Apple Watch Series 3 Voice Calling Feature Isn't Coming to India

The Apple Watch Series 3 that the iPhone-maker unveiled at Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Campus on Tuesday, is the most advanced smartwatch in the world, Apple CEO Tim Cook said. The top feature of the Apple Watch Series 3 is cellular connectivity, which enables users to make and receive phone calls. But if you're in India and planning to purchase the watch, you won't be getting that feature.

Apple Watch Series 3 variant coming to India and several other countries from September 29 won't have cellular connectivity feature. Instead, the company will be selling the GPS-only variant of the Apple Watch Series 3 in the country and elsewhere. The base price of Apple Watch Series 3 in India is Rs. 29,900.

The iPhone-maker didn't disclose why the Apple Watch Series 3 won't have cellular connectivity feature in India, but according to industry sources, the reason has everything to do with carriers in the country. Telecom operators in India, for instance, don't support the embedded SIM (eSIM) card technology as of yet, something Apple relies on the Apple Watch Series 3. According to Apple, in total 28 countries and territories will get the GPS-only Apple Watch Series 3 model - at least in the first wave. If and when telcos add this feature, you can expect the Apple Watch Series 3 cellular variant to launch in the country.

Company's executive on stage at the event said Apple Watch Series 3 features an eSIM card, instead of regular SIM cards that we use on our iPhone models and Android smartphones. This allows the Apple Watch Series 3 to retain the same phone number as the mobile phone number on the iPhone.

The Apple Watch Series 3 won't be the first smartwatch which would miss out on supporting cellular connectivity feature due the infrastructure limitation in India. Last year, Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear S2, a smartwatch that also lets customers make phone calls, without such capability in the country.