Apple watch series 3 42mm and 38mm difference

There are, in fact, notable differences between the 38mm and 42mm beyond 4mm: … see more Apparently, several people answering this question didn't actually understand the question. I guess the OP should have first said, "Beyond the obvious difference in mm, what is the difference between the 38mm and 42mm?"

Model

• Series 3 GPS + Cellular  
  • Apple Watch
    Aluminum case with Sport Band or Sport Loop
    Stainless steel case with Sport Band or Milanese Loop
  • Apple Watch Nike+
    Aluminum case with Nike Sport Band or Nike Sport Loop
  • Apple Watch Hermès
    Stainless steel case with Hermès leather band
    Additional Sport Band included with purchase
  • Apple Watch Edition
    Ceramic case with Sport Band
• Series 3 GPS  
  • Apple Watch
    Aluminum case with Sport Band
  • Apple Watch Nike+
    Aluminum case with Nike Sport Band

Features

• GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS
• Altimeter
• Water resistant
  50 meters1
• Optical heart sensor
• Emergency SOS
• Accelerometer
  up to 16 g-forces
• Gyroscope
• Ambient light sensor
• Speaker
• Microphone
• Apple Pay
• GymKit
• Capacity 16GB
  GPS + Cellular
• Capacity 8GB
  GPS
• Ceramic and sapphire crystal back (center)
  GPS + Cellular
• Composite back
  GPS

Display

• 42mm
  312 by 390 pixels 
  740 sq mm display area
• 38mm
  272 by 340 pixels 
  563 sq mm display area
• Retina OLED display
  1000 nits brightness

Chip

• S3 SiP with dual-core processor
• W2
  Apple wireless chip

Connectivity

• LTE and UMTS2
  GPS + Cellular models
  Learn more about available carriers
• Wi-Fi
  802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
• Bluetooth 4.2

Power

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  Up to 18 hours3
• USB-A magnetic charging cable
• USB power adapter
  GPS + Cellular model only

Environmental Features4

• Energy efficient5
• Responsible packaging6
• Arsenic-free display glass7
• Mercury-, BFR-, PVC-, and beryllium-free7

Dimensions

• Aluminum case - 38mm  
  • Height: 38.6mm
  • Width: 33.3mm
  • Depth: 11.4mm
  • Case Weight (GPS): 26.7g
  • Case Weight (GPS + Cellular): 28.7g
• Aluminum case - 42mm  
  • Height: 42.5mm
  • Width: 36.4mm
  • Depth: 11.4mm
  • Case Weight (GPS): 32.3g
  • Case Weight (GPS + Cellular): 34.9g
• Stainless Steel case - 38mm  
  • Height: 38.6mm
  • Width: 33.3mm
  • Depth: 11.4mm
  • Case Weight: 42.4g
• Stainless Steel case - 42mm  
  • Height: 42.5mm
  • Width: 36.4mm
  • Depth: 11.4mm
  • Case Weight: 52.8g
• White Ceramic case - 38mm  
  • Height: 39.2mm
  • Width: 34.0mm
  • Depth: 11.8mm
  • Case Weight: 40.1g
• White Ceramic case - 42mm  
  • Height: 42.6mm
  • Width: 36.5mm
  • Depth: 11.4mm
  • Case Weight: 46.4g

Languages

• Language support
  English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
• Dictation languages
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi (India), Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovakian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
• Siri languages
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)

1. Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 3 have a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that they may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, they should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth. Series 7 is also rated IP6X dust resistant.
2. Wireless service plan required for cellular service. Contact your service provider for more details. International roaming is not supported. Connection may vary based on network availability. Check apple.com/watch/cellular for participating wireless carriers and eligibility. See support.apple.com/en-us/HT207578 for additional setup instructions.
3. Apple Watch All-Day Battery Life testing was conducted by Apple in August 2018 using shipping Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) each paired with an iPhone; all devices were tested with prerelease software. Battery life varies by use, cellular coverage, configuration, and many other factors; actual results will vary. See apple.com/batteries and apple.com/watch/battery.html for more information.
4. Data accurate as of product launch.
5. Meets California Energy Commission’s Energy Efficiency Standards for Small Battery Charger Systems as outlined in the California Code of Regulations.
6. 100% of virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests and 90% or more of the packaging is fiber-based.
7. Apple defines its restrictions on harmful substances, including definitions for what Apple considers to be “free of,” in the Apple Regulated Substances Specification. Every Apple product is free of PVC and phthalates with the exception of AC power cords in India, Thailand (for 2-prong AC power cords), and South Korea where we continue to seek government approval for our PVC and phthalates replacement.

Apple Watch requires an iPhone 6s or later with the latest iOS version.
Features are subject to change. Some features, applications, and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. View complete list.

Published Date: Apr 28, 2022

What does 38mm vs 42mm mean?

Will a 38mm band fit a 42mm Apple Watch?