Request a product

Apple Watch Series 3 vs Apple Watch Series 9

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 3AppleWatch Series 9
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2017September 2023
Display
Case sizes38 mm or 42 mm41 mm or 45 mm
PanelOLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness1,000 nits2,000 nits
Always-on displayNoYes
Display detailRetina 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)Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display, edge to edge; 326 ppi; up to 2,000 nits maximum and 1 nit minimum brightness
Screen protectionIon-X glass on aluminium; sapphire crystal on stainless steel and ceramic (PhoneArena)Ion-X front glass (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (stainless steel cases)
Health and fitness
ECGNoYes
Blood oxygenNoYes
Skin temperatureNoYes
Sleep apnoea alertsNoYes
High blood pressure alertsNoYes
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoYes
Crash detectionNoYes
GPSSingle-bandSingle-band
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsOptical heart sensor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer up to 16 g-forces, gyroscope and ambient light sensorElectrical heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; temperature sensing; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer; high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor
Health featuresHeart-rate monitoring including resting and recovery measurements; alerts for elevated heart rate while inactive in watchOS 4ECG app; Blood Oxygen app; sleep apnoea notifications and hypertension notifications (added in later watchOS updates); irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; sleep stages; Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates; Medications; Mindfulness; Noise
Fitness featuresGPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS; elevation gain and flights climbed; pool and open-water swimming, HIIT workouts and GymKitCustom interval workouts; Heart Rate Zones; Race Route; stride length, ground contact time and vertical oscillation; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; Backtrack; pool and open-water swimming with SWOLF and automatic stroke detection; cycling Functional Threshold Power, power zones and cadence with Bluetooth accessories; GymKit
Safety featuresEmergency SOSEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Crash Detection; Fall Detection
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 18 hoursUp to 18 hours
In low-power mode–Up to 36 hours
Mobile data optionYesYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS3S9
Storage8 GB64 GB
Battery life detailBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; cellular performance depends on coverage and usageBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
ChargingUSB-A magnetic charging cable; Apple lists a USB power adapter for the cellular model onlyFast charging to 80% in about 45 minutes
ConnectivityW2 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 6sL1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and BeiDou; 4G LTE and UMTS (GPS + Cellular models); Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with Precision Finding for iPhone 15 and later; Apple Pay
Storage8 GB on GPS models; 16 GB on GPS + Cellular models–
Design
Weight (lightest version)26.7 g31.9 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materialsAluminium 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 swimmingAluminium or stainless steel case; water resistant to 50 m (swimproof); IP6X dust resistant
SizeAluminium 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 bands41mm is 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, 31.9 g (aluminium, GPS), 32.1 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 42.3 g (stainless steel); 45mm is 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, 38.7 g (aluminium, GPS), 39.0 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 51.5 g (stainless steel); lightest is the 41mm aluminium GPS
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 2017Fits 130–200 mm wrists (41mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (45mm)
ColoursSilver, Space Grey and Gold aluminium; Silver or Space Black stainless steel; White or Grey ceramicAluminium in Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Silver and (PRODUCT)RED; stainless steel in Gold, Silver and Graphite
In the boxWatch and band, USB-A magnetic charging cable; cellular models include USB power adapter and Hermès includes an additional Sport BandApple Watch Series 9, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)

More comparisons