I swapped out the newest Apple Watch for a cheaper model that's more than 2 years old - and there's only one thing I missed about it

New features like the ability to take an electrocardiogram and detect hard falls are certainly important. They make the Apple Watch more than just a basic fitness and activity tracker, turning it into a device that's capable of monitoring more meaningful health changes.

These qualities may be a deal-breaker for some shoppers, especially those who are looking to keep a closer eye on their cardiovascular health. But that doesn't mean everyone should count out the Series 3. If you're anything like me, you primarily intend to use the Apple Watch for tracking daily activity and workouts, viewing smartphone notifications and phone calls on your wrist, and checking the time — all features that the Series 3 excels at even though it doesn't have the latest features found on the Series 5.

Of all the features that the Series 3 lacks in comparison to the Series 5, it's the Series 5's larger, always-on display that's the most helpful when it comes to improving the way the Apple Watch handles these daily tasks.

When running on the treadmill, for example, I found that it was much easier to see the time and progress toward my goals by just looking down at my wrist during a run. With the Series 3, I often have to pause my run and deliberately turn my wrist or tap the display to see such information.

Even being able to just peek down at my watch to see the time, a text message, or progress toward my fitness goals as I'm typing at work during the day added a new level of convenience to the Apple Watch. Glancing down at my watch is much less of a distraction than momentarily stopping my work to turn my wrist or tap the screen.

The Apple Watch Series 5 is also just nicer to look at since there's always something being displayed on its screen. No matter which watch face you're using, it's bound to be more aesthetically pleasing than a plain black screen.

While the Series 5's always-on display is its best feature, that doesn't necessarily mean its perfect. Not every feature works in always-on mode. If you have an app open, for example, you'll still have to activate the screen to view it. This usually isn't a hindrance, but I do wish it was possible for the Apple Watch's timer app to remain on screen in always-on mode. Timers are only viewable in always-on mode as a complication on the watch face.

The Apple Watch Series 3, although it's more than two years old, strikes a good balance between must-have features and affordability. It doesn't have many of the modern features of the Series 5. But unless having features like ECG monitoring and fall detection are very important to you, the feature from the Series 5 that you're really going to be missing out on by going with the Series 3 is its always-on display.

Overall, the Series 5's always-on display makes the watch immediately more useful in just about every situation, whereas the health-oriented improvements in the Series 4 and Series 5 are critical but probably only relevant under certain circumstances.

If you're an iPhone loyalist looking for a simple fitness tracker and smartwatch, the $200 Series 3 may be a better deal than the $400 Series 5. You'll be sacrificing features like the larger always-on display, fall detection, and the ability to take an ECG, but if those capabilities aren't a priority then the Series 3 will likely suit your needs. Both watches run on Apple's watchOS platform, so you'll have access to the same apps and software-based features like activity trends monitoring, female cycle tracking, and more.