

Compelling arguments when it involves kids.

Remember dad and mom have wants/needs 🙂
Hard lesson that I just learned

By the way I’m only busting your balls about the purchase.

No worries, I'm busting them myself 😀

 

[fischersd]

Deciding whether the grey will fit with suits/business casual attire...

I'm sure it will...depends what bands you pair with it. Classy bands will make the watch seem very elegant.

Me, I don't see the value....I think the Space Black Stainless looks every bit as good as the ceramic (and about $800 less).

 

[redavis41]

Deciding whether the grey will fit with suits/business casual attire...

I was concerned as well seeing as how I tend to wear button up dress shirts to work and the occasional shirt and tie. This fits my style, and the pics in his review give a better impression on the day to day looks of that watch. It now looks different from both Space Black and the Space Gray Aluminum to me to justify it.

 

[KarimLeVallois]

I was concerned as well seeing as how I tend to wear button up dress shirts to work and the occasional shirt and tie. This fits my style, and the pics in his review give a better impression on the day to day looks of that watch. It now looks different from both Space Black and the Space Gray Aluminum to me to justify it.

Just have to get a non-sports band to class it up a tad...