The Apple Watch Extremely 3 might have been a lot extra, if solely Apple didn’t need to play it protected and safe sufficient alternatives for upgrades sooner or later…

The corporate positions its Extremely line of smartwatches as the head of what a premium smartwatch might be. The brand new Apple Watch Extremely 3which simply launched alongside the iPhone 17 collection, carries that very same spirit: it’s rugged, giant, filled with options, and much more tied into the Apple ecosystem. Clearly, it’s Apple’s greatest wearable but, however the place precisely is Apple pushing the needle?

It’s a query that’s considerably tough to reply. The few refinements that the Apple Watch Extremely 3 comes with — like a barely greater show, a brand new chip, satellite tv for pc SOS, 5G, and modest battery positive aspects — fail to impress when one different producer has provide you with a wearable that reveals simply how far we’ve come in the case of rugged smartwatches in 2025.

Apple’s model of an “extremely” smartwatch

Picture credit score — Apple

The Apple Watch Extremely 3 seems virtually an identical to the Extremely 1 and Extremely 2 earlier than it. You continue to have that 49mm titanium case, the chunky crown, the orange Motion Button, and the sense that this watch is supposed for adventurers. The bezels are a bit slimmer (though not by any noticeable margin), letting Apple slot in a barely bigger OLED show with an LTPO3 tech for higher effectivity.Due to the brand new show (and a extra environment friendly chip), battery life climbs from 36 hours on the Extremely 2 to 42 hours with the Extremely 3, and as much as 72 hours in low-power mode. Charging is a contact sooner, topping as much as 80% in 45 minutes. However whereas all of that’s good and positively an improve over Apple’s earlier rugged smartwatches, it’s hardly groundbreaking whenever you evaluate it to the remainder of the market.

Picture credit score — PhoneArena

There are just a few extra headline options below the hood. My favorites are the addition of 5G RedCap assist and satellite tv for pc SOS. RedCap (brief for Diminished Functionality) is a brand new kind of 5G connection constructed for smaller, low-power gadgets like wearables. It prioritizes effectivity, protection, and low latency over uncooked pace, which makes much more sense on a smartwatch than chasing gigabit downloads. Along with satellite tv for pc SOS, which lets you attain emergency providers whenever you’re off the grid, these upgrades make the Extremely 3 really feel higher geared up for its fundamental target market. But it surely nonetheless comes throughout as Apple’s final smartwatch, not the final word smartwatch.

What Apple leaves on the desk

That is the place the Apple Watch Extremely 3 feels much less “extremely” than it ought to. Apple nonetheless caps diving at 40 meters, leaving execs behind. Battery life hovers round two days, whereas rivals push past 4. Well being monitoring is dependable, however essentially the most notable “new” characteristic — blood oxygen — is just a return after a authorized hiccup. And naturally, Apple retains the Extremely locked to iPhone customers, reducing off half the market.

What the “true Extremely” smartwatch seems like in 2025

Now let’s evaluate that to a different model’s rugged smartwatch that’s meant for the professionals and hard-core lovers on the market:

• Show brightness hits a record-setting 3,500 nits, making it by far essentially the most seen smartwatch open air.
• Even harder supplies than titanium: the case makes use of unique zirconium alloy, sapphire glass, and nanocrystal ceramic for unmatched sturdiness and corrosion resistance (the latter being particularly essential for saltwater use).
• Diving isn’t restricted to informal snorkeling. This watch is rated for depths of 150 meters and comes with pro-grade dive monitoring, technical diving modes, and even sonar-based underwater communication between divers. Apple can’t come shut.
• Well being monitoring has an additional contact of ambition behind it. A intelligent new side-mounted X-TAP sensor pairs with the standard backside sensor array to ship ECG, blood oxygen, arterial stiffness readings, stress ranges, temperature, and extra in a single 60-second scan. That makes for a quick, handy and complete have a look at your well being metrics.
• Battery life stretches as much as 4.5 days (with always-on show off) or about 60 hours with the whole lot operating. That’s practically double what Apple manages in real-world circumstances.
• Charging is quick too, with a full top-up in round an hour, regardless of housing a large (for a watch) 867 mAh battery — one of many largest in a smartwatch at the moment.

The fundamentals like voice calls, haptics, and health monitoring work nicely too. The haptics are stronger, the loudspeaker is clearer, and the health modes are exhaustive, with stats and actions like golf swing evaluation and free diving.

The watch in query

Picture credit score — PhoneArena

This “true Extremely” smartwatch has a reputation: the Huawei Watch Final 2. It’s a showcase of how far smartwatch {hardware} has are available 2025, setting a brand new commonplace Apple has chosen to not chase simply but.

However there’s the plain limitation every time a Huawei product is anxious. Due to ongoing restrictions, Huawei’s watches should not formally accessible within the U.S., which makes them more durable to purchase and assist for a lot of potential customers. For individuals in Europe or Asia, the Watch Final 2 remains to be an actual choice, however for U.S. residents it’s extra of a glimpse into what’s attainable if Apple went all in on the Apple Watch Extremely 3.

What the Huawei Watch Final 2 can inform us for the long run Apple Watch Extremely

The Apple Watch Extremely 3 is the greatest Apple Watch but, however it’s not the greatest smartwatch cash should buy in 2025. Apple is holding out on us, whereas Huawei is definitely attempting to supply one thing actually distinctive by making use of the most recent improvements in client tech. However for these that may’t get the Huawei Watch Final 2, or just don’t prefer it, its options would possibly nonetheless be a helpful option to glimpse into the way forward for the Apple Watch Extremely.

Battery longevity is the plain one right here: Apple has been caught across the two-day mark for years, whereas Huawei is proving 4 or 5 days is feasible with out making compromises. Diving options may very well be one other space the place Apple finally decides to catch up, particularly if future Extremely fashions lean more durable into skilled use, the identical manner that the iPhone Professional fashions have. And the concept of a fast, complete well being scan with a single sensor gesture is the sort of elegant interplay Apple usually likes to “reimagine” in its personal manner.

The query is much less about whether or not Apple can do these items, and extra about when it should resolve the time is correct. Apple tends to attend till it might probably fold new options neatly into its ecosystem, after which market them as must-haves. If historical past is any information, Huawei could have simply handed Apple the roadmap for the Apple Watch Extremely 4 or Extremely 5.