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Apple Watch Series 3 finally discontinued, as new SE takes its place in the line-up

The Apple Watch Series 3 has finally been discontinued, some five years after it was launched back in 2017. The watch had remained on sale right up to the day before the event.

While Apple positioned the elderly model as an ultra-budget option, priced at just $199, the S3 had become something of an embarrassment in the lineup …

Discontinuation of Apple Watch Series 3 long overdue

Even when compared to the original Apple Watch SE, it compared poorly. Features it lacked were:

  • 40mm and 44mm sizes
  • Larger display and smaller bezels
  • Cellular option
  • International emergency calling
  • Fall detection
  • Noise monitoring
  • Compass
  • Always-on altimeter
  • Haptic feedback from Digital Crown
  • LTPO OLED
  • W3 wireless chip
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Use of recycled aluminum
  • Support for Family Setup

That made it hard to recommend unless you really couldn’t spring for the extra $79 to buy the Apple Watch SE instead. The $79 saving really was its only virtue, and its main role of late appeared to be as a way for parents to keep track of their kids before the launch of AirTags.

As of today, you can buy the all-new Apple Watch SE for $249, further closing the gap.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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