After announcing new Apple Watches, Apple has stopped selling 3 older Watch models, including the classic Series 3 (2024)

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After announcing new Apple Watches, Apple has stopped selling 3 older Watch models, including the classic Series 3? ›

Apple has confirmed that it will end support for three older Apple Watches – the Series 5, Series 4 and the original SE – after announcing watchOS 11 during its WWDC 2024 keynote (you can catch up on everything Apple announced at our WWDC 2024 live blog).

Apple stops selling Watch Series 3 — eight months after its last security update. One week ago, Apple finally stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 3 in its online stores. Recent buyers, however, are not getting any security updates.

Apple has stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches on its U.S. website, CNBC checks show. “Following December 24, 2023, Apple no longer sells Apple Watch units in the United States with the ability to measure blood oxygen,” according to fine print on Apple's product pages.

Apple's newest watch has a larger screen, a processor that's brand new versus the 202 SE's 4-year-old chip, more health features like temperature sensing, blood oxygen measurements (for non-US users) and ECG, and an always-on display.

The Apple Watch Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, but you can still buy it refurbished from various sellers for as low as $100. Regardless of how attractive it's priced, we don't recommend buying it.

On the software side, watchOS 5 dropped compatibility with the solid-gold Apple Watch in 2018. All other 38mm and 42mm aluminum and stainless steel versions of the original Apple Watch, including Hermès variants, are also now classified as obsolete.

2015: The first Apple Watch was released in April 2015. It featured a Retina display, Force Touch, Taptic Engine, heart rate sensor, digital crown, and interchangeable bands.

The halt in online sales comes after the International Trade Commission ruled that Apple violated patents from Masimo, a health-tech company, related to blood oxygen monitoring.

Apple will no longer support three older models of its smartwatch after announcing a new watchOS operating system. Owners of the Apple Watch Series 5, Series 4 and the original SE, the most recent of which launched in 2019, will be unable to download the new watchOS 11 when it launches later this year.

Can you still use older Apple Watches? ›

If you have one of the older watches, first of all: don't panic! You can continue using your watch as-is, and it will work just fine with your iPhone. However, it won't receive any further updates, including security ones, and it may become buggy or slow down without these updates over a period of time.

So how long does an Apple Watch last and are Apple Watches worth buying? There will always be exceptions, but on balance, based on the experience of our own reviewers and the comments we've seen from users online, I would say that an Apple Watch provide five to six years of good performance.

No matter the model or condition, we can turn your Apple Watch into something good for you and good for the planet. Learn how to trade in or recycle your watch with Apple Trade In.

It was launched on September 12, 2017 alongside the iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X at Apple's annual September event in the Steve Jobs Theater.

Avoid These Watches

It's been years since we've seen retailers carry the Series 1, Series 2, or Series 3. You may see them on resale sites, but they are not worth the price. WatchOS 11 only works with the second-gen SE and newer, so we no longer recommend buying the Series 4 or 5, or the first-gen SE.

While the device might keep working and can still be paired to an iPhone after Apple ends support, a lack of updates makes it a security risk. That means the end of life should really be thought of as three to five years, even if the Apple Watch is in perfect condition.