Apple Officially Discontinues Apple Watch Series 3

With the launch of the new Apple Watch Series 8 models and the updated Apple Watch SE, Apple has officially discontinued the outdated Apple Watch Series 3 that was being sold as a low cost $199 option.

Available since 2017, the Apple Watch Series 3 had the same design as the original Apple Watch models and did not sport the larger casings that Apple started introducing with the Series 4 models. It was the first Apple Watch to offer cellular connectivity when it launched.

The Apple Watch Series 3 featured an Apple S3 chip, which is an older, slower Apple Watch chip variant. The Apple Watch Series 3 never offered much in the way of performance, and compared to modern Apple Watch models, it was notably underpowered. We have not recommended the Apple Watch Series 3 as a purchase option for the last few years, and its age became something of a joke.

Apple sold the Apple Watch Series 3 for $199, and it could be found even lower from third-party retailers hosting sales. Apple's low-cost Apple Watch option is now the $249 Apple Watch SE, which features a newer chip than the Apple Watch Series 3 and a more modern design.

We were expecting the discontinuation of the Apple Watch Series 3 as the device is not able to run watchOS 9, which is compatible only with the Series 4 and later. The Series 3 is limited to watchOS 8 and will receive no further major operating system updates. Prior to the launch of the Series 8 models, the Series 3 was already selling out and many variants were out of stock.