Apple Watch 3 with LTE support may be on sale before the end of the year

Rumors of an Apple Watch that can work without your phone are gaining traction. Now a renowned analyst that has often been right about Apple rumors has said he believes it'll happen before the end of the year.

It's expected to be the Apple Watch 3 and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said he believes the wearable will launch in two new versions before 2017 draws to a close.

One version will tote the LTE connectivity upgrade while the other won't have it and will need to be paired with an iPhone to work. Kuo claims there's no intention for an external design change on the Apple Watch 3 and it's not clear if there will be any other major features apart from LTE.

He expects both watches to launch in both 38mm and 42mm designs as well. Kuo also claims the new Apple Watch 3 won't support 3G connectivity and will instead only be able to use 4G LTE tech, which may limit its usability in areas where the faster network speeds are not available.

Run without your phone

A recent report from Bloomberg offered a similar rumor about the Apple Watch 3, but it was unclear if the wearable would launch with an LTE-less version or if it would be on sale by the end of the year.

Kuo's remarks add credence to these rumors of the Apple Watch 3, but as an analyst rather than an official Apple spokesperson his information could be inaccurate.

Kuo has previously been right on Apple based rumors but there's always the chance he has the wrong information, so we shouldn't take this as official information.

If the Apple Watch 3 does launch before the end of the year it seems like a safe bet to predict it'll launch alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7S, which we expect to see at a launch event at some point in September.