Apple Watch SE 3 is a huge upgrade, packing an always-on display, a new processor, fast charging, gesture support and many more improvements. It’s so good that it presents a problem for Apple Watch buyers: is there a reason to pay more to get a Series 11?
After a week with the SE 3, I’m blown away at how much I got for $249. Here’s why.
Apple Watch SE 3 review
Each year, an improved Apple Watch model hits store shelves. And most years, it is joined by an Apple Watch Ultra model with additional features. Less frequently, a fresh Apple Watch SE model comes out as the budget option, with many of the best features stripped out to hit a low price.
Something must have gotten mixed up in Cupertino because they forgot to leave most of the high-end features out of the Apple Watch SE 3. It’s a really compelling product — powerful, beautiful and lightweight — but it still starts at $150 less than the Apple Watch Series 11.
Apple Watch SE 3 offers health, fitness, connectivity, and safety features running on the powerful S10 chip. The smartwatch boasts an Always-On display, the double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri and fast charging.
- Packed with pro-level features
- Most affordable Apple Watch
- Lacks blood oxygen sensor, ECG sensor
Table of contents: Apple Watch SE 3 review
- Always-on screen. Finally!
- No cheap look and feel here
- High-end performance
- Useful new gestures
- Old and new health and fitness features
- Health sensors not in Apple Watch SE 3
- Day-long battery
- Optional 5G cellular networking
- Apple Watch SE 3 review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
Always-on screen. Finally!
The most obvious change in the updated smartwatch is the always-on display. Previously, just checking the time required an extra moment while the screen activated. No more, because the display never completely turns off. It does dim to save power, but the clock (whatever form it takes in the Watch Face you’re using) stays bright. Don’t mistake this for a small improvement — it makes 90% of interactions with the Watch better.
Not everything changed. The screen size options are either 44mm or 40mm, like the SE 2. True, the new Apple Watch Series 11 goes up to 46mm, plus you also get a higher screen resolution on the pricier models. Neither are very noticeable differences. Not to me, anyway.
And the budget model’s screen brightness tops out at 1000 nits while the Series 11 goes up to 2000 nits. In my testing, I haven’t needed a brighter display.
Apple promises the cover glass is four times more resistant to cracks than the previous generation. I haven’t had to test that yet, thankfully.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
No cheap look and feel here
Before the launch, I waffled between the Apple Watch SE 3 and Series 11. A trip to an Apple Store made the decision easy. Both models were on display side by side, and I needed to read the model name off the back of each device to tell them apart. If I’m going to pay $150 more for a device, I expect it to be significantly better, but there were no obvious differences between the pricier and the more affordable Watches just by looking them over.
That said, the budget model comes in only two color options — black and silver — while Series 11 offers more, with rose gold the standout. You also can’t get the SE 3 in an expensive titanium casing because of course you can’t.
If you need more help after reading this review on making your own decision between the Apple Watch SE 3 and Series 11, go to an Apple Store and compare the designs and screens. Just be aware that you also might need to read the model names off the backs of the devices to tell them apart.
High-end performance
A critical feature of the Apple Watch SE 3 is the S10 processor. That’s the same chip in the new Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 — so no matter what you pay, you won’t get faster performance.
That’s important for the long haul. Your smartwatch will still be speedy years from now. If Apple had hobbled the SE 3 with an older processor, it would have been sluggish by 2028. As it is, that’s not something you need to worry about.
Plus, the S10 enables on-device Siri, which speeds up the voice assistant. Siri has problems and limitations, but I nevertheless use it all the time on my Watch.
Of course the device runs the just-launched watchOS 26, which comes with quite a few new features: Liquid Glass, Workout Buddy and more.
Useful new gestures
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The S10 enables the double tap and wrist flick gestures that were previously reserved for pricier models.
I underestimated how useful the double tap gesture is until I had an Apple Watch that supports it. Simply tapping my index finger and thumb together on the hand wearing the watch is enough to control many apps. I use it to pause podcasts and start exercise sessions.
The wrist flick gesture is a new one-handed gesture in watchOS 26 that dismisses notifications, silences calls and timers, and jumps back to the Watch Face by rotating the wrist away then back.
Old and new health and fitness features
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Over the years, the fitness features of my various Apple Watch models have made me more active, and probably added years to my life. I have a sedentary job, and being nagged to get up and move more is just what I need. While Apple Watch SE 3 doesn’t add to these capabilities, don’t devalue what the movement tracker and stand tracker contribute to the device.
And while the smartwatch keeps the same health-tracking capabilities of its predecessors, like heart-rate monitoring and fall detection, it also adds fresh ones to the list.
Among the additions is a sleep score, which tracks sleep duration, bedtime consistency, how often a person wakes up, and how much time is spent in each sleep stage. I’m quickly becoming addicted to it. Studies show that poor sleep habits can have devastating long-term effects on health. Maybe being challenged by the Watch to sleep better can help. Just be aware that wearing your Apple Watch while sleeping means you need to charge it some other time of the day, which is kind of a hassle.
Apple spent years trying to enable its Watches to show the wearer’s temperature. It’s still not there yet because the temperature at the wrist is too easily affected by outside factors. Still, the SE 3 includes general wrist temperature sensing. This gives some insight into overall health, and it also makes retrospective ovulation estimates possible.
The smartwatch also now offers sleep apnea notifications. Get this device, and you may be notified you have a serious health problem you were unaware of.
Thanks to watchOS 26, Apple Watch SE 3 features Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence. This uses the wearer’s workout data and fitness history to offer personalized, spoken motivational comments.
Health sensors not in Apple Watch SE 3
While Apple’s new budget wearable offers tough competition for the equally new Series 11 model, the pricier model offers some additional health sensors. The SE 3 lacks a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG sensor and hypertension notifications.
If you think you should have any of these, you’ll need to choose the Series 11.
Day-long battery
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple promises 18 hours on a single charge — an signifiant underestimate by my experience. I had no problem getting my Apple Watch SE 3 to go a full 24 hours so I can charge it first thing every morning. That’s necessary because I like to track my sleep score.
The disadvantage of sleep tracking is that I need to charge the wearable at some point during the day. Fortunately, the 2025 version is the first SE to feature fast charging. It juices up to 2x faster than the previous generation. In my testing, the wearable can charge up about 75% in 45 minutes. After an ordinary day, my Watch battery is around 10%-20%, and I need to give it an hour to get back to 100%.
Those who aren‘t interested in sleep tracking can drop the Watch on a charger when they go to bed, and it’ll be ready in the morning. It’ll easily last 18 hours between you waking up and hitting the sack.
Optional 5G cellular networking
Years ago, the iPhone was tied to Mac because a Mac (or PC) was needed to install OS upgrades. That eventually came to an end. Today, an Apple Watch needs an iPhone, but I continue to think that’ll eventually stop. Perhaps a step in that direction is the option to put 5G cellular-wireless networking in all the 2025 Apple Watch models, including the SE 3.
As it is, 5G in the affordable wearable speeds up downloads of music, podcasts, and apps when away from Wi-Fi. Just note that it adds $50 to the price, plus the cost of monthly service.
Apple Watch SE 3 review: Final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Before you buy an Apple Watch Series 11, think hard about whether an SE 3 might be all you need. The budget model is every bit as fast, has almost all the features, and looks just about as good. You could save yourself $150 or more.
And you’ll be pleased with the improvements over older models.
★★★★★
Pricing
Price is the most critical feature of the Apple Watch SE series. The third generation version comes in at $249 for the 40mm base model, the same price as its predecessor. The 44mm variant starts at $279.
Apple Watch SE 3 offers health, fitness, connectivity, and safety features running on the powerful S10 chip. The smartwatch boasts an Always-On display, the double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri and fast charging.
- Packed with pro-level features
- Most affordable Apple Watch
- Lacks blood oxygen sensor, ECG sensor
Apple did not provide Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
