Apple Watch Series 3 (42 mm)
At first glance, the Apple Watch Series 3, being a full on smart watch, may not necessarily fit into the test field of the best GPS computers for road bikes, but, at a price of € 399, it delivers the latest smartphone technology on your wrist. How does it fare against the established GPS specialists of Garmin & Co.?
With its simple and elegant design, this Apple Watch doesn’t try to be a full-fledged GPS computer but offers a smart alternative thanks to GPS and GLONASS integration, barometric altitude measurement and App-based navigation functions. Made of hardened Ion-X glass, the 1.6-inch OLED Retina Display is based on iPhone touch screen technology and is the benchmark regarding sharpness. Unfortunately, trying to operate it while wearing non-touchscreen gloves isn’t possible, which is a disadvantage when considering the Edge 1030 and 820.
Thanks to the powerful dual-core processor, the Apple Watch is very quick – navigation is basically the same as with an iPhone, only on your wrist, although we do not recommend taking your hands off of the handlebars while trying to navigate through traffic or down a mountain pass. Third-party apps such as Komoot, and Ride with GPS. can be used to plan routes, which the watch will then display with turn-by-turn instructions. However, these are often not displayed early enough, popping up just before the turn. Combining turn-by-turn navigation with a map would be desirable and more user-friendly, which the current apps don’t offer yet.
If you record and activity using Apple’s Watch Training feature, it can’t be exported or uploaded to a third-party platform such as Strava. According to Strava, however, a solution to the problem is iminent. Alternatively, it is also possible to load the Strava app onto the watch and record the activity directly.
The model we tested only works in combination with a paired iPhone. The Apple Watch Series 3 with mobile data solves this problem but comes with prices starting from € 450, it isn’t cheap. This will allow you to leave your smartphone at home.
GPX-transfer: 11 Klicks
GPS accuracy:
Navigation:
Battery runtime:
Price: € 399
Route calculation time: 10 Sek
Usability:
Value for money:
Design:
Weight: 61 g
More info: apple.com
We won’t discount that the Apple Watch is capable of navigation, but that is not its key feature. For recording rides and wearing a stylish multi-functional watch, the Apple Watch Series 3 is the right choice. On a road bike, the Watch Series 3 can’t compete with the navigation devices from Garmin and Wahoo, but compared to the € 200 more expensive Garmin Fenix 5 it offers considerably more for your money.
