Apple Watch Series 3 looks finally set for retirement

It seems Apple is finally ready to put the Watch Series 3 out to pasture. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the wearable will reach its end-of-life (EOL) by the third quarter of this year, mainly because it will not be able to operate the latest iteration of watchOS at a functional level (although it did just get updated to watchOS 8.5). It’s already rumored that Apple will release its Watch Series 8, possibly a Watch SE 2, and a rugged smartwatch at an event in the fall, so there wouldn’t be much space left for the Watch Series 3 anyway.

The Apple Watch Series 3 has outlived three of its successors, with the Watch Series 4 going in 2019, the Watch Series 5 retiring in 2020, and the Watch Series 6 being discontinued in 2021. The third-generation watch can still be purchased directly from Apple with a starting price of US$199, which is in some contrast with the current flagship model, the Watch Series 7, that starts at US$399. But then you obviously get a lot more for your money with the latter, such as an always-on display and blood oxygen app.

If the Apple Watch Series 3 does bite the dust in the third quarter of the year, it would leave the current Watch SE as the most-affordable model, which starts at US$279 at the moment. However, if Cupertino does unveil a successor SE 2 wearable then the Watch SE might get an attractive price cut, putting it at the same level as the third-generation device. The Watch Series 3 is looking rather dated nowadays, with its chunky display borders and USB-A magnetic charging cable, so now might be the right time for Apple to shelve its popular wearable.

Buy the Apple Watch Series 3 on Amazon