The Apple Watch Series 3 is the best smartwatch you can buy -- and oh so close to replacing your phone.

Makes calls from your wrist; Voice control is excellent; A joy to use; Masses of personalization options; Superb fitness tracking ability

Third-party app support is lacking; Expensive; Speaker is quiet

This year's Apple Watch looks just like last year's Apple Watch . The Series 3, which comes in two sizes and starts at $399, has few new features other than Siri's newfound ability to chime in at really awkward times.

An always-on LTE connection totally changes what you can do with a Watch; It's an impressive fitness tracker; Believe it or not, Siri's pretty great

The battery lasts a day in the best case---and often less; The Watch's interface still takes too long to figure out

The Apple Watch Series 3 is the best overall smartwatch you can buy, but battery limitations and add-on fees keep it from being a must-have upgrade.

Cellular connection works well for phone calls, email, Siri and messages; Music now syncs more easily; Improvements in fitness tracking and added watch faces; Adds barometer to GPS and swimproofing; Same overall size as last year's watch

Battery life takes a major hit when making calls or during GPS workouts; 42mm cellular model is expensive, and that's before monthly wireless service and Apple Music fees; Still requires an iPhone to set up and pair with

The Apple Watch Series 3 is the closest attempt we've seen at a truly standalone smartwatch yet, and for that it deserves credit. But at the end of the day, it's still just a neat accessory for your iPhone.

Built-in cellular connectivity; Improved heart rate monitoring; Faster processor; Clear call quality; New band and case options

Expensive; LTE drains battery rapidly

But that's not a typical use case. When jumping between phone and LTE connection as most people will do, I was easily able to make it through a full day. With the exception of making calls and listening to music, I measure my Apple Watch interactions in seconds, not minutes, but even when using it...

LTE gives Apple Watch the freedom it's always deserved; Incredibly fast chip and excellent battery life; Great health and fitness features

Some connectivity issues; No onboard App Store

Writer's note : As of October 9, 2017, this review has been updated to include more information about the Watch's connectivity issues, based on follow-up testing that was done after Apple issued a software fix.

Option for LTE; Faster processor; watchOS 4 (not specific to this hardware

Cellular connectivity problems; Apple Music streaming not working yet; Unreliable Siri; Notable battery drain with LTE

Well, long story short, I'm keeping the Apple Watch Series 3 for the following reasons: refinement, material/build quality, enhanced Apple ecosystem experience, and added motivation.

Excellent material/build quality; Best smartwatch OS to date; Enhanced Apple ecosystem experience; Great motivational tool; Built-in LTE

Expensive

With each generation, the Apple Watch's purpose has seemed to shift. The first one demonstrated what Apple thought a wearable should be, and the second tried to be the perfect workout companion .

Improved performance; Great battery life when connected to a phone; Valuable new fitness features; Siri feels more useful

iPhone still needs to be on to receive texts; Lousy battery life on LTE; Call quality can vary; Apple Music streaming not ready yet

The Series 3 Watch isn't an essential upgrade for Series 2 owners, unless you're desperate for that cellular connectivity to free you from your smartphone. However, for owners of the original Apple Watch and anyone who's yet to make the jump to smartwatches, this is a solid purchase.

Cellular support; Excellent health tracking; Same sleek design

While the cellular capabilities of the new Apple Watch Series 3 are a big deal from a technology standpoint, after two years of wearing an Apple Watch we can understand how users may actually find themselves split on the necessity of always-available connectivity.