How long can I reasonably expect an Apple Watch 3 to last?

[Ffosse]

I have the Apple Watch 3 (without cellular). I'm not buying the 4th generation whenever it comes out.

How long do you think the 3 will last in years? I see a few people with the original watch which I think came out in 2015 but understand that using one now is not an optimal experience. How long do you think the 3 will last before it becomes sluggish/freezes or the battery kills it?

 

[cwanja]

I have read several times on here that people hold their watch for 3 - 4 years before it begins to show its sign of age and technology.

The real question will be, how long does Apple continue to support it with software updates and support. Given that the wearables market is not moving lighting speed YOY, I would suspect you can continue to use it for 3 years at a minimum.

 

[BadMonkey]

I have the Apple Watch 3 (without cellular). I'm not buying the 4th generation whenever it comes out.

How long do you think the 3 will last in years? I see a few people with the original watch which I think came out in 2015 but understand that using one now is not an optimal experience. How long do you think the 3 will last before it becomes sluggish/freezes or the battery kills it?

I have no answer for you but I'm just tagging along because I picked up a Nike S3 earlier this summer on sale and open box from Best Buy at a pretty good discount. I love it, but I really hope it lasts longer than 3 years.

 

[mk313]

I have the Apple Watch 3 (without cellular). I'm not buying the 4th generation whenever it comes out.

How long do you think the 3 will last in years? I see a few people with the original watch which I think came out in 2015 but understand that using one now is not an optimal experience. How long do you think the 3 will last before it becomes sluggish/freezes or the battery kills it?

A lot of the issues that come up are with updating to new software. If you’re looking to extend the lifetime of the watch and don’t mind skipping my future upgrades, keeping the watch at the current version of the software will keep the watch running quickly until the battery gives out on you (or something breaks)

 

[Ffosse]

I think I would upgrade to a version that allows third party watch faces then just leave it at that. The watch already does pretty much anything I would need or want.

 

[Baldrake]

I still own and use an S0, and I'm surprised at how well it works. Well enough that I feel a bit guilty that I'm planning to upgrade this year. Some things are starting to go wrong - the mic is broken and the battery is sometimes on fumes in the evening.

There was a lot of change between S0 and S1. I don't think we'll see that big a leap in one year again. So I'm thinking three years easily and quite likely four.

Unless of course you're the type of person who's always itchy to have the latest. Then four years will seem like a long time.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

I think it will be fine until at least 2020, but Apple should change the design this year, so it will probably look (very) outdated by then.

 

[KarimLeVallois]

I think it will be fine until at least 2020, but Apple should change the design this year, so it will probably look (very) outdated by then.

Well, if they only decrease the bezels the only difference you'll notice is when the screen is turned on and even then if you have a full screen non-black picture on it. I doubt they'll change anything else on the body to be honest.

 

[Dormammu]

I’m still using my S1 which is about two years old. I know several who are still using their S0 watches. If that is any metric your watch should last at least 3 years.

 

[bbeagle]

You'll be able to enjoy all the things you currently do on your Series 3 for at least the next 3-4 years. The battery will degrade a bit by then, but you can always have Apple put a new battery in for $50.

But, Apple will most likely come out with lots of new features you might want to have, like maybe always-on display, animoji support, new workouts, etc. that won't run well (or at all) on the Series 3.

 

[fidelityrevo]

You'll be able to enjoy all the things you currently do on your Series 3 for at least the next 3-4 years. The battery will degrade a bit by then, but you can always have Apple put a new battery in for $50.

But, Apple will most likely come out with lots of new features you might want to have, like maybe always-on display, animoji support, new workouts, etc. that won't run well (or at all) on the Series 3.

[doublepost=1534952351][/doublepost]It's pitiful if the watch only lasts 3-4 years. I've had my Casio for 8 yrs and it still functions. Planned obsolescence is killing the planet. All computer devices should be planned for energy conservation and LONG TERM USE. Apple should be wrapping it's heads around these problems. I thought about consolidating my motion tracking devices for swimming, walking, sleep monitoring and the watch itself into one unit, an apple watch, but then to find out how poor the battery life is, turned me off. I remember the old time self winding watches and what a boon it was to not have the nuisance of remembering when to wind (cause you could overwind as well as underwind). Then the LCD watches came and it was even better and more reliable, running for years on a single battery.(at least with Casio). We deserve more out of an apple watch than an energy hog. Apple has been able to optimize its iOS to make devices marginally faster, it needs to do so also with the watch, and somehow figure out how to make these things run for over a week without charging. Who wants to charge a watch everynight or two?

 

[bliggs]

I've being wearing my S0 nearly every day since May of 2015. Still works great. It is a little sluggish at times when I am setting up a new workout but otherwise, I have no issues.

 

[Jd3774life]

I have the Apple Watch 3 (without cellular). I'm not buying the 4th generation whenever it comes out.

How long do you think the 3 will last in years? I see a few people with the original watch which I think came out in 2015 but understand that using one now is not an optimal experience. How long do you think the 3 will last before it becomes sluggish/freezes or the battery kills it?

I'm still using the original watch that I got on Day 1 and honestly I still love it. I was planning to upgrade last year when they introduced the S3..(prior to S3 no features really seemed worthy of upgrading imo) but since they still didn't redesign it and I heard they were going to the next year (aka now) I decided to stick it out.

I would say the only downsides are that it opens apps a little slow now and if I work out+HR monitor it might not last a full day. If I don't go to the gym it usually still lasts until 8pm~ at least.

 

[ActionableMango]

We deserve more out of an apple watch than an energy hog. Apple has been able to optimize its iOS to make devices marginally faster, it needs to do so also with the watch, and somehow figure out how to make these things run for over a week without charging. Who wants to charge a watch everynight or two?

Every company making a smartwatch would love for the battery to last a week. It would be a tremendous competitive advantage. Nobody does it because it is not possible yet. They are beholden to whatever current battery technology can provide.

Comparing the Apple Watch to standard watches is inherently unfair because the Apple Watch isn't a watch. It's a highly miniaturized, internet-connected, biometric, general-purpose, mobile computer. It has a color OLED touchscreen, haptic feedback, audio, and multiple wireless interfaces. Some models are also now cellphones. It is capable of running any of 10,000 applications. And all of this has to be done in a package the size of a wristwatch, including the battery.

Perhaps younger people can take all that for granted, but I have been around long enough that I can't help but admire that this can all be done and still last a day on such a tiny battery.

 

[mk313]

[doublepost=1534952351][/doublepost]It's pitiful if the watch only lasts 3-4 years. I've had my Casio for 8 yrs and it still functions.

The watch doesn’t only last 3-4 years. The watch will last as long as your Casio will. The battery will probably have to be changed out at some point but that’s no different than any other watch that has a battery.

The difference between a he Casio and the Apple Watch is that Apple offers new functionality over time that allows the watch to do more. Most of those improvements take more power so the watch becomes functionally slower over time as new software is installled. If people are using as Apple Watch like you use your Casio (keeper by the same functionality from day one onward), the watch would last a very long time.

 

[bbeagle]

[doublepost=1534952351][/doublepost]It's pitiful if the watch only lasts 3-4 years. I've had my Casio for 8 yrs and it still functions. Planned obsolescence is killing the planet.

This is not 'planned obsolescence'. You're free to keep your Apple Watch for 50 years if you'd like. It will still keep time. It might not connect to the new-fangled VR implants that all the 2050 kids are using.

That's what we mean by lasting 3-4 years. There will be 'something' out there that you'll want to do 'new' with your watch that all the newer Apple watches are doing.

Your Casio can't do anything 'new', therefore if that's all you care about, keep your Apple Watch for 50, 100 years... pass it down to your great grandchildren.

You're also free to keep your corded rotary dial phones in your house. That's not 'planned obsolescence' - people find it's a lot nicer using new-fangled stuff most of the time.

 

[Baldrake]

The watch doesn’t only last 3-4 years. The watch will last as long as your Casio will. The battery will probably have to be changed out at some point but that’s no different than any other watch that has a battery.

The difference between a he Casio and the Apple Watch is that Apple offers new functionality over time that allows the watch to do more. Most of those improvements take more power so the watch becomes functionally slower over time as new software is installled. If people are using as Apple Watch like you use your Casio (keeper by the same functionality from day one onward), the watch would last a very long time.

This isn't completely true... Older watches eventually stop supporting newer versions of the OS. Which means they eventually lose compatibility with some apps. So over time, functionality does go down.

Not that that's avoidable of course.

 

[oeagleo]

Comparing the Apple Watch to standard watches is inherently unfair because the Apple Watch isn't a watch. It's a highly miniaturized, internet-connected, biometric, general-purpose, mobile computer. It has a color OLED touchscreen, haptic feedback, audio, and multiple wireless interfaces. Some models are also now cellphones. It is capable of running any of 10,000 applications. And all of this has to be done in a package the size of a wristwatch, including the battery.

Perhaps younger people can take all that for granted, but I have been around long enough that I can't help but admire that this can all be done and still last a day on such a tiny battery.

Yes, I remember when I got my first "real" computer, an IBM 5250, weighed about 30 pounds, ran on two floppy drives, and had a 12 inch "Screen" that was green. Then came the fancy new LED watches, that actually had NUMBERS that changed with each minute. To me, the fact that the Apple Watch, (or any smartwatch, for that matter) can do what it can do in such a small "Dick Tracy" type style is absolutely amazing. Even smartphones have almost replaced actual computers, and the laptops are much more prevelant today than desktops. This is technology, this is advancement. However, if I wanted, I still have an old Compaq server in the basement with dual CPU's, a 5 drive RAID array, and a VGA video, running on UnixWare, and I could "use" it if I wanted, I have simply decided to upgrade.

 

[parseckadet]

The question did ask how long you could REASONABLY expect it to last. My series 0 is 3.5 years old and is showing its age both in terms of performance and battery life. BUT, there was a big jump between the series 0 and series 1/2 in these regards. What really determines the life of a battery is the number of discharge cycles. Even when the series 0 was new you had to charge it every day no matter what. But now the battery lasts so long that you can reasonably expect to go multiple days between charges with normal use. That means fewer charge cycles, which means the battery will have better longevity. I also think we won't be seeing the big performance gains like that again. Given all of that, I think it would be reasonable to expect that you might need to replace the battery after about 4 years, but continue to use it for 5-6 years or more if you really wanted.

I'll be upgrading this year, but the big reasons why are because I want to get GPS, LTE, water resistance, and podcast playback. All features that the series 3 already has or will get soon. I really can't think of any must have feature after all of those other than some "want to" factor like thinner/different design. But that would be a nice-to-have and nothing more.

As for the Casio comparison, that's not really relevant. I have a Tag Heuer watch as well that has a battery. It's not user replaceable either. I have to take it to a jeweler, and they charge me $80 each time because they have to do a bunch of pressure tests to check that the seals are all good.

 

[Soordhin]

I have the Apple Watch 3 (without cellular). I'm not buying the 4th generation whenever it comes out.

How long do you think the 3 will last in years? I see a few people with the original watch which I think came out in 2015 but understand that using one now is not an optimal experience. How long do you think the 3 will last before it becomes sluggish/freezes or the battery kills it?

I still use the Series 0 stainless steel watch, bought a month or so after release. I still end with a battery life of usually between 30 and 40%, on some heavy use day i do get a battery warning at some point and i believe i had it shut down only once. However, it is getting frustratingly slow so i will replace it with a ceramic Series 4 in a few weeks time, if they still offer that one and expect that to last another 3 years, but if they do a major redesign during that time will probably switch it out earlier, getting tired of the current design to be honest and was waiting for a redesign.