Apple Watch Series 3 vs Series 6: Detailed comparison

Updated on May 21, 2022

You could say that the world of smartwatches is as vast as it is exciting, and Apple has been a forerunner of this revolution ever since the very beginning. In fact, their first smartwatch dates back to April 2014 — marking the start of a new era for smartwatch lovers across the globe.

2017
2020
Series 3
Series 6
Series 3

That is why we’ve put together this comparison — in the hope to help you make the most informed decision. Whether you are considering an upgrade of your existing watch or looking to get your first one, we will try to clear up any uncertainties about the differences between Series 3 and Series 6.

Recency

Series 3 was announced on September 12, 2017 at the Apple Special Event tagged ’Let's meet at our place’. It was then was made available for purchase on September 18, 2020. Series 6 got announced 36 months later on the Apple Event that was held on September 15, 2020, and was released to shops on September 18, 2020.

As of 2022, Series 3 currently remains in production, whereas Series 6 has seised its production on September 14, 2021.Both models currently continue to be supported by the latest software updates.

Announced
September 12, 2017
Announced
September 15, 2020
Released
September 22, 2017
Released
September 18, 2020
In production
Discontinued
September 14, 2021

Body sizes and materials

Series 3 comes in 38mm or 42mm case body sizes and Series 6 is available in 40mm or 44mm case sizes. Apple Watch Series 3 features a new, improved digital crown with haptic feedback which means that you will feel that satisfying ’click’ when scrolling through menu items.

Both watch models offer the same standard aluminium, which, although is the lightest option, tends to get scratches fairly easily. Unique to Series 3 remains shiny stainless steel that is also on a heavier side and lightweight but very durable matte titanium option.

38mm or 42mm case
40mm or 44mm case
Aluminum
Aluminum
Stainless steel option was offered at launch but is no longer available
Stainless steel
Titanium
Ceramic option was offered at launch but is no longer available
Digital crown
Digital Crown with haptic feedback

Display

Series 6 has a 30 percent larger screen, compared to Series 3. Series 6 adds an Always-on Display function which means that Newer Series 6 watch model comes with an improved Third-generation Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display technology, compared to last model.

Sapphire crystal display on stainless steel and ceramic cases
Sapphire crystal display on stainless steel and titanium cases
Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases
Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases
30% larger screen than Series 3
Second-generation Retina OLED display
Third-generation Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display
1000 nits
1000 nits
Always-on display
Force Touch
326 dpi
326 dpi
1.337″ on 38 mm model, 1.533″ on 42 mm model
1.549″ on 40 mm model, 1.757″ on 44 mm model
Ambient light sensor
Ambient light sensor

Resistance

Water resistant to 50 meters (ISO 22810:2010)
Water resistant to 50 meters (ISO 22810:2010)
Composite back
Ceramic and sapphire crystal back

Sensors

Optical Pulse Sensor
3rd generation optical pulse sensor
ECG Sensor
Blood oxygen sensor
Up to 16 g-forces accelerometer
Up to 32 g-forces accelerometer
Gyroscope
Improved gyroscope
Altimeter
Always-on altimeter
Compass
Speaker and mic
Second-generation speaker and mic
International emergency calling
30% louder speaker than Series 3

Safety and Emergency

Emergency SOS
Emergency SOS
High and low heart rate notifications
High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular heart rhythm notification
Fall detection
Noise monitoring

Connectivity

Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 5
Optional cellular
LTE and UMTS option
NFC
NFC
ApplePay
ApplePay
Apple U1 Ultra-Wideband chip
Apple W2 Wireless chip
Apple W3 Wireless chip
802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz & 5 GHz
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS

Battery and charging

It’s been a while since Apple changed something in terms of battery life, and both watches offer up to 18h advertised run time.

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Up to 18 hours run time
Up to 18 hours run time
Plastic magnetic charger
Aluminium magnetic charger
USB-A charger connector
USB-C charger connector

System-on-Chip

Series 6 is powered by an S6-branded chip. Apple S6 System-on Chip has a custom 64-bit dual-core processor that runs up to 20 percent faster than the S5. The dual cores in the S6 are based on the A13's energy-efficient "little" Thunder cores at 1.8 GHz. Like the S4 and S5, it also contains the W3 wireless chip. The S6 adds the new U1 ultra wideband chip, an always-on altimeter, and 5 GHz WiFi.

Series 3 uses the Apple S6 SoC.

Apple S3
Apple S6
CPU
32-bit dual-core
64-bit dual-core
DRAM capacity
768 MB
1 GB
Storage capacity
8GB capacity
32GB capacity

NeatCompare overall relative score

Baseline
100%
Major improvement
155%

Price comparison

Information sources: apple.com, wikipedia.org. Product photos are copyright Apple, Inc.

Disclaimer: we always try to source product specification information from official sources, such as apple.com website, but sometimes it is impossible to verify all data that we find from public sources. Also, some products come in various versions and it's difficult to backtrack which version or region has which finctions available. So Please note that we are not responsible for any errors, on this page. All information is provided 'as is' with no guarantees whatsoever.

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