With the introduction of the new Apple Watch Series 8 model and the updated Apple Watch SE, Apple has officially discontinued the outdated Apple Watch Series 3, which had been sold as a low-cost option for $199. Since 2015, the Apple Watch Series 3 has had the same design as the initial Apple Watch models, without the larger case that Apple introduced with the Series 4 model, and it was the first Apple Watch to offer cellular connectivity at launch.
The Apple Watch Series 3 is powered by the Apple S3 chip, an older, slower variant of the Apple Watch chip. The Apple Watch Series 3 has never offered much in the way of performance, and its computing power is noticeably lacking when compared to modern Apple Watch models. The Apple Watch Series 3 has been on the shelf for the past few years, and its extremely long stated cycle often makes it a joke.
The Apple Watch Series 3 is also the lowest-priced Apple smartwatch model, with Apple selling the Apple Watch Series 3 for $199, and even lower prices can be found from third-party retailers. After midnight today, the lowest-priced Apple Watch option is now the $249 Apple Watch SE, which has a much more advanced S8 chip and a more modern design than the Apple Watch Series 3.
The discontinuation of the Apple Watch Series 3 comes as no surprise, as the device is unable to run watchOS 9 and is only compatible with Series 4 and later. 3 Series is limited to watchOS 8 and will not receive any more major OS updates. The Series 3 was sold out before the Series 8 model was launched, and many models are even out of stock.
