Apple Watch Series 3 hands-on: LTE could be the watershed moment

Enlarge / The new Apple Watch looks the same as its predecessor; the new internals are what counts.

The Apple Watch Series 3 looks, acts, and feels almost exactly the same as the Series 2 with a key difference—LTE wireless connectivity, whether your iPhone is nearby or not. We tested the Series 3 on-site at Apple’s unveiling event, including trying just a few of the new features.

If you liked the previous model, you’ll like the Series 3. If you didn’t, there’s not much different besides LTE. But maybe LTE is what’s been holding you back—it is for a lot of people. So let’s get into it.

How LTE works on the watch

The Series 3 watch still uses your iPhone’s connection when the phone is nearby, but as soon as you move away from the phone, the Series 3 LTE seamlessly kicks in. We weren’t able to test this at the event; all the Watches on display were flying solo, sans phones.