The company’s Apple Watch SE offers the core functionality of Apple’s smartwatches at a fraction of the price. This is the first time we’ve seen Apple’s smartwatch change course since its launch in 2014.
So far, it does not belong to the simple 1-6 generation series. Of course, there’s still the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch Series 3. That means there are now three Apple Watch models to choose from.
Although the Apple Watch SE does weaken the mature Series 6, it allows more people to participate in the Apple ecosystem. Let’s take a look.
Design of the Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE is almost identical to the Series 6 and Series 5 in appearance. I’m also a fan of the Apple Watch design. I understand those who prefer round watches. But it’s personal taste.
The Series 3 uses an older, square shape with a smaller display, while the Apple Watch SE uses a shape introduced with the Series 4. This is a watch that looks well-balanced in every way.
The larger screen brings more manoeuvrability to the dial and provides more information; it comes in 40mm and 44mm models.
However, the Apple Watch SE comes in very few colours and styles. You can only choose from gold, dark grey, or silver aluminium profiles. The new colors are only available on the Series 6.
The Watch SE uses the S5 processor, which is found in the Apple Watch Series 5, so the chip runs fast and effortlessly. It’s twice as fast as the Series 3.
However, there is no always-on display feature here. Only Series 6 supports this feature. After getting used to the always-on display on the Series 5, it does feel like a step backwards. Even though Apple’s wrist lift is almost seamless, the black screen on the wrist is a little hacky.
Also, compared to the Series 3 series, the Apple Watch SE has more storage, with 32GB of usable space instead of 16GB. And the number of watch faces in watchOS 7 has grown again, and there are more options than ever.
Health and fitness features on the Apple Watch SE
Where the Apple Watch SE differs from the Series 6 (and Series 5) is in its capabilities.
The Apple Watch SE doesn’t have an ECG or SpO2 sensor, so don’t expect too much from it. But it’s still a great fitness watch.
It has a built-in GPS and it automatically tracks your status when you start an activity. It tracks most running and cycling activities and swimming and now includes tennis, yoga, functional strength training, and more.
Of course, there’s also a heart rate monitor, which provides a ton of health data. It analyzes your workout and stays on for 24 hours. You’ll also get high and low heart rate alerts, which have been proven to save lives.
The Apple Watch SE also brings some other potentially life-saving features. Fall detection comes from Series 5, thanks to an advanced accelerometer. If you fall and don’t get up, the Apple Watch will call emergency services for you.
There’s also noise detection, which warns you if your environment might damage your hearing.
Sleep Tracking on the Apple Watch SE
Apple recently introduced sleep tracking with watchOS 7, so, naturally, the Apple Watch SE supports the feature. It’s nowhere near as detailed or burdensome as you’ll find on other competitors. But just enough to improve your sleep quality.
Apple’s sleep tracking will provide data on how long you slept and show dark and bright periods of any time you wake up during the night.
However, people are more concerned about regularity, bedtime, and sleep time. Regularity is critical to improving sleep, and the iPhone’s “bedtime” feature is tightly coupled with the Apple Watch’s tracking capabilities.
This puts your iPhone and Apple Watch in a Do Not Disturb state before bed, reminding you that it’s time to take your time.
And in the Apple Health analysis, shows your preferred bedtime as a benchmark for when you actually fall asleep. You can also set a wake-up alarm that uses a vibration on the watch to wake you up.
It’s useful enough but handy if you’re used to his data levels for sleep cycles, stages, and scores.
Battery life for the Apple Watch SE
According to Apple, there’s no real change in battery life on the Apple Watch SE, which, despite the lack of an always-on display, still gets around 18 hours of use.
Of course, this has always been a major disadvantage of the Apple Watch, especially compared to the Huawei Watch. The company’s watch has a two-week power comparison, which is far behind.
However, in my tests, it was sufficient for over 18 hours. And if you use it in general, it will exceed 24 hours and can also be charged at night, but sleep tracking will cause problems.
The good news, though, is that it charges quickly. The Series 6’s charge time has dropped to 1.5 hours, and the Apple Watch SE isn’t far behind.
Battery life remains a key reason iPhone owners use Apple Watch alternatives.
Summary of the Apple Watch SE
It’s not the best Apple Watch but the best fit. The Apple Watch SE isn’t a “cheap Apple Watch.” It delivers the great core experience most people want and costs less. It has advantages over the Series 6, making it a more aggressive health watch while making great fitness and exercise tracking features, apps, and smarts accessible to more people.