The Apple Watch SE 3 has been announced alongside the Series 11 and Ultra 3.
The SE was long due an update after getting a relatively modest refresh back in 2022, in which the design was unchanged, although a new back case did make it slightly lighter than the original …
There had been mixed reports about whether or not Apple would announce a third-gen model of its lowest cost Watch at the iPhone 17 event, but a leaker with an excellent track record said yesterday that it was definitely coming.
The first Apple Watch SE launched back in 2019 as the company sought to expand the market with a lower-cost model. It lacked the ECG and blood oxygen sensors of its more expensive brothers, as well as missing out on the always-on display of the Series 5 watch launched alongside it.
The tactic appeared successful as a new group of consumers bought an Apple Watch for the first time, with a number of parents also buying the more affordable watch for their children. That success saw the company update the SE back in 2022.
3rd-gen Apple Watch SE
The latest version of the Apple Watch SE has the S10 chip, so should have snappier performance. It brings an always-on display to the budget model for the first time, as well as support for gestures like double-tap and wrist-flick. Additionally, it supports fast charging.
Even with the addition of the Always-On display, Apple Watch SE 3 offers all-day, 18-hour battery life, and also features fast charging for the first time. Apple Watch SE 3 now charges up to 2x faster than the previous generation; charging for 15 minutes can add up to eight hours of battery for daily use, and it can charge to about 80 percent in 45 minutes.
Apple highlighted more sophisticated health features too.
Apple Watch SE 3 delivers a more advanced set of health features than the previous generation — including sleep score, retrospective ovulation estimates, sleep apnea notifications, and wrist temperature sensing for richer Vitals app data — plus a robust set of fitness features to provide daily motivation.
The new sleep score feature added to the Series 11 are also available on the SE 3, along with Workout Buddy support.
Apple Watch SE 3 features Workout Buddy, a first-of-its-kind fitness experience powered by Apple Intelligence that analyzes a user’s workout data and fitness history to deliver personalized, spoken motivation throughout their session, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more. Workout Buddy will be available starting in English across some of the most popular workout types, and is available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones, with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby.
The price is unchanged, starting at $249, with pre-orders available from today, with delivery from Friday, September 19.
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