Apple Watch SE 3 evaluation: main glow-up

Once I walked into Apple Park final week, there was one factor that I did not have on my bingo card: the $249 Apple Watch SE 3 stealing the present from the Apple Watch Collection 11 and the Apple Watch Extremely 3.

However right here we’re. It’s 2025, and the entry-level Apple Watch is the one I’m most excited by.

That’s as a result of in comparison with the iterative updates of the Collection 11 and Extremely 3, the third-gen SE has gotten a large, wide-ranging glow-up. Not like the opposite watches, there additionally weren’t any leaks suggesting this was even within the playing cards, making this jam-packed launch a complete shock. And the cherry on high? Within the lead-up to the occasion, I wrote the best factor Apple might do to make the Apple Watch higher was give individuals what they needed. Practically each single replace to the SE 3 does precisely that.

I might most likely simply checklist all of the adjustments, wrap up this evaluation, and crawl into mattress as a result of a lot of them are such apparent enhancements. Right here they’re in a nutshell:

That’s a heckuva lot. All of those “new” options had been launched on the Collection 8, 9, and 10, and so they perform identically on the SE. On condition that, it’s turn into more durable to distinguish the SE 3 and the Collection 11, particularly because the latter’s coolest updates are tied to watchOS 26 and are coming to this cheaper mannequin, too.

At this level, there are only some key upgrades reserved for the Collection 11. The SE 3 doesn’t have EKG capabilities or the power to measure blood oxygen. Hypertension notifications are restricted to the Collection and Extremely lineups. The SE 3 comes within the smaller 40mm and 44mm sizes, and it has thicker bezels. The smaller shows additionally imply that you just don’t get a keyboard for texting. And whilst you get 5G, it lacks the re-engineered antennae within the Collection 11, which means you may get barely worse protection in sure areas. The SE 3 additionally misses out on the modest bumps to battery capability and battery life within the Collection 11.

You’re giving up this handful of options in change for $150 off the value. For the typical particular person, that tradeoff is completely price it.

Once I examined the second-gen SE in 2022, it felt like a first-time purchaser’s Apple Watch. You bought the core options, and for those who’d by no means had an Apple Watch earlier than, you wouldn’t really feel all that bothered by the thicker bezels or lacking options. That’s additionally true this time round, besides there’s even much less to overlook.

Throughout testing, there have been a number of moments after I forgot I wasn’t carrying a Collection watch. The most important ache level for me final time round was the shortage of an always-on show. Now that’s out there on the SE 3, most of my complaints evaporated. I can at all times see the time or my problems with out having to wake the watch up. It seems like a small factor, nevertheless it’s essential to actually making the watch a supply of glanceable info. Likewise, I’ve turn into so keen on double-tap and wrist-flick gestures for single-handed comfort. Not having to provide these up meant utilizing the SE 3 didn’t really feel like a sacrifice.

I’ll get extra into 5G efficiency in my upcoming Extremely 3 evaluation, however I didn’t discover an enormous drain in my day-to-day utilization. (This is likely to be extra of a problem for you for those who often go away your telephone at house.)

The most important options you lose out on by selecting the SE 3 are EKGs or blood oxygen sensing. However let me play satan’s advocate right here. For a lot of the previous 18 months, none of the newer Apple Watches offered within the US might carry out blood oxygen readings — and I didn’t hear many complaints. Additionally, whilst you can’t actively take on-the-spot EKGs, the SE 3 can nonetheless passively examine for indicators of atrial fibrillation by way of irregular coronary heart rhythm notifications. I can’t touch upon hypertension notifications but, because the function solely simply turned out there for testing yesterday. Nonetheless, now that sleep apnea notifications, extra sturdy interval monitoring, and wrist-temperature information for the Vitals app can be found? I don’t really feel like I’m lacking something besides metrics I didn’t make a lot use of to start with. Clearly, you’ll really feel completely different for those who do worth EKG and blood oxygen, however I’d argue nearly all of individuals get extra worth out of excessive and low coronary heart charge alerts.

As for battery life, it’s important to child the SE 3 a smidge greater than the Collection 11. In my first 24 hours with the watch, I left my lodge at 7:30AM PT with one hundred pc battery, tracked a 48-minute mini-golf session, after which hopped on a cross-country flight. After arriving house at 11:45PM ET, roughly 13 hours later, I had 27 % battery left with no low-power saving mode used. A ten-minute cost whereas I brushed my enamel and did my skincare bumped me as much as 37 %, and that was sufficient to get me by way of the evening. I awoke at 6:45AM with about 22 % battery, and that received me to round 9AM earlier than I actually wanted to cost.

Apple Watch customers will discover this battery babying regular, whereas Garmin or Fitbit diehards will view this as unbearably annoying. But it surely’s about what I’d count on from the SE 3. It’s a must to be extra conscious of the SE 3’s battery ranges for those who’re going to push it arduous all through the day. You’re barely freer to neglect with the Collection 11.

The one factor that really bugged me was the display dimension. I’ve the 40mm SE 3, and issues are undoubtedly tiny, whereas the bezels are thicker than on the Collection watches. However even I’ve to confess that it solely actually bothered me as a result of I’d switched again from a higher-end Apple Watch. Ultimately, I received used to it, and it’s a lot much less noticeable for those who use watchfaces with a black background. As somebody with horrible eyesight, I discover it simpler to work together with and browse notifications on an even bigger show, however for those who’ve received good eyesight, this can be a nonissue for you.

One of the best Apple Look ahead to most individuals proper now

Beefing up the $250 SE 3 this a lot sows chaos into the Apple Watch lineup. Proper now, the dividing line between the Extremely and the Collection 11 is evident — there’s higher GPS monitoring, a rugged design, extra buttons, satellite tv for pc connectivity, and the largest honking display and battery Apple has to supply. The road between the SE 3 and Collection 11? For many individuals, it’s now nonexistent.

The skeptic in me believes that the SE 3’s glow-up is partly an effort to attract extra individuals into the Apple Watch ecosystem. It’s an unimaginable worth, and Apple occurs to be coming off 5 consecutive quarters of declining Apple Watch shipments attributable to a lower in client demand, fewer fashions, and ho-hum function upgrades. You don’t must be a monetary whiz to see the SE 3 will seemingly do gangbusters when it comes to gross sales.

The SE line doesn’t get refreshed yearly, and it’s potential that with the Collection 12 or 13, Apple might introduce a brand new chip or sensor that allows extra superior well being options that received’t make their manner over to the SE 3. However that’s a moot level for individuals who wish to purchase at this time.

The true determination boils down as to whether you suppose an even bigger show, thinner bezels, EKGs, and blood oxygen are price an additional $150. If it’s important to purchase now, I’d suggest getting the 44mm SE 3 to mitigate the display difficulty. However except you have got official well being causes for needing the latter two metrics? Save that further $120–$150 for a wet day.