You’ve decided you need an Apple Watch in your life, but now the question is which one? There have been six different versions of…
You’ve decided you need an Apple Watch in your life, but now the question is which one? There have been six different versions of the Watch over the years and a new one may be coming in a couple of months, but Apple currently gives you two models to choose from: the Series 5, which starts at $399; and the Series 3, which starts at $199.
The good news is you can’t go wrong with either if you have your heart set on an Apple Watch. Both have the same fitness tracking features, notifications and seamless integration with your iPhone. So if price is your main concern, rest easy, you’ll get everything you need from the Series 3 for $200 less. But if you have some wiggle room in the budget, the Series 5 has some standout features that might just make it worth the splurge.
Read more: Apple Watch: The two features that finally won me over
The first major difference between the Apple Watch Series 5 and the Series 3 is the display. The screen on the Series 5 is always on so you can see the time or your workout stats without raising your wrist, while the screen on the Series 3 turns off when you’re not using it. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but once you’ve had a taste of the always-on screen, it’s hard to go back. Good luck discreetly checking the time during a meeting, because looking at anything on the screen of the Series 3 requires a very intentional flick of the wrist. The Series 5 has a dimmer version of your watch face that’s visible at all times. And even with the always-on display, the battery of the Series 5 doesn’t drain any faster than the Series 3’s.
Both the Series 5 and the Series 3 last about 18 hours with normal use, which includes getting notifications from your phone, checking the time and tracking a workout (battery life is slightly less if you’re using GPS during a workout).
