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Apple Watch Series 1 vs Apple Watch Series 3

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 1AppleWatch Series 3
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2016September 2017
Display
Case sizes38 mm or 42 mm38 mm or 42 mm
PanelOLEDOLED
Peak brightness450 nits1,000 nits
Always-on displayNoNo
Display detailRetina OLED with Force Touch; 272 x 340 pixels (38mm) or 312 x 390 pixels (42mm)Retina OLED with Force Touch; 38mm 272 x 340 pixels and 563 sq mm; 42mm 312 x 390 pixels and 740 sq mm; wake by wrist raise or tap (Wareable)
Screen protectionStrengthened Ion-X glassIon-X glass on aluminium; sapphire crystal on stainless steel and ceramic (PhoneArena)
Health and fitness
ECGNoNo
Blood oxygenNoNo
Skin temperatureNoNo
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSNoneSingle-band
Water resistance–50 m
SensorsOptical heart-rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and ambient light sensorOptical heart sensor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer up to 16 g-forces, gyroscope and ambient light sensor
Health featuresHeart-rate monitoring; Activity rings and Breathe app in watchOS 3Heart-rate monitoring including resting and recovery measurements; alerts for elevated heart rate while inactive in watchOS 4
Fitness featuresWorkout tracking; outdoor route tracking uses a paired iPhone's GPS (PhoneArena)GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS; elevation gain and flights climbed; pool and open-water swimming, HIIT workouts and GymKit
Safety features–Emergency SOS
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 18 hoursUp to 18 hours
Mobile data optionNoYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS1PS3
Storage8 GB8 GB
Battery life detailBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion batteryBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; cellular performance depends on coverage and usage
ChargingMagnetic charging cableUSB-A magnetic charging cable; Apple lists a USB power adapter for the cellular model only
ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 4.2; Apple support's updated compatibility requirement is iPhone 5s with iOS 11 or laterW2 wireless chip; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 4.2; cellular versions add LTE, UMTS and eSIM with a compatible carrier plan. At launch GPS required iPhone 5s and cellular iPhone 6, both with iOS 11; updated Apple support requires iPhone 6s
StorageS1P dual-core processor name reported by Wareable; Apple specifications confirm a dual-core processor and 8 GB capacity8 GB on GPS models; 16 GB on GPS + Cellular models
Design
Weight (lightest version)25 g26.7 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materialsAnodised aluminium case and composite back; IPX7 under IEC 60529, splash and water resistant but submersion is not recommendedAluminium GPS models have a composite back; cellular models have ceramic and sapphire crystal back; steel and ceramic cases sold with cellular only; water resistance under ISO 22810:2010 for shallow-water swimming
Size38mm is 38.6 x 33.3 x 10.5 mm and 25 g; 42mm is 42.5 x 36.4 x 10.5 mm and 30 g; weights exclude the bandAluminium 38mm 38.6 x 33.3 x 11.4 mm, GPS 26.7 g or cellular 28.7 g; 42mm 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 mm, GPS 32.3 g or cellular 34.9 g. Steel uses the same dimensions at 42.4 g and 52.8 g. White ceramic 38mm 39.2 x 34.0 x 11.8 mm, 40.1 g; 42mm 42.6 x 36.5 x 11.4 mm, 46.4 g. Weights exclude bands
BandsSold with Sport Band; compatible with Sport, Woven Nylon, stainless steel and leather bandsSport Band or Sport Loop on aluminium; Sport Band or Milanese Loop on steel; Nike Sport Band or Nike Sport Loop on Nike+; leather and additional Sport Band on Hermès; Sport Band on Edition. Nike+ reached limited availability 5 October 2017
ColoursSilver, Space Grey, Gold and Rose Gold aluminiumSilver, Space Grey and Gold aluminium; Silver or Space Black stainless steel; White or Grey ceramic
In the box–Watch and band, USB-A magnetic charging cable; cellular models include USB power adapter and Hermès includes an additional Sport Band

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