Watch · Retina & Beyond · 2017
Apple Watch Series 3
Cellular cut the cord for good: you could leave your phone at home and still take calls, stream music and get messages from your wrist. It sold for an astonishing five years.
First Apple Watch with built-in LTE cellular: calls and music without your phone.
Apple Watch Series 4 (2018)
Apple Watch Series 3: key facts
When was the Apple Watch Series 3 released?
The Apple Watch Series 3 arrived on September 22, 2017. Apple discontinued it in September 2022.
How much did the Apple Watch Series 3 cost?
The Apple Watch Series 3 launched at $329 in 2017, about $421 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: Apple S3 (dual-core) at 780 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 8 GB storage, 1.5" OLED Retina display.
Why does the Apple Watch Series 3 matter?
First Apple Watch with built-in LTE cellular: calls and music without your phone.
Full specifications
| CPU | Apple S3 (dual-core) · 780 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 2 |
| Memory (RAM) | 768 MB |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| Display | 1.5" OLED Retina |
| GPU | Integrated |
| Ports | Magnetic inductive charging |
| Weight | ~34 g |
| Dimensions | 38 mm or 42 mm case |
| Operating system | watchOS 4 |
| Released | September 22, 2017 |
| Discontinued | September 2022 |
| Launch price | $329 |
How the Apple Watch Series 3 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 21× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 780 MHz, the clock is roughly 4.1× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 2,050 modern phone photos, a respectable library even today.
Launched at $329 in 2017, about $421 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
A tiny red dot on the Digital Crown marked the cellular models.
Related Watch models
Open the Apple Watch Series 3 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11