With the release of the Apple Watch Series 5, makes it three high-end smartwatches; the 3, 4 and 5 in the rich list of Apple smartwatches excluding the Watch 2 and 1 both of which have been discontinued, the Watch 4 has also been discontinued. This comparison chart compares the Apple Watch Series 3 vs 4 vs 5 to find out the differences and which is the best choice for you. Watch 5 comes with a compass, international emergency calling, hearing protection. higher storage, always-on display and onboard access to apps from the watch. Compare to find the differences.
Table of Contents
Apple Watch Series 3 vs 4 vs 5: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm) Specifications, Features and Price |
 Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm) Specifications, Features and Price |
 Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm) (GPS) Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $227.96 | - | - |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm) | (44mm), Apple Watch Series 4 | (GPS), Apple Watch Series 5 |
| Device type | Standalone/Fitness smartwatch | Standalone/Fitness smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2017 | September, 2018 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Apple Watch Series 2 | Apple Watch Series 3 | Apple Watch Series 4 |
| Successor | Apple Watch Series 4 | Apple Watch Series 5 | — |
| Versions | Apple Watch Nike+ | Apple Watch Nike+ | Apple Watch Hermès, Apple Watch Nike+ |
| BODY | BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm |
| Weight | 52.8 grams | 48 grams | 36.1g (GPS) |
| Shape | Rectangular | Rectangular | Rectangular |
| Case material | Aluminum, Ceramics (cellular), Stainless steel (cellular) | Aluminum, Ceramic/Sapphire crystal back | Aluminum |
| Strap material | Elastomer | Elastomer | Elastomer |
| Bezel material | Bezeless | Bezeless | Bezeless, Sapphire glass |
| Strap size | 24mm | 24mm | 24mm |
| Screen protection | Sapphire glass | Sapphire glass | Sapphire glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | — | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes | Yes |
| Color | Black, White | Gold, Gray, Silver | Gold, Gray, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.65 inch | 1.78 inch | 1.78 inch |
| Display type | 1000nit, OLED | 1000nit, OLED | 1000nit, OLED |
| Display resolution | 312 x 390 pixels | 448 x 368 pixels | 448 x 368 pixels |
| Pixel density | — | — | — |
| Always on | No | No | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | GLONASS, GPS | GLONASS, GPS | GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.768GB | 0.768GB | 0.768GB |
| ROM | 16GB (GPS + Cellular), 8GB (GPS) | 16GB | 32GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | 4G LTE | 4G LTE | None |
| SIM type | e-SIM | e-SIM | — |
| Band | — | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No | No |
| Radio | No | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | No | No | Yes |
| ECG | No | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | No | No | No |
| Thermometer | App, No | App, No | App, No |
| Other sensors | — | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | No | No |
| Blood Pressure | No | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes | (Third-party app), Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incidental fall detection | No | Yes | No |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | No | No | No |
| On-screen workout | No | No | No |
| Sport modes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 279mAh | — | — |
| Battery life | Regular: up to 18hrs | Regular: up to 18hrs | Regular: up to 18hrs |
| Charging type | Charging dock | Charging dock | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar power | No | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | Apple S3 | Apple S4 64bits | Apple S5 chip (64bits) |
| CPU | Dual core | Dual core | Dual core |
| GPU | — | — | — |
| Operating system | WatchOS 4 | WatchOS 5 | WatchOS 6 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Apple Watch App | Apple Watch App | Apple Watch App |
| Compatibility | iOS 12.0+ | iOS 12.0+ | iOS 12.0+ |
| Payment system | Apple Pay | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Interchangeable strap | 24mm, Yes | 24mm, Yes | 24mm, Yes |
| Voice command | Yes, Siri | Yes, Siri | Yes, Siri |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Apple Watch Series 3, Charger, Manual, Straps | Apple Watch Series 4, Charger, Manual, Straps | Apple Watch Series 5, Charger, Manual, Straps |
| Price | $227.96 |
SEE ALSO
The Difference
| FEATURES | Watch Series 3 | Watch Series 4 | Watch Series 5 | Watch SE (GPS) | Watch SE (Cellular) | Watch Series 6 (GPS) | Watch Series 6 (Cellular) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DESIGN | |||||||
| Case Sizes | 38mm and 42mm | 44mm and 40mm | 44mm and 40mm | 44mm and 40mm | 44mm and 40mm | 44mm and 40mm | 44mm and 40mm |
| Thickness | 11.4mm thin | 10.7mm thin | 10.7mm thin | 10.4mm thin | 10.4mm thin | 10.4mm thin | 10.4mm thin |
| Always-on-display | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Digital crown | Digital crown with haptic feedback | Digital crown with haptic feedback | Digital crown with haptic feedback | Digital crown with haptic feedback | Digital crown with haptic feedback | Digital crown with haptic feedback | |
| Available Materials and Finishes | Aluminum | Aluminum Stainless steel Titanium | Aluminum Stainless steel Titanium | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum Stainless steel Titanium | Aluminum Stainless steel Titanium |
| Back Material | Composite back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ceramic and sapphire crystal back |
| HEALTH AND ACTIVITY TRACKING | |||||||
| Family Setup Allows you to use your iPhone to pair watches for your children or older adults who don’t have their own iPhone | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Noise Protection Protects your ear against high decibels that can be harmful to hearing, also alerts you when you reach your hearing dose for the week according to recommendations from global health authorities. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen Tracking Tracks your blood oxygen to determine the amount of oxygen your blood. | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| ECG Tracking Allows you to take ECG test directly from your wrist which can help you detect atrial fibrillations. | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate sensor Tracks your heart rate with high, low, and irregular heart rhythm notifications. | Yes Optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor | Yes Second-generation optical heart sensor |
| Compass | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incidental Fall Detection Can help you get help real quick when the watch detects a fall, it calls a preset emergency number. | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| International Emergency Calling Allows you to call international emergency contacts almost anywhere in the world. | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Always-on altimeter | Always-on altimeter | Always-on altimeter | Always-on altimeter | Always-on altimeter | Always-on altimeter |
| Accelerometer | Yes up to 16 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces | Yes up to 32 g-forces |
| MEDIA/STORAGE | |||||||
| Loudspeaker | Yes | 50% Louder speaker | 50% Louder speaker | 50% Louder speaker | 50% Louder speaker | 50% Louder speaker | 50% Louder speaker |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 32GB | 32GB | 32GB | 32GB | 32GB |
| Calls Call and Text From Wrist | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Pay Make a secured payment from your watch. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Siri Get help with just about anything, simply by asking with your voice. Including translations. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PLATFORM | |||||||
| CPU | S3 with dual-core processor | S5 with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 2x faster processor | S5 with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 2x faster processor | S5 with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 2x faster processor | S5 with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 2x faster processor | S6 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 20 percent faster than S5 | S6 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor Up to 20 percent faster than S5 |
| Chip | W2 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip | W3 Apple wireless chip |
Apple Watch Series 3 vs 4 vs 5: Which Should You Buy?
The Watch 4 and 5 have bigger case size and subsequently bigger display sizes than the Watch 3 which allows you see more at a glance. They are also slightly slimmer than the Watch 3. Moreover, the Watch 5 now features always-on display,plus you can now access apps directly from the Watch 5.
As per activity-tracking features, the Watch 5 with newer features is a more comprehensive activity tracker with a compass, hearing protection and international emergency calling added.
Watch 5 also has a higher storage capacity, all this makes it a better smartwatch than the Watch 4 and 3. It’s the best bargain. However, if you’re low on budget, the Watch 3 or Watch 4 which has been discontinued is a nice alternative.
