Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The Apple Watch SE is a very good mid - range smartwatch , but it ’s going to feel very outdated before you ’re ready to switch it out .
Best Prices Today: Apple Watch SE (2020)
The Apple Watch SE is n’t quite the iPhone SE of Apple ’s wearable line . While it does have a starting price tag that ’s about 30 pct lower than the flagship Series 6 watch , the Apple Watch SE does n’t have the late processor or an out-of-date aim , nor is it the cheapest Apple Watch you could purchase . That puts it kind of in no man ’s land for now , an unenviable billet for a product expected to move the needle .
But you ’ll be very happy with the Apple Watch SE if it is your first smartwatch . It has all of the lineament you want in a modern smartwatch — a big screen , next - gen sensor , swappable bands , good battery liveliness — at a toll that believably wo n’t break your budget . Aside from the unexampled single crimson and gloomy colour you could only get with Apple ’s flagship vigil , the Apple Watch SE looks selfsame to the Apple Watch Series 6 and can be outfitted with any of the fresh Solo band .
If you may get a Solo stria that suit , that is . I ordered a Solo Loop with my Apple Watch SE using Apple ’s on-line print sizing tool . It clearly say I need a sizing 9 , but it ’s too bragging on my wrist , so Apple is swap it out for a belittled size . I ’ll write about it when I brush up the Apple Watch Series 6 , but the isthmus ’s fabric is very soft and nice , and the stretch seems like it wo n’t get worn out too quickly .
The screen on the SE is big and bright—when it’s on.
look apart , however , the Apple Watch SE is missing a variety of features that might make the saltation to the Apple Watch Series 6 worthwhile . They might not seem all that important on the technical school sheet , but the always - on display , Sp02 sensor , and ECG app are worthful additions that give Apple ’s flagship a serious vantage . The pretermit features make the SE feel more outdated compared to the Series 6 than the iPhone SE does compared to the iPhone 11 . The Apple Watch SE feels like more of a tool to deal Apple Watch Series 6 sentinel than a viable budget option .
Apple Watch History
This Apple Watch has since been supervene upon with a newer fashion model , and you’re able to determine link to all our Apple Watch reviews below . Do note that we ’re expecting to seeApple Watch Series 10 , Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE tertiary generation , runningwatchOS 11 , establish in September 2024 at the company’sGlowtime event(seehow to watch the September consequence ) . If you ’re in the grocery store for a new Apple Watch , see ourApple check buying guide , round - up of thebest Apple Watch wad , and advice on whether you shouldbuy Apple Watch now or wait . You might also be concerned in what othernew Apple productsare coming this class , and when is thenext Apple event .
A watch for now, not later
It ’s weird to jump a review by writing about what a product does n’t have , but the big detriment to buying one is n’t the lack of an always - on display or next - gen sensors , it ’s hereafter - proofing . put on you ’re likely to keep your Apple Watch SE for at least two years , when you ’re staring at a vacuous screen on your wrist all daytime in 2022 , the Apple Watch SE ’s often - off presentation is move to feel antiquated .
The CRT screen on the SE is big and bright — when it ’s on .
The lack of an Sp02 sensor will seem equally glaring , as well . While it ’s not surprising to see the Apple Watch Series 6 ’s marquee feature article left off its more - low-priced doppelgänger , blood - atomic number 8 sensing is quickly becoming an essential health metric unit . Fitbit has shipped trackers and watches with Sp02 sensors for years , and while there is still a ways to go before smartwatches sensors can be as accurate as an over - the - counter impulse oximeter finger’s breadth clinch , the algorithm will no doubt meliorate over the next few generations .
The screen on the SE is big and bright—when it’s on.
Apple Watch Series 6
In the age of COVID-19 , Sp02 is becoming extremely significant for tracking impend illnesses even before symptom show . fit in to late study , the entropy from an Sp02 sensor can be invaluable for detecting and treating COVID and similar respiratory illnesses , as well as track any possible lingering breathing issues . It could become as indispensable as a heart - rate sensor as slumber tracking matures .
Working while you sleep
Speaking of sleep tracking , the Apple Watch SE is one of the first Apple watch to stick out sleep cross out of the box as part of watchOS 7 , and it does it well enough for a first - gen feature of speech . It ’s nowhere near as detailed as a Fitbit tracker and with the same 18 - hour battery aliveness as previous Apple Watches , you ’ll need to plan your mean solar day and night consequently to check that you do n’t feed out of juice overnight .
Your Apple Watch can tell you how long you slept — but that ’s about it .
But it ’s a good if not overdue addition to the Apple Watch feature article set . result are delivered quick upon waking , but without something like Fitbit ’s Today app to collect your daily stats , you ’ll need to visit the Sleep app or the Health app on your iPhone each sidereal day to get your results . There is n’t even a complication yet that will exhibit your slumber clock time , only a shortcut to the app .
Sleep tracking go manus - in - deal with iOS 14 ’s Modern Sleep Schedule and curve Down feature article , with a finish of pay off you to uprise a right eight - hour sleep subroutine . There is n’t much on the way of perceptiveness into how you ’re sleeping , however , so at the bit it ’s more about the amount of slumber than the tone of it .
The Digital Crown is still the main ocular intent factor .
The other watchOS 7 improvement that ’s a bit of a letdown is handwashing . It ’s supposed to automatically sense when you ’re wash your hand and other feedback to make certain you continue scrubbing for 20 seconds . That ’s an authoritative feature for these post - COVID times , but the Apple Watch SE rarely recognise the start of a hired man - laundry session . Your mileage will definitely vary but my notifications were so infrequent , I ab initio thought the feature was twist off . In several days wearing the watch , it only worked as it should once .
Fast enough, wherever you go
The Apple Watch SE uses the prior - multiplication S5 duple - core processor , but it ’s still plenty tight for what it take to do . It runs circles around the Apple Watch Series 3 ’s S3 poker chip , and in peculiar , the clock boldness appears very speedily when you evoke your wrist , which near even out for the lack of an always - on display . I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference between it and the S6 in the Apple Watch Series 6 .
The new Stripes fount is endlessly customizable .
The Apple Watch SE has all of the new faces and complications launched with the Apple Watch Series 6 , with the obvious exception of blood - O . My favorite look is the highly customizable Stripes grimace , though it ’s a bummer that complications are only available in the emphatically less - immersive circular version . The Modern always - on altimeter makes for a bang-up complication to see your elevation in substantial - time and it works implausibly well , though unless you ’re hiking , it ’s not all that utile . ( Case in degree : As I write this I ’m 113 feet above sea layer . )
Your Apple Watch can tell you how long you slept—but that’s about it.
Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular)
LTE on the Apple Watch SE was enough reliable when roaming out without my iPhone , and the upper of the processor made the whole experience feel just as antiphonal as if I was over Wi - Fi . The Apple Watch SE ’s cellular connection is as liquid as the one on my iPhone and the best I ’ve ever used in a wearable . Downloading apps is fast , as is stream music and sending texts . And switching between Wi - Fi and LTE is just as seamless as it is on my iPhone .
The LTE Apple Watch SE is an excellent option for Family Setup .
Using a cellular connecter does have a mensurable impact on battery life , but Apple get sure you get a full day out of the Apple Watch SE irrespective of where you are . I routinely best Apple ’s 18 - 60 minutes electric battery estimation , even with sleep tracking on . We ’ve pass the point now that Apple is understandably contented on turn in undivided - day shelling life until a breakthrough triples or quadruples it . But until that solar day arrives , the Apple Watch SE ’s battery is well enough .
The Digital Crown is still the main visual design element.
charge is the same as its always been — it’ll take about an hour to get a decent amount of succus — and the deficiency of wireless charging or riotous charging ( which is available on the Apple Watch Series 6 ) is starting to be a real detriment . Wearing it to chase sleep will require some creative scheduling to ensure you do n’t pass out overnight , but once you get into a charging procedure , hold your watch going all day and night wo n’t be too much of an issue .
Should you buy an Apple Watch SE?
The Apple Watch SE is currently in a weird maculation . On the one hand , for $ 80 more than the Series 3 , the speed and characteristic upgrades make it an absolute no - brainer . My original Apple Watch Series 3 is quite tiresome compare to the SE , and there ’s no guarantee the Series 3 will bear watchOS 8 . And lend in the Apple Watch SE ’s fall detection , an always - on altimeter , and noise monitoring , and there ’s really no reason to even consider the Apple Watch Series 3 .
One of the rise over the $ 199 Series 3 Apple Watch is a compass .
Apple Watch Series 6 is another account . The Apple Watch SE is a very good smartwatch , but it ’s missing the most mod health - tracking feature and an always - on display . That make the SE experience a little more cut - rate than it should and presents a hard subject for making the leap to the Series 6 . I ’d almost opt it if Apple had gone the iPhone SE route add up summate better spec to the Series 3 ’s square display at a $ 199 price tag . Then it would at least feel like a buy .
The new Stripes face is endlessly customizable.
If you want LTE , a feature that ’s suddenly a set more usefulthanks to Family Setup , the decision is even murky . For whatever reason , it ’s only $ 50 extra to get the LTE interlingual rendition of the Apple Watch SE rather than $ 100 on the Apple Watch Series 6 , so you may get a fully equipped cellular wearable for $ 329 , $ 170 less than the corresponding Series 6 . That ’s a big savings , particularly when you factor in the activation fee and monthly resort complaint that drive the price up even higher .
My recommendation is to buy the SE if you fit any one of these statements :
You ’re felicitous with the characteristic on your pre - Series 4 Apple Watch but it ’s too slow .
Your budget does n’t go higher than $ 350 .
You ’re giving it to a child as part of Family Setup .
You do n’t care about blood - O or ECG interpretation .
The LTE Apple Watch SE is an excellent option for Family Setup.
You ’re contented to jade a white silver screen on your carpus for most of the day .
There ’s no denying that the Apple Watch SE is one of the good smartwatches around . Even a compromised Apple Watch is still better than the Leo ’s share of wear from Samsung , Fitbit , and Fossil — but in all reality , those watches are n’t competing against the Apple Watch . With the Apple Watch SE , Apple ’s chief competition is itself . But unlike the iPhone SE , the Apple Watch SE will probably end up enticing people to invest in an Apple Watch Series 6 instead .
Update 9:25am ET : add connexion to the Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 3 .
One of the upgrades over the $199 Series 3 Apple Watch is a compass.
