At a look
Skilled’s Ranking
Professionals
- Snug and unobtrusive design
- At all times-on show
- Wonderful battery life
- Nice value
Cons
- Nonetheless lacking some well being options
Our Verdict
With its always-on show, greater and better-performing battery, quick charging, improved scratch resistance, new well being options, expanded gesture help, on-device Siri, and 5G, the Apple Watch SE 3 is an enormously spectacular improve on an already interesting product. I don’t hesitate to suggest it.
Worth When Reviewed
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Greatest Pricing In the present day
Worth When Reviewed
269 Euro
Greatest Costs In the present day: Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm)
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€269
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259,00 €
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€264.13
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269,00 €
Apple makes one of the best smartwatches in the marketplace, however what in case your price range doesn’t stretch to the $399 Sequence 11? (Not to mention the $799 Extremely 3.) You contemplate the Apple Watch SE, which begins at simply $249. Significantly now that Apple has launched the considerably upgraded Third-gen mannequin.
In our in-depth Apple Watch SE 3 evaluation, we put the gadget by means of a battery of exams and assist you to resolve if that is the greatest Apple Watch for you.
Apple Watch SE 3 design: Reassuringly acquainted
Traditionally, the Apple Watch SE tends to path just a few years behind the primary line on the subject of design, and that is still the case right here: when it comes to chassis and display screen dimension, for instance, the SE 3 has extra in widespread with the Sequence 6 from 2020 than the Sequence 11 launched final month. However that’s much less of a problem on this market than for smartphones, for instance, as a result of smartwatch design evolves extraordinarily slowly, and the aesthetic adjustments between the Sequence 6 and now have been comparatively minor tweaks to the system relatively than radical revamps.
So we’re nonetheless taking a look at a squarish rectangular chassis with rounded-off corners. The sides are nonetheless good brushed steel, and this nonetheless contrasts attractively with the shiny display screen on the entrance and the graceful matte floor of the underside. And the Motion button stays an Extremely unique, so we get the identical two controls as earlier than, each on the right-hand edge: the Digital Crown dial and the discreet aspect button beneath it.
There’s nothing stunning about any of this, however it seems to be good and is intuitive to make use of. The SE 3 feels comfy and unobtrusive on the wrist (which is especially vital for sleep monitoring) whereas the controls fall naturally below your fingers with out having to look. Maybe we’ll get an Apple Watch Air subsequent 12 months, and maybe the SE will inherit that design just a few years after that. However for now this may do exactly high quality.
David Worth / Foundry
Apple Watch SE 3 show: At all times on, finally
So the bodily design of the SE 3 stays largely the identical as its instant predecessor, and this contains the display screen. It’s the identical dimension as on the SE 2 (both 1.57 inches or 1.78 inches measured diagonally, relying on whether or not you go for the 40mm or 44mm mannequin) and a bit of smaller than the display screen you get on latest Sequence watches (1.77 or 1.96 inches). That additional fifth of an inch does make a distinction, and it’s a bit of simpler to see what you’re doing and precisely faucet onscreen buttons on the larger fashions.
There’s one vital display screen change from the SE 2, however you gained’t discover it till the watch goes to sleep. This 12 months, the SE, for the primary time, will get an always-on show. That doesn’t imply it stays lit up in precisely the identical method on a regular basis, however relatively that, even when it’s inactive, it shows one thing. Every watch face has a sleep model, which is dimmer and fewer colourful and options fewer animated parts, and this implies you get the important info with out draining the battery an excessive amount of. You’ll be able to then wake the watch up as regular (by rotating your wrist or tapping the display screen) and also you’ll promptly see the same old face once more.
I exploit the California analog face, for instance, and when the watch goes to sleep, I lose the crimson circle within the center, the second hand, and numerous the brightness. However I can nonetheless learn the time, date, and native temperature, and see the progress of my health rings. It’s a wonderful compromise. Simply keep in mind that California occurs to be one of many greatest faces for always-on performance; some faces that depend on cool animations undergo much more when dimmed.
David Worth / Foundry
Having an always-on display screen is a giant improve for the Apple Watch SE. It’s within the nature of the gadget, as a health wearable, that it typically will get utilized in odd or awkward positions the place you possibly can’t simply rotate a wrist or spare a hand to the touch the display screen, and with the ability to test key knowledge no matter that is useful to a level you most likely gained’t respect till you strive it. The one attainable draw back is its affect on battery life, however, as we’ll see later, that isn’t a priority right here.
The display screen has additionally been upgraded to characteristic more durable Ion-X glass, which Apple claims is 4x extra crack-resistant than the earlier era. That’s reassuring to listen to, however troublesome to check scientifically. I can actually verify that my SE 3 picked up exactly zero scratches in two weeks of fixed and never particularly cautious use, however that doesn’t imply yours shall be proof against hurt.
David Worth / Foundry
Apple Watch SE 3 options: New prospects
In concept, the Apple Watch has the potential, barring images, to be nearly as versatile as an iPhone or iPad, because of the massive vary of third-party apps it could actually set up and run. In follow, it’s extra restricted. Video games, with just a few honorable exceptions reminiscent of Lifeline, which give you ingenious methods across the small-screen downside, are one thing of a non-starter, and many of the watch’s helpful features revolve round both notifications (the place being in your wrist always is a good comfort) or well being and health.
On the latter entrance, the SE vary positive aspects some new medical options with this replace. The SE 3 affords nightly wrist temperature monitoring, retrospective ovulation estimates, and sleep apnea notifications, all new additions to the SE line. Wrist temperature can be utilized to feed into broader well being insights, and is meant to observe averages over the long run; it takes some menu diving even to see the earlier night time’s absolute temperatures relatively than variance from the baseline, and completely don’t count on to make use of this as a spot-check thermometer. Sleep apnea notifications inform you, because the identify suggests, for those who’re exhibiting indicators of that situation. And I wasn’t ready to check the ovulation characteristic.
These are good choices to have in your health-monitoring toolbox, however all three have been accessible on the Sequence line since 2023 (and in some instances additional again than that) and I think that for many customers they are going to make solely a small distinction to the general expertise. You’ll get much more out of the stalwart well being and health options which have been accessible for a decade: exercises, calorie monitoring, step counting. At this stage within the Apple Watch’s evolution, it’s maybe inevitable that probably the most helpful well being options have already been added: a coronary heart sensor proper from the beginning (after which improved in 2018), sleep monitoring in 2017, a mindfulness app in 2020. Something added to a product 10 years after it first launched is more likely to be a nice-to-have relatively than an important improve.
Thoughts you, it should be stated that there stay gaps within the SE’s well being characteristic set. It nonetheless doesn’t provide an ECG sensor, despite the fact that the Sequence 4 received that in 2018. Equally, it could actually’t measure blood oxygen, which the Sequence 6 might handle in 2020. Most customers would regard these as greater priorities than the upgrades given to the SE this 12 months… and clearly a deliberate choice by Apple.
David Worth / Foundry
Outdoors of the realm of well being and health, there are new software-based controls. The brand new wrist-flick gesture added in watchOS 26, for instance, is supported by the SE 3 (and no different SE mannequin), in addition to the older double-tap.
Wrist flick helps you to dismiss notifications and return to your watch face utilizing that gesture alone, which is helpful whenever you don’t have a hand free to faucet the display screen. I’m nonetheless getting used to it, however I can already see it changing into a key a part of how I work together with my Apple Watch. Double faucet, alternatively (or on the identical hand, to be actual: it helps you to faucet a finger and thumb of your watch hand collectively twice to reply a name or reply to a message), has been accessible since I received a Sequence 9 greater than two years in the past, and I merely don’t use it, which says every little thing for its utility.
The SE 3, in contrast to its predecessors, affords on-device Siri, which ought to imply voice interactions (which not need to go by way of the companion iPhone) are smoother and quicker. I’m used to the Sequence 9, which additionally has on-device Siri, so I gained’t faux to have seen a lot of a distinction, however I can verify that Siri on the SE 3 is objectively quick and useful. And this issues: with the ability to begin a exercise, set a timer, or get your present step rely with out having to work together with the Apple Watch’s small display screen is a real time-saver, so any increase to this perform is appreciated. And whereas we’re speaking about audio, the SE 3 has the power to play media by way of its tiny (and tinny) speaker, which struck me as considerably pointless however is an possibility it’s possible you’ll sometimes use.
On the connectivity aspect, the Apple Watch SE positive aspects 5G help this 12 months, and does so at precisely the identical time because the Sequence and Extremely strains. In some methods, that’s much less of a giant deal than it was when the iPhone received 5G in 2020, as a result of smartwatches don’t depend on mobile the way in which telephones do; many purchasers gained’t really feel it’s value the additional $50, they usually could be proper. However 5G infrastructure, within the U.S., the U.Okay., and different elements of the world, is way extra developed now than it was in 2020, so for those who do pay for 5G you’ll get the advantage of quicker mobile connections in additional locations. And that is one other step in direction of the Apple Watch as a standalone gadget that may survive with out its companion iPhone.
David Worth / Foundry
Apple Watch SE 3 battery life: Secretly excellent
The large information this 12 months was that, for the primary time in historical past, Apple Watches got longer battery estimates than their instant predecessors. The usual mannequin jumped from 18 hours on the Sequence 10 to 24 on the Sequence 11; the Extremely 2’s 36 hours was elevated to 42 hours on the Extremely 3. All very thrilling.
Formally, the SE 3 misses out on this competition of generosity, remaining stranded on 18 hours like each earlier SE fashions. However one thing doesn’t fairly add up. As my colleague Halyna Kubiv found, this 12 months’s SE does have a higher-capacity battery, by a bigger margin than both of its costlier siblings. The Extremely 3’s battery is 6 p.c greater, the Sequence 11’s is 10 to 11 p.c greater, whereas the SE 3 is high of the category with a 12 p.c enhance.
That is complicated. Given these numbers, why doesn’t the SE 3 get an elevated runtime estimate too? Does Apple assume new options (notably the always-on show) will enhance energy consumption a lot that the additional battery capability is cancelled out? Or is it merely making an attempt, because it has achieved so typically up to now, to make its cheaper merchandise sound much less interesting to clients?
My expertise with the SE 3 factors to the latter clarification, as a result of battery life was glorious. It could usually make it to bedtime with 50-70 p.c remaining, nonetheless be going sturdy at 30-50 p.c the subsequent morning (after an evening of sleep monitoring), then comfortably make it effectively into the afternoon of a second day. A number of instances it lasted till a second bedtime, and on one event it made it by means of two days and two nights and died early on the third day.
That is excellent efficiency. It’s harking back to the glory days of the Sequence 2, which might final two and half days, however had the frankly unfair benefit of not providing both sleep monitoring or an always-on show.
Now, it’s vital to emphasize that Apple Watch battery efficiency is extremely subjective. Should you use the watch to trace your sleep, it’ll burn up considerably extra energy than if it’s sitting on the nightstand or tucked in a drawer; you’ll additionally see noticeable drops in battery ranges everytime you do a exercise. So, relying on whether or not you have got an lively day or not, you’re more likely to see big swings between most and minimal battery efficiency.
However this ingredient of unpredictability makes it extra vital than ever for the SE 3 to have a great battery. It’s not sufficient to final for a day of “beneficial” utilization. It has to have the ability to cope with these outlier days whenever you get super-motivated and do three exercises. And fortunately, the SE 3 is greater than as much as the duty.
And when the battery is lastly depleted, it’s a consolation to know that it may be topped up rapidly because of new fast-charge options. Apple claims you possibly can cost from zero to 80 p.c in round 45 minutes (it took me a wonderfully affordable 48), and {that a} mere quarter-hour of charging will earn you 8 hours of runtime (which once more appears about proper primarily based on my testing). Up to now, charging velocity felt irrelevant to the Apple Watch as a result of this occurred in a single day, however the rising significance of sleep monitoring means it’s much more more likely to cost in a spare hour or two in the course of the day, and these upgrades are good to have.
David Worth / Foundry
Apple Watch SE 3 value: Strong worth
The Apple Watch SE 3 begins at $249/£219, which is identical value Apple charged for the SE 2 till this fall. (That gadget is not accessible direct from Apple, though it’s possible you’ll discover that different retailers nonetheless have inventory remaining at a reduced value.) Allowing for the variety of upgrades added for this era, that value represents excellent worth for cash.
- Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS): From $249/£219
- Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS + mobile): From $299/£289
- Apple Watch SE 3 (44mm, GPS): From $279/£249
- Apple Watch SE 3 (44mm, GPS + mobile): $329/£319
In addition to chassis dimension and mobile connectivity, costs differ relying on the strap you select.
David Worth / Foundry
Must you purchase the Apple Watch SE 3?
It is a large step ahead for the Apple Watch SE. Simply take a look at the listing of upgrades: always-on show, greater and better-performing battery, quick charging, improved scratch resistance, new (if comparatively minor) well being options, expanded gesture help, on-device Siri, and the choice of 5G. All of this with out growing the value. The Apple Watch SE 3 is an enormously spectacular improve on an already interesting product.
Positive, plumping for the Sequence 11 will get you an even bigger and brighter display screen, Precision Discovering, and a few extra well being options which are maybe overdue for an look on the SE. But it surely prices $150 extra, and it’s powerful to argue that it’s value the additional cash. The SE 3 has every little thing you want from a smartwatch at an reasonably priced value, and I don’t hesitate to suggest it.