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Apple Watch Series 1 or Series 3?

jiyeon
Go to solution Solved by jiyeon,

Managed to snag an Apple Watch Series 3 Nike+ 38mm in silver tonight for £190 plus shipping tonight, thanks @floofer & @DrMacintosh for your advice! :)

 

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Hi, so I'm after an Apple Watch after my Moto 360 is starting to become very outdated, slow, and uncoordinated with my iPhone 8 Plus. I'm now looking into an Apple Watch, specifically either a Series 1 or a Series 3.

I've had my eye on the Apple Watch Series 3 for a while now, I can't afford a Series 4, because frankly, I see spending £400 on a watch as unreasonable which lands the Series 3 as the main contender for me.

I was looking into securing a purchase of a Series 3 on Apple's website for £279, but I've been hesitant to confirm it as I'm not comfortable spending that amount of money on a watch.

 

For some context, I've had my Moto 360 Gen2 since I was 15 - I'm 19 now - and I spent £195 on it back then. I've used it for things like looking and actioning upon notifications, viewing my heartrate for running and gym, counting my steps, controlling my smart devices, and generally using it as a watch and a fashion piece.

Unfortunately, since upgrading to my iPhone 8 Plus, I can no longer reply to messages I get on my watch, the watch has evidently become slow over 4 years, it is no longer getting Wear OS updates, and it's hard to keep it connected and synced to my iPhone, I am looking into an Apple Watch.

 

I've been looking on eBay and I'm seeing used Series 1 Watches for less than £150 which I would be in favor of and comfortable spending that amount of money on. What makes me not choose a Series 1 is the sooner support drop from Apple in terms of software as well as the speed of the watch, as I've watched videos comparing the speed of the Series 1 vs Series 3 and it's quite evident that the Series 3 is much faster.

 

If what I'm looking for in an Apple Watch is simply:

  • Transition away from Android Wear
  • Look at and action upon notifications
  • Integrate my fitness into my iPhone - e.g Apple Health
  • Essentially, get an Apple Watch

Which Apple Watch would be suitable for my needs?

 

The benefits & disadvantages of the Series 1:

  • + Much cheaper - Averages £100 on eBay, used (hard to find new/refurb ones)
  • + Easier on my finances
  • - Performs slower
  • - Will be supported for less time than Series 3 (at least to my knowledge)
  • - Inferior hardware and exterior design

The benefits & disadvantages of the Series 3:

  • + Performs considerably quicker than Series 1
  • + Support for longer(?)
  • + Improved hardware
  • Much most costly - £279 new from Apple; £200-£250 if used/refurb

 

As you can see, it is definitely the price that is holding me back from getting a Series 3, is it worth me spending nearly 3x as much for a Series 3 or pocket my funds and get a first-gen Apple Watch?

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

switch reviews  how i lube mx-style keyboard switches

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Series 3 is worth it by far. I don't think the Series 1 will be supported for much longer, and then you'll just end up buying the 3 later down the road. 150 pounds isn't really too much in the terms of things. @DrMacintosh has the series 3 rn I believe, so I can really only talk about the series 0 and series 4, which was a nice jump for me.

 

Series 1 is supported by WatchOS 6 though, but I don't believe you will get some watch faces or the ECG app, perhaps more limited health functions, but the fitness trackers, such as KJ burnt in a run, or heart rate, should work just fine. 

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2 minutes ago, floofer said:

Series 3 is worth it by far. I don't think the Series 1 will be supported for much longer, and then you'll just end up buying the 3 later down the road.

 

Series 1 is supported by WatchOS 6 though, but I don't believe you will get some watch faces or the ECG app, perhaps more limited health functions, but the fitness trackers, such as KJ burnt in a run, or heart rate, should work just fine. 

Interesting stuff. The main thing I'm after is definitely longevity so in this, I would definitely favor the Series 3. Series 1 just has a nicer price, but like you say, might have a short-term lifespan for what I need.

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

switch reviews  how i lube mx-style keyboard switches

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1 minute ago, Saksham said:

what about series 2?

Can barely find any for sale anywhere so I've not considered it. I also though that if there was Series 2 for sale somewhere, I might as well get a Series 3 since I can afford a Series 3.

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Just now, seoz said:

Interesting stuff. The main thing I'm after is definitely longevity so in this, I would definitely favor the Series 3. Series 1 just has a nicer price, but like you say, might have a short-term lifespan for what I need.

My Series 0 still works fine, but its limited to WatchOS 4, but its still reasonable when it's booted, and works great for exercise. The Series 3 though will be much faster when booting, and launching apps, and will integrate with more health functions, as well as faster apps in the new App Store, which may be limited to newer AWs, I cant find any information on whether they will be sorry. 

 

My final advice would be, like you wear the AW on your wrist pretty much all the time, then 150 pounds more is worth it. The more I use something, the more I'm willing to spend on it, seems reasonable to go for something a bit nicer if I can, if I use it often, just to make life a little easier. 

 

But you know, you can still try out the series 3 in the Apple Store, or reseller, so I'd go there and try it out a little. 

 

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1 minute ago, floofer said:

The Series 3 though will be much faster when booting, and launching apps, and will integrate with more health functions, as well as faster apps in the new App Store, which may be limited to newer AWs, I cant find any information on whether they will be sorry. 

 

My final advice would be, like you wear the AW on your wrist pretty much all the time, then 150 pounds more is worth it. The more I use something, the more I'm willing to spend on it, seems reasonable to go for something a bit nicer if I can, if I use it often, just to make life a little easier. 

This was precisely my mindset when justifying a Series 3, the longevity and the fact that my Moto 360 has lasted me 4 years and I use it pretty much daily anyway. That's over 1000 days of the thing on my watch, well worth what I paid for it.

Getting the Series 3 would definitely feel nicer as well, as I know I'm getting a well-supported, up-to-date Apple Watch which is much faster than its predecessors.

 

3 minutes ago, floofer said:

But you know, you can still try out the series 3 in the Apple Store, or reseller, so I'd go there and try it out a little. 

Yeah, I actually thought about this when I was at the checkout on Apple's website since I can pick up an Apple Watch Series 3 tomorrow at my local Apple store if I decided to commit to it. I too thought it would be a good idea for me to try out an Apple Watch just to get a feel for what I'm getting into, as I'll be honest, I've only ever seen an Apple Watch on my cousin's wrist, and he has a Series 1.

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

switch reviews  how i lube mx-style keyboard switches

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21 minutes ago, floofer said:

has the series 3 rn I believe, so I can really only talk about the series 0 and series 4, which was a nice jump for me.

Series 2 actually. Still more than enough to do what I want it to. Sometimes it has to load an app that wasn’t in memory and that takes a long time. That’s fine honestly though, you aren’t supposed to be actively using the Apple Watch anyway. They aren’t phones. 

 

Series 3 is a big improvement to performance though. 

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1 hour ago, seoz said:

Managed to snag an Apple Watch Series 3 Nike+ 38mm in silver tonight for £190 plus shipping tonight, thanks @floofer & @DrMacintosh for your advice! :)

 

yesbois.PNG.8c1d0a8905a697f7a93b5bdc2f73af3a.PNG

 

Great pick, especially for the gym.  I have a Nike+ 42mm S3 with a Sport Loop, and it's lovely... although you definitely need to rinse the Sport Loop now and then where the Nike elastomer bands are a little more resilient.

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8 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Great pick, especially for the gym.  I have a Nike+ 42mm S3 with a Sport Loop, and it's lovely... although you definitely need to rinse the Sport Loop now and then where the Nike elastomer bands are a little more resilient.

Awesome! Yeah, I hang around the gym a lot nowadays to stay in shape and get out of the house. :D I'll take note of that, I had to do the same with my Archer silicon bands on my Moto 360 as they often got quite murky and noticably more slippery on my wrist.

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

switch reviews  how i lube mx-style keyboard switches

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