Apple Watch Series 3 sans voice calling feature will be launched in India

Apple Watch Series 3 was unveiled along with the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus at the Steve Jobs Theater at the event held yesterday.

The third-generation Apple smartwatch is claimed to be the most advanced smartwatch to be unveiled so far. The reason is that the Apple Watch Series 3 was launched along with cellular connectivity that makes it function as a standalone device to make and answer calls without the necessity of a smartphone.

However, not all the global markets where the device will be released will get the cellular connectivity feature. The Apple Watch Series 3 has been launched in two variants - one with the cellular connectivity and the other without it. Unfortunately, the Apple fanboys in India will not get to enjoy this functionality as this variant will not be launched in the country.

It has been confirmed that the Apple Watch Series 3 will be released in India on September 29 without the cellular connectivity. The price of the base variant will start from Rs. 29,900. The reason for not launching the advanced variant of the smartwatch in India remains undisclosed by the Cupertino-based tech giant. But the industry sources claim that the reason is all due to the carriers in the country.

The teleom operators in India do not support the eSIM (electronic SIM) card technology for now. The Apple Watch Series 3 depends on this eSIM technology and hence only the GPS variant will be launched in the country. Maybe, we can expect Apple to launch the Watch 3 with cellular connectivity once the service providers start offering support for this feature.

The eSIM card technology is unlike the regular SIM cards that we use on our smartphones. With this technology, the Apple Watch Series 3 will retain the same phone number that is used on the iPhone. Notably, Apple's Watch Series 3 is not the first smartwatch to feature cellular connectivity. Even the Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatch launched last year lets users make phone calls and the Indian market did not get the capability as it is not supported in the country.