Is the Apple Watch SE 3 a Good Deal?

Apple has introduced three new Apple Watch models: the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. With a price of $799, the Ultra 3 clearly caters to a premium audience, including athletes, while most buyers will likely choose between the Apple Watch SE 3 ($249) and the Apple Watch Series 11 ($399).

Despite its budget-friendly price, the Apple Watch SE 3 offers a similar software experience to the Series 11. For anyone seeking a reliable smartwatch with essentials like step counting, heart monitoring, and sleep tracking, it’s an affordable yet powerful option.

While the Series 11 and Ultra 3 only make incremental improvements over their predecessors, the SE 3 represents a big leap forward from the SE 2. The upgrade moves from the S8 chip to the new S10, adding an always-on display, supporting fast charging, improving crack resistance, introducing additional health tools, and even including a wrist-temperature sensor for more advanced sleep analysis and retrospective ovulation insights.

Image Credits: Apple

Although not as feature-rich as the Series 11 or Ultra 3, the SE 3 is a strong contender, especially for first-time buyers. The gap between Apple’s standard and budget watches has never been smaller.

For those who prioritise advanced health features, better battery life, and a larger display, the Series 11 remains the superior choice. Still, the SE 3 could be all you really need.

Similarities Between the Apple Watch Series 11 and SE 3

• S10 chip: Both models share the same processor, ensuring similar performance.
• Always-on Retina display: Both show the watch face and time, even when your wrist is lowered.
• Heart health features: High/low heart rate alerts, irregular rhythm notifications, and low cardio fitness notifications are included in both.
• Gestures: Wrist flick to dismiss notifications/timers, and double-tap to perform quick actions, such as answering calls.
• Emergency SOS: Instantly calls emergency services, shares your location, and alerts contacts with a long press of the side button.
• Fall and crash detection: Automatically alerts emergency services in the event of a fall or car crash.
• Water resistance (50m): Safe for swimming.
• Sleep tracking: Monitors sleep, provides a sleep score (1–100), and uses temperature sensing for wellness insights.
• Cycle tracking with ovulation estimates: Retrospective predictions for ovulation cycles.
• Fast charging: Up to 80% in ~30 minutes on Series 11 and ~45 minutes on SE 3. Both give up to 8 hours of use with just 15 minutes of charge.
• Find iPhone: Both can ping your phone, though Series 11 adds precision finding.

Key Differences Between the Apple Watch Series 11 and SE 3

• Battery life: The Series 11 lasts up to 24 hours (28 hours in low-power mode), while the SE 3 offers 18 hours (32 hours in low-power mode).
• Health tracking: Series 11 features blood pressure notifications, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an ECG app, and a Blood Oxygen app.
• Display: Series 11 reaches 2000 nits brightness with a wide-angle OLED; SE 3 tops at 1000 nits with a standard OLED.
• Size & build: Series 11 is available in 46mm and 44mm (aluminium/titanium), while SE 3 comes in 44mm and 40mm (aluminium only). Series 11 is about 10% thinner.
• Colours: Series 1aluminiumum finishes include Jet Black, Silver, Rose Gold, and Grey; titanium options are available in natural, Gold, and Slate. SE 3 is available in Midnight and Starlight aluminium.
• Other differences include a depth gauge (up to 6m), a water temperature sensor, a lower minimum brightness (1 nit vs. SE 3’s two nits), and certified IP6X dust resistance.

Bottom Line

The Apple Watch SE 3 is an outstanding value, offering many of the same capabilities as the Series 11 at a lower price. For everyday users and first-time buyers, it’s more than enough. But if you want the best health features, brighter display, and longer battery life, the Series 11 is worth the extra cost.