Apple Watch Series 3 Reviews: Freedom From iPhone Held Back by LTE and Battery Life Concerns

[Peperino]

Apple Hardware design and innovation has been a disaster. Mac Pro and Macbooks were a fail. The upgrade cycles are longer and longer... Mac minis, Macbooks, iMacs.
It seems that Apple was focusing on iPhones and consumer gadgets. Although the idea of the Watch seems nice, again problems with design and the iPhone 8 is not much of an improvement over the iPhone 7.

In addition the presentation of the new iPhone by Phil Schiller was super boring, I almost fell asleep.

Mr. Cook, maybe it is time to fire the head of Hardware design??
How much longer do you need to wait??

 

[5105973]

WOW, I didn't see these negative reviews coming. Very disappointing. I was more excited for the watch over the new 8+. Now I am wondering if I will even accept delivery. .

Since it's already coming to you and Apple has a generous return policy, why not at least try it? It's not as if you bought it intending to return it if it didn't match your shoes just right. If it doesn't work within reasonable expectations or if Apple really screwed up the LTE connectivity and won't provide a time frame for the fix, that's what the return policy is for. The review Watches worked for some journalists and not for others. We don't know what variables in their service or their use factored into these successes and failures yet. I'm going to try and if it all doesn't work for us, I will return it all back to Apple and get my money credited back to me.

 

[Jacoblee23]

Can’t these issues be fixed though with a simple update?

 

[MarcMller]

This thread is perfect.



Personally for me, LTE at the gym is perfect, its the #1 reason I went with the cellular model.. 9/10 I'm wearing shorts, no case..pockets..iPhone7+... It almost never stays in my pocket at the gym. I'm constantly leaving it around wherever I am.. I use Bluetooth headphones because they make the gym more convenient for listening to music without worrying about cords. Being able to leave my phone in my locker with my bag, grab my Bluetooth headphones, and just workout will be so easy. There has been a few occasions I've almost forgot my phone was on the ground.

I don't want this AW S3 to be chatting on my watch all day, replying to texts.. no. I've had S0 for roughly 18 months and it's become just apart of my everyday activities. This is all just a PLUS. I'm getting gas and left my phone in my car? No biggie. Few friends and I go to Six Flags for the day? Leave my phone in a locker.. no stress over my phone possibly sliding out of my pocket on a roller coaster. Plenty of reasons to have LTE available IF NEEDED. Apple realizes this... once we all get our hands on them and use them we'll all really understand how beneficial it'll be.


As far as that The Verge review.. Apple has always fixed issues by iOS updates and I have no concern that an update wont be out within the first few weeks.

 

[Gorms]

As I’ve said before, making calls on the Watch is redundant. After the novelty wears off you soon switch back to phone for the increased privacy. However the LTE data is another thing. As some one else said, going out for a run with a phone jangling about with every step sucks. With just the Watch and AirPods, it’s amazing. It only gets more amazing when I can play literally any track I want.

I dunno. I’ve had a S0 since day one and more and more, I leave my phone on my desk when I go to meetings or leave it indoors whilst I’m out in the garden and when walking then dogs or going for a run. For me, having LTE access at these points in my daily schedule without having to think about it is killer. But that’s just my use case.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

100% understood. And you are right. I am just left feeling disappointed with where things are at with Apple. I like have the cream of the crop. Computer, Phone, Watch. I don't like issues or problems. Hopefully the 8+ and the watch turn our better than these reviews.

JOHN

Since it's already coming to you and Apple has a generous return policy, why not at least try it? It's not as if you bought it intending to return it if it didn't match your shoes just right. If it doesn't work within reasonable expectations or if Apple really screwed up the LTE connectivity and won't provide a time frame for the fix, that's what the return policy is for. The review Watches worked for some journalists and not for others. We don't know what variables in their service or their use factored into these successes and failures yet. I'm going to try and if it all doesn't work for us, I will return it all back to Apple and get my money credited back to me.

 

[ryanasimov]

I run 4 times a week for a total of 38 miles and I've used an Apple Watch since it was released in April of 2015. When I weighed the decision about GPS-only vs. LTE I decided that having my phone with me was never nuisance; besides, I listen to podcasts, SiriusXM, and other audio sources that don't currently stream directly from the LTE watch.

But probably the main reason for opting to continue to carry my iPhone on my runs is the battery. Since I'm a morning runner I often finish my run with somewhere between 2/3 or 1/2 of a charge on my watch, and charging the watch while I shower and dress gives me enough charge to last through a long day into the night. I don't want to finish my run with the watch nearly drained. Oh, and I've occasionally wanted to take a photo.

 

[spazzcat]

Interested in hearing your thoughts on why the band mechanism needs to change if the design changes. Is a new design incapable of having a slot? And even if they do, has Apple ever cared about upsetting people when it comes to design changes?

There really isn't a whole lot to change, slot is fairly large, so it going to limit the options. And just like they haven't move to usb-c for phone side, they don't change this stuff more then every 5- 10 years. Just like they most likely want to get a few more years out of the lighting port before moving usb-c.

 

[cenetti]

A lot of ppl here are in for a surprise. I have gears s3 lte. This watch lasts without lte 3-4 days. With lte turned on (NOT USED) I get about 6-7 hr battery life. If I make calls/txt or stream spotify I get about 1-1.5hr battery from 100 to 10%

I bought it so I could stream spotify in the gym. LTE and BT headphones can't even finish workout. Forget about wearing all day then going to gym after work.

I was really looking forward to AW3 lte... it's really stupid apple to release without fixing known battery issues with LTE watches.

 

[Phonephreak]

As with every Apple product, The Verge complains up a storm and as always, MacRumors focuses on the negatives and highlights them most.

Are you employeed by Apple? The only times I see you post is when you defend Apple and complain about sites and people that don’t rate Apple the best.
If the watch worked the way it supposed to there would be no complaints. Having LTE that isn’t reliable is useless. The fact that you get about an hour of lte use before the battery is done. Smh

 

[KPOM]

Wow The Verge gave it 5/10

I wonder if they will re-score it after Apple sorts out the connectivity issues.

 

[djuzi]

Welp. Sad to do this but going to wait until they work out the kinks.

 

[KPOM]

A lot of ppl here are in for a surprise. I have gears s3 lte. This watch lasts without lte 3-4 days. With lte turned on (NOT USED) I get about 6-7 hr battery life. If I make calls/txt or stream spotify I get about 1-1.5hr battery from 100 to 10%

I bought it so I could stream spotify in the gym. LTE and BT headphones can't even finish workout. Forget about wearing all day then going to gym after work.

I was really looking forward to AW3 lte... it's really stupid apple to release without fixing known battery issues with LTE watches.

The Gear is also a lot bigger. I think Apple wants to keep the watch its current size. Battery life might not be great until we get 5G Internet of Things technology.

 

[cenetti]

The Gear is also a lot bigger. I think Apple wants to keep the watch its current size. Battery life might not be great until we get 5G Internet of Things technology.

Yes gear is bigger and has better battery life. Even then LTE is useless. And I say useless because you have to keep LTE off most of the time because of battery drainage.

 

[Guidonculous]

1 hour talk time no thanks why release something so silly that you only have 1 hour and the red dot is annoying and watch os is still slow and cant easy delete all mesaages

You’ve been able to delete all notifications at once by hard pressing the screen since Watch OS 1. Is that what you mean? Are you trying to delete sms chains from the watch?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I always put a lot of stock in Joanna Stern’s reviews b/c she isn’t afraid of cheering good product or revealing flaws in less than great ones. Her review has gotten me to thinking either waiting for any Series 2 extreme clearances like we saw with series 0 or just holding on to series 0. It doesn’t seem AW 3 is worth $400 or even $350 on sale. Maybe AW X will be the one as she says.

 

[rondeb17]

Integration of Dexcom Share app and transmitting via cellular without a phone would be a huge plus for parents trying to keep track of T1 Diabetes children's BG levels when at school, etc. Right now kids have to carry a phone around with them for transmission. Hope the battery is up for it!

 

[Stella]

Stern added that "you're lucky if the battery allows you to roam on cellular for longer than half a day--especially if you're making calls."

Wait a second she is surprised the watch died when she was using LTE for HALF THE DAY? I’m shocked sometimes how these people are able to hold jobs as tech journalists.

This is the kind of information people want, examples of battery life - how long it last for in real life, which many will base their purchasing decision on.

I've seen so many reviews where battery life is just missed out or a very vague "battery life was acceptable" - its as if the manufacturer told reviewers not to be too specific about battery life.

 

[elmaco]

I think the Apple Watch S3 + LTE is being torn apart, because people are asking for so much, but in reality, I think its right on par with where it should be in today's time.

I agree.

This is a step in the right direction and it is good enough from what I have seen. I'm not looking for a smart phone replacement but something that I can wear all the time to have connectivity. I am also an owner of the S0 and GPS + LTE + water resistance is what I have been waiting for. Now it is all available, it's time to upgrade.


My next upgrade after this one will be when the batteries last for 3-4 days, or there is a batter watch design. Camera on the AW is not that important, so I will skip that one.

 

[Born Again]

Respectfully - I don't see how you jumped to the sexist conclusion. Sorry. Read 840quadra's comment multiple times, reading again now... nope. Don't see it.

Glad you are an eggplant fan. Good fruit.

Laura is a female tech blogger that you're holding to a higher standard than her male counterparts.

 

[grassloaf]

I'm reading so much doom and gloom here based largely on the review from the Verge, but also the WSJ. It is true that these reviews raise some very legitimate questions and concerns about the Apple Watch Series 3. But I think folks are also ignoring the many mostly positive to extremely positive reviews that have also been posted. I wouldn't discount the good experiences that reviewers have had just because some reviewers had a bad experience. After having read all the reviews posted by MacRumors as well as the review that a previous poster (ditzy) linked to from HODINKEE (I found this review to be an especially great read, as it is written by a luxury watch expert rather than a tech expert), my impression was, when taken together, reviewers generally found a lot to like in the new Apple Watch, even considering its limitations (battery life on LTE, limited use for LTE more generally, a connectivity bug that should be patched relatively soon, etc.). I pre-ordered the Series 3 and will receive it on Friday because I know that if it disappoints me, I can return it to my local Apple Store without issue. But if it doesn't disappoint me, then I get to enjoy the newest technology for the longest period of time before the next refresh (not that I plan to buy a new $400 watch every year, but the fun of having the latest and greatest does wear off somewhat for me when new things come out). Yes, I realize that I am privileged that I can do this, and yes, I realize many people may not be comfortable doing this sort of thing, but let's maybe try to avoid the hyperbolic fretting that the new Apple Watch is DOA simply because a few reviewers ran into some fixable issues and well defined limitations of new technology.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

I am canceling too. Re-thinking a lot of things...

Welp. Sad to do this but going to wait until they work out the kinks.

 

[gijoeinla]

Seems like the usual mixed bag on early review units. Clearly Apple has to work on the cellular side of things. Amazed they didn’t run into issues with their pre-announcement testing.

It is good to see that not all reviews are doom-N-Gloom.

Yea. I’m one of those that’s grateful for technology to just move things forward. I’ve got both Apple Watch 1 and 2. They’ve both worked reliably for me and I’ve never run out of battery life in a day once yet - if LTE drains battery life - that’s more about where you are versus the device. Here is L A there’s still ****** LTE areas that are no fault of Apples. There’s no device on the market that doesn’t suffer from battery drain as a result of connectivity problems.

 

[576316]

I ordered the LTE edition for my wife as often she can’t check her phone... kinda getting me scared about the choice. Hopefully a sw fix will do.

She doesn’t need an LTE version to view messages on her Watch...unless I’ve misunderstood you.

 

[gijoeinla]

I am canceling too. Re-thinking a lot of things...

I’ll take it. What store will you be at?