Getting my teens an apple (se vs. series 3)

[maflynn]

I've ordered the apple watch 3, but I'm wondering if a SE would be better? I hate to spend so much more money (229 for the 3 vs. 309 for the SE).

I need to get two, so its 483 with tax vs. 656 and that higher price is a bitter pill to swallow. It seems that the 3 is so old, I wonder if we'll not see updates, and support, but on the other hand we are talking about how teens can be with things.

 

[Moakesy]

Depends on your kids. A lot of kids these days aren't as bothered about watches as previous generations were.

My son (21) has had an Apple Watch since he was 17 and wears it a lot of the time, but not always. My step-daughter (19) has always had zero interest in a watch....to her, telling the time is what your phone does.

If you think (or know) that they'd use it, then I'd probably be tempted to spend the extra as the gap between the AW3 and SE is significant. They'll get a lot more longevity out of it.

If, however, there is any doubt about how well they'd take to the AW, then saving the money makes more sense for now. You may well find they soon lose interest.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

The SE is much faster, has a larger screen, and will get support for much longer.

Personally I really don't see the 3 as a good deal in any way.

 

[maflynn]

Depends on your kids.
...
then saving the money makes more sense for now.

You're right and they asked for the AW, otherwise I wouldn't have considered it. Their friends are getting it as well, so its the whole keeping up with the Joneses sort of thing, and they always ask to wear mine.

I'm now searching for deals outside of apple.com. I have two chief concerns.
1. will they take care of it, if I have my doubts the series 3 will be better.
2. Given the age of the series 3, will we be painting ourselves into a corner with a product that could be cut off from updates in the near future.

Personally I really don't see the 3 as a good deal in any way.

Yeah, that's where I am as well, but then there's the 656 price tag

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would stick with the series 3. If they show they will appreciate and take care of the watches, down the line you can consider getting something nicer.

 

[ericwn]

For many things the 3 should be a great starting point.

 

[maflynn]

If they show they will appreciate and take care of the watches, down the line you can consider getting something nicer.

Yes and no. I get what you're saying and in general I'm not disagreeing but I'd rather buy one watch have it lasts many years instead of buying one with an eye towards buying a replacement shortly there after.

For many things the 3 should be a great starting point.

True, but I think I am leaning towards the SE at this point simply because of the age of the watch, and Apple's propensity to drop support on products. My series 0 long stopped getting updates, and while that was a different animal, I think overall a new-er product provides the best support over the long term.

I found some nice deals at bestbuy and I'm able to use my AMEX awards to save even more money

 

[jaybar]

@maflynn

Even teens fall and the SE has fall detection, which the S3 does not. Also much easier to read.

 

[mj_]

My series 0 long stopped getting updates, and while that was a different animal, I think overall a new-er product provides the best support over the long term.

Just because it stopped receiving updates doesn't mean it stopped working. As long as the S0 does what it's supposed to do and remains supported by iOS you can continue using it. I don't know your kids but based on observations I dare to say that for them it's probably more important to have an Apple Watch to be part of the club and to show off, and much less imporant to have the latest and greatest (in which case the SE would be the poor people's Apple Watch anyway) or to be able to use the latest features. For many people the Apple Watch is a fashion statement, not a tool.

Based on your posts it may be too late now but if I were you I would've gotten them the S3. Apple is still selling it, which means it will be receiving updates for at least another 2-3 years, if not longer. And unless they smash it to pieces they will still be able to continue using it for many more years to come. Again, think S0.

 

[maflynn]

Just because it stopped receiving updates doesn't mean it stopped working.

Of course, but by the same token, if I'm going to be spending $$$, I definitely want to get value for my money and part of that includes longevity. May be its a personal defect (heaven's know I have a lot of those), But spending a premium on a 3 year old product rubs me the wrong way. Its the same feeling of when Apple was selling the 2015 MBP earlier this year and prior years for nearly the same price as a current model, Something just felt wrong with that, and I feel similar here.

I dare to say that for them it's probably more important to have an Apple Watch to be part of the club and to show off, and much less imporant to have the latest and greatest

In all seriousness, that could describe most of us as well. One's age has little to do with wanting to be part of a club and/or show their stuff off ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Based on your posts it may be too late

No, not really, but the deals that are out there for BF, plus my accumulated Amex awards have narrowed the gap, that its harder now to justify the 3 over the SE. True, I could use those same rewards on three and thus reduce the cost even more and that's where I am currently.

 

[Gator5000e]

Maybe I not remembering correctly but I recall a significant upgrade in the phone speaker for phone calls from the 3 to the 4. The phone speaker volume in the original to the 3 was pretty low and the one real gripe I had about those models. My current 4 phone speaker volume is fantastic. As I said I may be wrong about when that improvement came but I thought it was the 4.

 

[mj_]

Of course, but by the same token, if I'm going to be spending $$$, I definitely want to get value for my money and part of that includes longevity. May be its a personal defect (heaven's know I have a lot of those), But spending a premium on a 3 year old product rubs me the wrong way. Its the same feeling of when Apple was selling the 2015 MBP earlier this year and prior years for nearly the same price as a current model, Something just felt wrong with that, and I feel similar here.

Agreed. If Apple was selling the S3 at the same or nearly the same price as before than it'd be a horrible deal. However, as you have noted yourself it is significantly cheaper than the SE, and those savings add up if you need more than one watch. The question is how much you trust your children to keep the watch in working condition and to take care of it, and whether or not this will turn out to be yet another fad.

In all seriousness, that could describe most of us as well. One's age has little to do with wanting to be part of a club and/or show their stuff off ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

True. That's not what I meant though. Some adults purchase the Apple Watch to be part of the "exclusive" Apple Watch Owners club, as is very well documented by the almost 600 page long "Show off your Apple Watch" stickly thread at the top of the Apple Watch subforum. What I meant though is that your kids are more likely to want the watch to show off rather than use it for actual exercise or health tracking, which is a legitimate use case for many young adults, adults, or the elderly (re: fall detection, heart rhythm, etc.).

No, not really, but the deals that are out there for BF, plus my accumulated Amex awards have narrowed the gap, that its harder now to justify the 3 over the SE. True, I could use those same rewards on three and thus reduce the cost even more and that's where I am currently.

Speaking of AMEX, keep in mind that depending on what AMEX card you have you may qualify for their extended warranty program that will give you an extra year of warranty on the Watch for free.

 

[Moakesy]

Check out the Black Friday deals link on DCRainmaker's website. He has found the AW3 at $119, but as I'm UK based it re-routes away from the US site to the UK all the time, so I can't see if it's still available or not.

 

[jeyf]

you see a lot of older peeps buying their demon spawn apple products:
-make sure they want to own an apple. At my company an interviewee was declined becuuse they owned a MB. Just saying its a 40+ year old company.
-do they still wear watches?

 

[jz0309]

I personally would not spend $$$ on a S3 at this point anymore regardless of deal, while it has all th basic functionality and will get supported for another 2+ years, it is 3.5 yr old technology. I have a S4 and it is going strong at 2 1/4 yrs old, but S3 has not so good battery life as SE (think 1-2 years out) and it is smaller form factor ... but that's me ...

 

[ericwn]

you see a lot of older peeps buying their demon spawn apple products:
-make sure they want to own an apple. At my company an interviewee was declined becuuse they owned a MB. Just saying its a 40+ year old company.
-do they still wear watches?

So your answer to the question is?

 

[ericwn]

I personally would not spend $$$ on a S3 at this point anymore regardless of deal, while it has all th basic functionality and will get supported for another 2+ years, it is 3.5 yr old technology. I have a S4 and it is going strong at 2 1/4 yrs old, but S3 has not so good battery life as SE (think 1-2 years out) and it is smaller form factor ... but that's me ...

But any Apple Watch will just have enough battery for a day anyway. Even my series 0 does a day without a problem most of the time. The feature set won’t expand via software updates much if any and new features are often exclusive to new models.
2mm more screen diameter, plus fall protection for an almost 50% upgrade in price.

The always on display to me is the biggest gain.

 

[jz0309]

But any Apple Watch will just have enough battery for a day anyway. Even my series 0 does a day without a problem most of the time. The feature set won’t expand via software updates much if any and new features are often exclusive to new models.
2mm more screen diameter, plus fall protection for an almost 50% upgrade in price.

The always on display to me is the biggest gain.

lasting for a day depends on your usage, my daughter has a ~ 2 year old 38mm S3 and hers does not last all day.
For the first 18 or so months my S4 could go on the charger every other day, now I end the day somewhere in the 40ish% range, everybody has different use cases/experiences ...

If you do use apps, the SE with the S6 processor will beat the S3 handily ...

 

[MacCheetah3]

I've posted about this previously...

I found some nice deals at bestbuy and I'm able to use my AMEX awards to save even more money

If you want to save a little more, even beyond the BF discounts -- which appears to be a nice $20 off -- look at the "Buying Options" section, when available, on certain products listed on Best Buy's website. I saved ~5% on an SE by purchasing the "Open-Box Excellent" version and it does look mint (like a quick, buyer's remorse return).

For example, this has the open-box in excellent condition option, an extra savings of $8.01 -- to me, that's significant.

Apple Watch SE (GPS) 40mm Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band Space Gray (2020) MYDP2LL/A - Best Buy

Shop Apple Watch SE (GPS) 40mm Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band Space Gray (2020) products at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

And, indeed, of course, take advantage of CC rewards/offers/perks, etc

 

[44267547]

I believe the Series 3 was just on sale priced around $140-ish. That’s pretty good, even though it’s probably on it’s last year of watchOS updates, it still should be a strong performer given the basic functionality of Messages, plenty of core fitness options, etc. For a teenager, I think the S3 is still sufficient.

 

[EugW]

Before I knew anything about the Watch, I originally had the same question about the Series 3 and SE since I’m gifting it to the wife who has never expressed interest in a Watch. Thread here:

Watch gift for first timer: SE is perfect? Series 6 is overkill? How important is AOD?

This has probably been rehashed to death, but after perusing a few threads, I thought I'd start another thread on 6 vs SE. I'm wanting to get an Apple Watch for the wife. She often leaves her iPhone XR somewhere in the house and then is rushing to find it when the phone rings. (She gets a lot...

forums.macrumors.com

However, after I looked at the specs and design, the 3 was completely off the list. The 3 is far too dated and awkward for a 2021 device, and seems like a poor value overall. Much slower SoC, one quarter the storage, much smaller usable screen space, and huge bezels. Plus it’s already old and will lose support quickly. The only considerations were the SE, 6, and discounted 5. I ended up buying her the SE, and picked up an SE for myself too along the way.

 

[gtmac]

I think you are in the right track the series 3 is old outdated tech. Great to keep if you have one but not to spend good money on.