Hands-On With the New LTE-Enabled Apple Watch Series 3

[0098386]

The red dot sticks out like a sore thumb. Anyone else hopes it gets removed for Series 4?

Hah, I think I’m inverted from everyone else. I love the red dot, ages ago some company sold similar looking sticker dots for the crown. Maybe that’s where Apple got the inspiration from. But then I also hate the notch on the iPhone x and many seem okay and happy with it!

 

[Patriks7]

There are no performance tests showing Series 2 outperforming Series 1. The chipset difference is attributed to GPS differences.

I’d be curious to know where you got the clock speed numbers that aren’t reflected in real-world performance.

Found them on a site for specs. After further research, I found that those are actually the maximum speed numbers of the processors. So no idea what Apple has then clocked at.

 

[skywalkerr69]

The real question is why do you always have your phone with you? If you could still have the functionality of the phone, without having to take it everywhere, do you really not see at least some opportunities for leaving it behind?
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Why? You didn't even give it a day. Curious as to what you didn't like about it that fast.

So I can take a call with my watch? Lol if I don’t have my phone that means I don’t want to be bothered.
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If you were a runner you wouldn't say that. Carrying your phone when you run is an encumberment no matter how you look at it. For anyone who exercises will appreciate the LTE, and that's a huge segment of the population. Apple knows what they are doing and who they are targeting with this device. It's NOT aimed at the dodo that wants to talk to his/her wrist, it's aimed to move the needle in fitness wearable market and take on the competition. e.g. Garmin.

I run and walk regularly. I don’t need a gps on my watch to tell me how long a mile is if I do the same route every day. I can easily do that on google maps or Apple maps before the workout.

Also in the gym, lte serves zero purpose for me while lifting and using a treadmill. This is real life, however if I was Forrest Gump, the lte would be great.

 

[840quadra]

I returned my Series 3 with LTE and just got the Gps. Much happier. Upgraded from series 1, and its so much faster.

Why did you order it with LTE in the first place? Happier because you spent less money?

So I can take a call with my watch? Lol if I don’t have my phone that means I don’t want to be bothered.

You can toggle cellular on and off, and it will honor your phones DND Serrings as well. I don’t like to be bothered with calls either, but for work / family medical (mom in assisted care) reasons, I need to be reachable for notifications or calls from select people. Really love the fact that I can truly travel light, without a phone, and still be reached as needed.

Only in my first full day, but being able to go out on a ride, with just my watch and headphones, is a really nice feeling! I will have to say, I am similar to other series 0 owners in feeling that watch is still quite capable! My only issue with it was the speed of some applications. Otherwise, battery life still gets me 1.5 days without issue, and still looks great!

 

[daveak]

Until my network in the UK (O2) supports LTE, I can't see the benefit going from a 2 to 3..

My network, EE does support it. I can't see the benefit of going from a 2 to 3 due to the price gouging for something that will be tethered to the phone more often than not. That and the lack of 3G support for it via EE as I drop from 4G enough for it to be a problem.

The extra speed would be nice, but not justifiable upgrade from the 2. Likewise the altimeter is nice, but not worth the cost.

 

[sketdansuu]

LTE is legit, at least in my part of the city. The only instance of me having a problem with it is while waiting for an order at a McD drive-thru. I haven’t connected to an attwifi in a while so I never had a chance to ‘forget’ it on my phone. Other than that it was a great first day, GPS data use was very minimal, battery is on par with my phone usage (down about 10% per hour)

 

[clibinarius]

In a boardroom? Unless you are at a tech company I assure you the red dot won't be the reason your watch is sticking out like a sore thumb.

Balderdash. The watch with the link looks very professional to most. Just ridiculously expensive.

 

[andrewstirling]

I wear an Apple Watch every day.....but I don’t think it looks anywhere near as good as a half decent analogue watch.

 

[ELman]

Sore thumb . Good.

But seriously, Sharpie?

This is the reason I'm not buying one. Sticking with my Series 2 for now.

 

[elmaco]

Is the LTE automatically disabled if you have your phone within bluetooth distance?

 

[andrewstirling]

Is the LTE is automatically disabled if you have your phone within bluetooth distance?

Yes

 

[ghost187]

As an original Apple Watch owner i’m loving the speed upgrade of my new series 3. Plus I bought the aluminum so I wouldn’t mind upgrading earlier

If I had the sports model, I would’ve upgraded as well.

 

[Amplelink]

my grandfather always told me - only 3 types of watches. Disposable, Dress and the ones you buy to leave your grandkids.

A $399 chunky gadget watch made in Taiwan is non of those. well, unless you the kind of person who thinks coca-cola is a dinner drink.

It ain’t made in Taiwan and your grandfather's advice is probably outdated for our time. The Apple Watch is a new breed of watch for a new generation. I would never wear a mechanical watch (and never have), but I love my Apple Watch.

 

[dwsolberg]

Your bizarre attitude toward the red dot sticks out like a sore thumb. A little red dot. A. Little. Red. Dot.

I think the issue with the red dot, at least for me, is that I like it in certain contexts, but I also enjoy changing bands to change the look of the watch -- from formal, to exercise, to casual, to sort of extreme (neon colors, etc). The red dot clashes with a lot of the bands. It's not like it's a big deal (I bought one, anyway); it's more like it's a forced fashion choice on a watch that otherwise encourages mixing with your own fashion sensibilities.

 

[sintra1]

The problem is this watch will not work outside of the country that you bought it from...

This is completely untrue. Only the LTE/G4 connection doesn’t.
Functions as any previous model with paired iPhone just as any previous model.

 

[cyberlocke]

Yes, why not? I don’t stand there with my wrist raised for an hour like I’d do wasting time on my phone. Apple Watch interactions are quick. A glance, a quick Siri command, a couple of taps to check off some tasks, then lower my wrist. The beauty of having my daily computer be the one on my wrist means that I live in the real world, not behind a screen. When I need the power of the internet or a digital assistant, it’s just a wrist raise away. Then I return to the world around me.

My series 0 Watch lasts me all day with 20–30% battery left. The Series 3 will be far better since it is more efficient. LTE data is also minimal. It’s not transferring videos and large images like a phone does. It mostly transmits text for messages and notifications.

I really like the way you think, especially reducing the temptation to fart around on your phone. Personally, I'd love to ditch my iPhone for something simpler, but then I'd need directions, or to call an Uber, or send a quick text. Like you said, the Watch can do all of that. You've reinvigorated my interest. I'm still using an iPhone 5S. Perhaps adding the watch and running the 5S a bit longer really is the way to go . . .

 

[satchmo]

Samsung already moved that needle with the Gear 3 LTE. Works flawlessly. Sold my Series 2 and went to the Gear. After owning the Apple Series 1 and 2, I find the Gear 3 to be the better watch all around. Samsung's marketing just isn't as good.

At the risk of feeding a troll, what about the Gear 3 was better? That it had LTE and the Series 1&2 did not?
Would a Series 3 be a fairer comparison? I do agree about the marketing though.

 

[deeddawg]

my grandfather always told me - only 3 types of watches. Disposable, Dress and the ones you buy to leave your grandkids.

A $399 chunky gadget watch made in Taiwan is non of those. well, unless you the kind of person who thinks coca-cola is a dinner drink.

Yeah, my grandfather said some stupid **** too as he lost touch with technology moving forward and the use-cases for stuff he'd grown up with changed.

AW is a watch and communication device plus a bunch of other stuff. Might not be a fit for your needs or lifestyle, but the doesn't mean it isn't a useful tool for others. The instances in which my AW2 has allowed me to not have to pull out my phone or computer are myriad, providing a great deal of convenience.

 

[ASUgrad1999]

I want.

But my damn Original Apple Watch keeps working flawlessly!

No, it doesn’t and never did work flawlessly. I thought the same thing until I got my Series 3 and discovered I can actually do stuff on the watch and not get frustrated and just pull my phone out because it was faster than waiting for the series 0. Trust me, going from the original (series 0) to a series 3 is a HUGE improvement!

 

[simidene]

Is anyone having problems with the Watch always connecting with wifi even if the phone is turned off? I am! Apparently many are having this problem and apple is aware of it, Though I think apple was well aware of the watch disconnecting LTE and connecting to WIFI? I hope that if they fix this, they can do it soon as many are only given 14days to return the watch with their carriers? I guess if many new of this they would have just purchased the wifi model!

 

[andrewstirling]

Is anyone having problems with the Watch always connecting with wifi even if the phone is turned off? I am! Apparently many are having this problem and apple is aware of it, Though I think apple was well aware of the watch disconnecting LTE and connecting to WIFI? I hope that if they fix this, they can do it soon as many are only given 14days to return the watch with their carriers? I guess if many new of this they would have just purchased the wifi model!

Isn’t this intended though? I’d far rather it used WiFi than cellular if WiFi is available. I’d have thought that in order of preference the watch will connect as follows ‘Bluetooth paired to phone’ > ‘WiFi’ > ‘cellular’

 

[smbu2000]

I really like the way you think, especially reducing the temptation to fart around on your phone. Personally, I'd love to ditch my iPhone for something simpler, but then I'd need directions, or to call an Uber, or send a quick text. Like you said, the Watch can do all of that. You've reinvigorated my interest. I'm still using an iPhone 5S. Perhaps adding the watch and running the 5S a bit longer really is the way to go . . .

You might want to be careful with the model you buy. Looking at the requirements for the new 3 series:

• Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) requires an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 11 or later. Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) requires an iPhone 5s or later with iOS 11 or later. Apple Watch Series 1 requires an iPhone 5s or later with iOS 11 or later.

https://www.apple.com/watch/compare/

I'm currently using an original S0 AW with my iPhone 5s and was thinking about upgrading to the series 3 AW. I currently have the SBSS(space black stainless steel) version and wanted another SBSS AW. I don't care about the LTE functions, but the SS watches are only available as LTE models. I guess this means that I can't use it even though I won't use the LTE functions.

I would like a speed boost from my original AW and the GPS would come in handy. Maybe I'll just search around for a SBSS series 2 model instead. (I don't want an aluminum AW.)

 

[izyreal]

I just want to add my voice to the red dot hate. I hate it enough that I am no longer planning to upgrade my from my original Apple Watch. Hopefully Apple comes to their senses with next year’s watch.

 

[chriscrowlee]

I just want to add my voice to the red dot hate. I hate it enough that I am no longer planning to upgrade my from my original Apple Watch. Hopefully Apple comes to their senses with next year’s watch.

I'm trying to figure out what the purpose is, nobody has seemed to say. Is it plastic and they did it for reception? Is it a statement like Penn Jillette's red fingernail? Is it a notice to everyone that YOU have a LTE model? I don't get it.

The thing I haven't seen a bunch of people talk about is the health aspects of having an LTE broadcasting and in contact with your skin 24\7. That can't be healthy. Right? I guess when cigarettes were commonplace in the 50s they said everything was fine, nothing was wrong too. I keep my phone in my pocket, but as little as possible... maybe an hour or two a day when out and about. If holding a phone up to one's ear in the 90s and 2000s was found to have some risk of causing cancer, what's changed where a cellular-broadcasting phone strapped to one's body 24 hours a day doesn't?

 

[TylerD554]

I'm trying to figure out what the purpose is, nobody has seemed to say. Is it plastic and they did it for reception? Is it a statement like Penn Jillette's red fingernail? Is it a notice to everyone that YOU have a LTE model? I don't get it.

The thing I haven't seen a bunch of people talk about is the health aspects of having an LTE broadcasting and in contact with your skin 24\7. That can't be healthy. Right? I guess when cigarettes were commonplace in the 50s they said everything was fine, nothing was wrong too. I keep my phone in my pocket, but as little as possible... maybe an hour or two a day when out and about. If holding a phone up to one's ear in the 90s and 2000s was found to have some risk of causing cancer, what's changed where a cellular-broadcasting phone strapped to one's body 24 hours a day doesn't?

It’s not broadcasting 24 hours a day. It only switches on when you’re out of reach of your phone.
[doublepost=1506192363][/doublepost]I haven’t seen anyone mention this but it seems like there is more flash storage in the Series 3. My capacity is showing 13gb.