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Series 3 Watch - Purchase Now or Wait?

C

collegegal24

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 2, 2020
6
5
Hey everyone, I've been really interested in Apple Watches lately and noticed the Series 3 was on sale for $169 on Amazon. This is probably the lowest I've ever seen it. My only worry is that with a Series 6 coming out later this year, it'd be better to spend my money on a relatively newer one.

Since we're in quarantine and it's not the biggest need, I was thinking of holding out until Black Friday (Target or Amazon) to purchase the Series 5. I'm wondering whether or not the price will drop dramatically from where it is now ($399). I'm hoping for a price of around $250 - is that realistic to wait for?
 
I feel the price you want might not arrive. But buying Apple Watch series 3 right now is not a good idea imo. It’s old and wont likely receive next watchOS update. If anything, I would buy at least series 4 if not 5 for better feature support.
 
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Shirasaki said:
I feel the price you want might not arrive. But buying Apple Watch series 3 right now is not a good idea imo. It’s old and wont likely receive next watchOS update. If anything, I would buy at least series 4 if not 5 for better feature support.
Click to expand...

Haven't been able to find a trustworthy source that sells a Series 4 brand new... might just wait for the 5. Thanks!!

patricem said:
Amazon and Walmart just had the watch 5 on sale for $299, the sale was on for about a week, ended about 3-4 days ago. I scored a 5 with Amazon gift cards and thank you points for $160, brand new. Keep watching maybe they will go on sale again soon. https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-series-5-wwdc-deal-152729967.html
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty dang good! You got super lucky on that one! I think I'll watch out for the Series 5; will hold out until Black Friday if needed.
 
collegegal24 said:
Haven't been able to find a trustworthy source that sells a Series 4 brand new... might just wait for the 5. Thanks!!
Click to expand...

That’s a big part of it, try to find a reliable retailer selling the Apple Watch. Don’t just use any ‘source’ online that you haven’t heard of, sometimes it’s a scam and other times it’s not reflective of what the actual sale price is. At this junction, with the Series 6 launching, Series 5 discounts should continue even further in August.
 
Shirasaki said:
I feel the price you want might not arrive. But buying Apple Watch series 3 right now is not a good idea imo. It’s old and wont likely receive next watchOS update. If anything, I would buy at least series 4 if not 5 for better feature support.
Click to expand...

To say the Series 3 wont likely receive the next update is simply not true
 
ukms said:
To say the Series 3 wont likely receive the next update is simply not true
Click to expand...
As per Apple announcement, Apple Watch series 3 is the oldest device to receive watchOS 7 update. It was released alongside watchOS 4. Now it is watchOS 7. IMO the chance of series 3 receiving another watchOS update is not particularly high, even though current Apple is supporting their devices for as long as they can.

I wont delve too deep into this discussion tho. Better for another thread.
 
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collegegal24 said:
Hey everyone, I've been really interested in Apple Watches lately and noticed the Series 3 was on sale for $169 on Amazon. This is probably the lowest I've ever seen it. My only worry is that with a Series 6 coming out later this year, it'd be better to spend my money on a relatively newer one.

Since we're in quarantine and it's not the biggest need, I was thinking of holding out until Black Friday (Target or Amazon) to purchase the Series 5. I'm wondering whether or not the price will drop dramatically from where it is now ($399). I'm hoping for a price of around $250 - is that realistic to wait for?
Click to expand...

It depends on your expectations and needs for this watch. You won’t get as many features and support in the coming years, but $169 is pretty cheap.

Frankly, I don’t see the S5 going as low as $250 even with a new S6 in the market. If they keep the S5 around as the low end model, I think $299 is more realistic, but you might get lucky on a sale.
 
Shirasaki said:
As per Apple announcement, Apple Watch series 3 is the oldest device to receive watchOS 7 update. It was released alongside watchOS 4. Now it is watchOS 7. IMO the chance of series 3 receiving another watchOS update is not particularly high, even though current Apple is supporting their devices for as long as they can.

I wont delve too deep into this discussion tho. Better for another thread.
Click to expand...

fair enough ... someone could take your statement as meaning not receiving watchOS 7 :)
 
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ukms said:
fair enough ... someone could take your statement as meaning not receiving watchOS 7 :)
Click to expand...

I didn’t read their statement like that at all. Your interpretation might be different from others. Either way, theSeries 3 is in jeopardy just in terms of performance even if it does receive watchOS 7. It’s just not a ‘good-buy’ at this point, not when other models are slated to be discounted ahead of the Series 6 launch.
 
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satchmo said:
Frankly, I don’t see the S5 going as low as $250 even with a new S6 in the market. If they keep the S5 around as the low end model, I think $299 is more realistic, but you might get lucky on a sale.
Click to expand...

If the S5 new price is reduced to $299, then we might expect to see S5 refurbs at $250. Currently the base S5 refurbs are $60 off at $339.
 
Relentless Power said:
I didn’t read their statement like that at all. Your interpretation might be different from others. Either way, theSeries 3 is in jeopardy just in terms of performance even if it does receive watchOS 7. It’s just not a ‘good-buy’ at this point, not when other models are slated to be discounted ahead of the Series 6 launch.
Click to expand...

How did I guess you’d be along to chip in about what I’d said 🤣
 
Shirasaki said:
But buying Apple Watch series 3 right now is not a good idea imo. It’s old and wont likely receive next watchOS update
Click to expand...

Wrong!

Apple stated at WWDC nearly 2 weeks ago now that the Series 3 WILL get WatchOS7.

Please don't post information like this without knowing the answer, it helps nobody.
 
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Shirasaki said:
I feel the price you want might not arrive. But buying Apple Watch series 3 right now is not a good idea imo. It’s old and wont likely receive next watchOS update. If anything, I would buy at least series 4 if not 5 for better feature support.
Click to expand...
To add to what @TiggrToo said above, here's the official compatibility list from Apple's Watch OS7 preview site:

1593805532498.png
 
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TiggrToo said:
Wrong!

Apple stated at WWDC nearly 2 weeks ago now that the Series 3 WILL get WatchOS7.

Please don't post information like this without knowing the answer, it helps nobody.
Click to expand...
Namara said:
To add to what @TiggrToo said above, here's the official compatibility list from Apple's Watch OS7 preview site:

View attachment 930368
Click to expand...
When I say “won’t likely receive next watchOS update”, I INCLUDE WatchOS 7. My bad assuming people already know Apple Watch series 3 supports watchOS 7. Basically, what I doubt is whether it will receive watchOS 8 or not, not watchOS 7, which is officially supported.
 
Shirasaki said:
When I say “won’t likely receive next watchOS update”, I INCLUDE WatchOS 7. My bad assuming people already know Apple Watch series 3 supports watchOS 7. Basically, what I doubt is whether it will receive watchOS 8 or not, not watchOS 7, which is officially supported.
Click to expand...
Given that the series 3 is STILL sold by Apple, I think the chances it'll get at least WatchOS8 is pretty high.
 
The problem is that the Series 3 won't be able to take advantage of many of the new features and functions that newer versions can. I have the Series 3 and am intending to this fall or winter replace it with a new Series 6, which presumably will last me another three years or so.....
 
TiggrToo said:
Given that the series 3 is STILL sold by Apple, I think the chances it'll get at least WatchOS8 is pretty high.
Click to expand...

I’m thinking the opposite. By the time watchOS8 rolls around, the S3 will be 4 years old.

The S2 is not supported by watchOS7 and it’s 4 years old.
 
Definitely leaning more towards the Series 5. But many on Twitter are saying the Series 6 is one worth waiting for.. a midnight blue color being an option! Besides so, I guess I'll see when it comes out and how it compares. I recently won a $50 Target Gift Card so that will help a lot with payment. I'll continue saving until late Fall!
 
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collegegal24 said:
Definitely leaning more towards the Series 5. But many on Twitter are saying the Series 6 is one worth waiting for.. a midnight blue color being an option! Besides so, I guess I'll see when it comes out and how it compares. I recently won a $50 Target Gift Card so that will help a lot with payment. I'll continue saving until late Fall!
Click to expand...

That's wise of you. Do you have a link to the tweet about the blue colour watch? Was there a picture or mock-up?
 
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