Apple Watch Series 3 is said to be discontinued in Q3 of 2022 as its processing power may not meet the requirements of a new version of watchOS. The Apple Watch Series 3 was released in September 2017, making it almost five years old. It is currently the oldest Apple Watch to support the latest version of watchOS 8. As per a recent report, Apple is tipped to end support for this smartwatch when it unveils watchOS 9 at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) later this year.
In a tweet, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the Apple Watch Series 3 may reach end-of-life in Q3 2022 because of its old hardware. This smartwatch is powered by the S3 chip which significantly lags behind the S5 chip of Apple Watch SE and the S7 chip of Apple Watch Series 7. The Apple Watch Series 3 is marked by a thick build with large bezels and angular display corners.
Given the limited performance of the Apple Watch Series 3 and the extra steps required for updating the watchOS, it is believed that Apple will discontinue this smartwatch when the new version of watchOS arrives. This step is expected to make the Apple Watch Series 4 the oldest Apple smartwatch to support watchOS 9 when it is released. There is not much known about the features offered by the upcoming watchOS, but it is expected to accompany the launch of the 2nd generation Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 8. These smartwatches are tipped to arrive later this year, which coincides with the timeline provided by Kuo.