wait....what???...you use an iPhone without a data plan???....I must have heard this wrong???(thumping my head against the wall)
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Series 3 Today?
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Some people don't have data plans, maybe they always have Wi-Fi whenever they need to look on the internet etc?
I dunno man. I was never attached to any of those older phones. I loved my XS Max, and I never liked the 12 PM that replaced it. The 14 PM I have now is fine, but the jump from the 8 plus to the XS max was extraordinary.
I use a Series 3, and it does its basic functions fine, works good for me. But my SO recently got a Series 8 so of course I compared. S8 is so much nicer with its thinner rounded bezel. More health and sleep tracking features. Faster of course. S3 is definitely outdated. I will surely be upgrading in the near future, probably after S10 release then I may upgrade to S7 or S8 for the fast charging.
The iPhone 7 meets all my needs and still receives security updates. I'm not a heavy phone user (I use my iPad Pro much more) and it spends most of the time in my pocket. I find the iPhone 7 to be too big and would want something smaller, but Apple doesn't currently make a small phone (unless I get an old 12 or 13 mini).
So basically the iPhone 7 meets does what it needs to do, and it was a free hand-me-down (just had to replace the battery which I did last year thanks to an iFixit walkthrough).
Yes, but that's not in the cards till at least the next round of iPhones and someone in my extended family decides to upgrade.
Totally fair. The only thing is I'd have to find one that hasn't been updated past WatchOS 8 as that's the cutoff for my phone.
According to MacTracker the Series 3 is limited to WatchOS 8, which is what I want.
Each of those is significantly bigger than my 7, which I already find way too big. So no. A 13 mini (even a 12) is still pretty pricey just for opening up my options for an Apple Watch.
For my needs, the iPhone 7 lasts all day and I have at least 40% charge before bed. I really don't use the phone much because I have other devices.
That's really good to know! Thanks!
That's a great question and I should have started with that: Essentially my main reason for wanting to get an Apple Watch is to use it as... a watch. Crazy right, but hear me out. I wear my watch on my right hand (ambidextrous but I prefer to wear the watch left-handed), and I still haven't found an affordable watch made for lefties. And yes, you can wear any watch on your right wrist, but it's a pain to use when trying to set laps and timers for runs. The Apple Watch can be flipped and used with your left hand, which is a godsend.
Other features I'm looking for are step tracking, bike tracking (I'm a cycle-commuter), and to track HR and other fitness features. Nothing too crazy. I won't be using it for sleep tracking.
Uh, yeah. I have wifi at home, and it's just a 3-4km bike ride to work and then I have wifi there. Since I ride a bike, I don't use the phone while commuting. All my run song mixes are on my iPod nano (I would LOVE a phone that size).
And this is actually the first year I got the cell plan. Up until summer 2023 I was using the phone as a glorified iPod Touch.
This.
Also thanks for all your responses! I was traveling over New Years and couldn't access the boards.
Oh and Happy New Year!
If you can find a Series 3 for a good price, I would totally do it. If you have some more money to spend I would look out for a Stainless Steel or even Ceramic model. The Series 0 to 3 generation is still the most beautifull imo. I bought a Series 0 Stainless Steel a few months ago. The display was in great condition but steel looked very dull. I polished it myself and it looks amazing now. It sure is slow as hell but for basic features like time, alarms, timers, heart measuring and notifications it's okay, a Series 3 will be a great improvement.
Analog watch lovers will argue otherwise but I think the stainless steel with milanese loop and white ceramic Apple Watch are great fashion statements!
Thanks for this and it's sort of along my line of thinking. I figured if I was gonna get an old, outdated watch, it might as well have a bit of style.
by the way I have a Series 3 LTE that has 91% battery health (I baby my electronics) but I need to say WatchOS 8.1.1 has a annoying bug in it that some 3rd party apps will not load on it (CARROT weather is the one that comes to mind)
the LTE version has twice the storage then the GPS model.
the LTE version has twice the storage then the GPS model.
Ps. If you get a stainless steel or ceramic those models are always with LTE so you will get the double storage!
If you can stretch to a series 4 it is a much, much better performer, with the better screen and is still basically indistinguishable from performance vs. a s6 or even my ultra 2 at normal watch stuff even today. Anything after s4 imho is essentially "the same" performance wise (outside of things like games, or whatever that I don't use the watch for) - the big difference in later models being sensors and display tech.
I own s2, s4, s6 and Ultra 2, the GF had an S3 - and the S4 is what I'd consider to be baseline acceptable Apple Watch performance. It's still great. Also anecdotally, my S4 still has better battery health than my S6, owned both from new. My S6 was a dog in comparison. Battery life has been pretty bad.
Maybe I just got a lemon s6, but s6 was the first disappointment of a watch for me.
I own s2, s4, s6 and Ultra 2, the GF had an S3 - and the S4 is what I'd consider to be baseline acceptable Apple Watch performance. It's still great. Also anecdotally, my S4 still has better battery health than my S6, owned both from new. My S6 was a dog in comparison. Battery life has been pretty bad.
Maybe I just got a lemon s6, but s6 was the first disappointment of a watch for me.
Because it doesn't do that anymore, and is lacking security updates, compatibility with the watch, etc.?
I agree with throAU, I'd look for a Series 4. I had a series 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and the jump in perofrmance from 3 to 4 was pretty large (IIRC that's when they went to the 64 bit chip). The 3 will still work, and it sounds like you aren't really pushing the limits of your tech, so you may find the performance adequate.
If it were me, I'd start looking on eBay for Series 4/5 & when you find good deals, ask what OS it's running. You're bound to find one with Watch OS 8 without too much trouble.
If it were me, I'd start looking on eBay for Series 4/5 & when you find good deals, ask what OS it's running. You're bound to find one with Watch OS 8 without too much trouble.
Why lacking security updates is a major concern? And what did his phone not do aside from limited watchOS compatibility? You don’t need regular security updates to use a phone as a phone.
new features? Why bother with new features When your existing one is just as sufficient?
Oh yeah then an S3 for cheap would definitely suit your needs. Definitely +1 to the Apple Watch being ambidextrous (I currently use it on my left arm with the crown on the bottom left, only way it works for me). Definitely will do step counting, and I think there might be biking workouts on watchOS 8? Might want to check on that…but I think all S3s have GPS capabilities so your data will get synced with your phone once you are on network again.
Sleep tracking wasn’t that great until I got a newer watch—so you’re not missing out on anything there.
Also that’s absolutely incredible that you were using the phone as an iPod basically and didn’t have a cell plan. Definitely gives you a way to disconnect if you’re going anywhere lol.
Again, if you can find an S3 for cheap; do it. Rock solid device—albeit slow on somethings, but if you’re just using it as a time piece then who cares?
On the phone?
If it's a smartphone, you typically use rich messages containing graphics, video and sound, browse the internet and read email with it.
All of which are common attack vectors (via spam or other "spray" attack method) for compromising devices. The device that you likely have Apple Pay on, do your internet banking with, have location tracking on, have 2 factor codes for work applications / banking sent to, etc. The device that has an onboard camera and microphone and knows where you are at all times.
Now, if you don't think that's worthy of keeping secure - you do you. Personally though I'd consider my phone to be just as, if not more important to keep secure than any of my other devices!
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Being totally honest - in terms of general responsiveness I can't tell any difference between the s4, s6 and my ultra2. And this isn't just rose tinted glasses, until last week my s6 was day watch and the s4 was for night-time or "I'm doing something that might damage my watch". So I've had direct back to back comparisons recently. The last time I wore my s4 was yesterday.
Sure the later models do more stuff, and if you're doing something particularly demanding with the watch they'll maybe be faster (nothing I've used them for made any difference). And I'm sure you could probably somehow benchmark them and detect a speed improvement.
But in terms of general watch app type usage - the s4 is almost as good as the current top of the line in terms of user experience IMHO - the performance is close enough that it just doesn't matter.
That is certainly not the case compared to the s3 and earlier.
The only problem which I've mentioned earlier is that Series 4+ will all likely be running the latest WatchOS which is a no-go for my iPhone 7. It would be much easier to find a brand new Series 7 watch that some retailer has on clearance than to find a used series 4 watch running WatchOS 8.
Totally agree, but the iPhone 7 still receives security updates (the last one was back in Dec). Once that's no longer the case, it will no longer suit my needs and will be replaced with something that still receives updates.
Really good to know. I'd honestly love to find a Series 5 Ceramic edition that still ran an old version of the OS. That would be a dream, and I've got a trip to Japan coming up in a few months so you never know. It might be a fun treasure hunt in Akihabara district where I'll be staying...
Which country are you in? Here in the UK we have stores that sell used devices and you could physically check which OS version a series 4-6 is running prior to purchase.
Could be worth you doing the same?
Could be worth you doing the same?
That was my point about looking on eBay & confirming with the seller that it has Watch OS 8, so that you know before you commit to buying.
All that being said, I think you'll be happy with a Series 3. I think it was mentioned earlier, but definitely look for a cellular version if you go with the 3, as it has double the memory of the wifi version and that may be helpful, but also will likely cost negligibly more than a wifi version, since it's so old already.
Yeah we have them in Canada too (pawn shops). They can be very dodgy but I can take a look at the one that's local to me.
I'll also say that an s3 is much quicker than an s2, so definitely don't go older than s3 if you can help it in order to get an older OS on it.
If you happen to be near a microcenter, they often have holdover products that they sell at a discount. My family bought me my S3 several years ago for 100 dollars new in box. They might have an s4 or six in stock.