Apple Watch SE 3 ZDNET's key takeaways Apple's affordable SE 3 is an approachable entry point into the brand's health-tracking suite.
Some users might not like the smaller display
The watch packs great value for a lower price, making it the one out of the lineup I'd recommend to smartwatch-curious shoppers. View now at Apple
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Last week, Apple unveiled three new smartwatches during its annual September iPhone event. While flashier features on the more expensive watches, like Hypertension on the baseline Series 11 or Emergency SOS on the Ultra 3, caught the most wind, the Apple Watch SE 3 commanded attention by simply existing.
The smartwatch is the most affordable out of the lineup. At $250, it's $150 less than the starting price of the Series 11 and $550 less than the rugged Ultra 3. Despite its cheaper price, it packs much of the same software and hardware that its siblings boast and forgoes the flourishes.
Also: Should you upgrade to Apple Watch Series 11? Here's how it compares to older models
I tested the smartwatch out to see how its daily user experience compared to other members of 2025's Apple Watch lineup. Here's who I'd recommend the watch to (and who I wouldn't).
Let's begin with hardware.
The case is two millimeters smaller than the Apple Watch Series 11's, and the display area is the smallest out of the watch lineup. Because of this, the default for communication isn't a keyboard -- it's a letter drawing pad. This was a fun, creative alternative to the SE 3's small screen problem, but I can imagine drawing out words on a tiny screen would get exhausting if a user did not have their phone nearby.
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At 1,000 nits, the watch's brightness is the lowest out of the lineup -- compared to the Series 11's 2,000 and the Ultra 3's 3,000. Nevertheless, I was still able to see the functionalities outside on a sunny walk, and I don't believe most users would even notice the dimmer screen if they weren't actively comparing with a Series 11 or Ultra 3.
The Apple Watch Series SE 3 (right) and Watch Series 11 (left) look nearly identical, which is a good thing. Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Because of the watch's smaller build, it was easy to exercise and sleep with it, especially compared to its big brother, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which took a little getting used to in the bedroom. In my testing, the watch's battery life lived up to its 18-hour claims. With fast charging, the watch can now go from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes. 15 minutes of charging give users eight hours of wear -- enough to track a whole night's sleep.
Apple adds its S10 chip, found in the Series 10, 11, and Ultra 3, to its SE 3. This brings an Always-On Display, fast-charging, and 5G to the device for the first time.
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One critique of the SE 2 was that it lacked the Always-On Display, which makes the watch easily glanceable and interactive. However, the S10 fixes that and makes the smartwatch nearly as competitive as its higher-end siblings. The chip also brings Sleep Apnea Detection to the SE 3 and is one of the bigger feature announcements coming to the other smartwatches: Sleep Scores.
The SE 3 now rates sleep based on duration, bedtime consistency, and interruptions to deliver a nightly score. Before this update, I was getting a graph with my heart rate data and sleep duration every morning. Now I can visualize through an easy-to-understand rating system how I slept and three specific factors that I can improve on.
As I write in my review of the Series 11, Sleep Scores aren't perfect, and they often feel generous in their rating. But the feature addition could help boost the watch's sleeping features and usability, and make sleep-tracking more approachable.
Apple also adds temperature sensing to the smartwatch, for users tracking their menstrual cycle for family-planning purposes.
Who should buy the Apple Watch SE 3?
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
The Apple Watch SE 3 is the smartwatch first-time buyers and budget shoppers should get.
The watch is made for curious users looking to dip their toes in the health-tracking water, doing so without some of the more high-end functionalities that hike up the prices of other watches.
The SE 3 misses some meaningful upgrades. ECG updates, Blood Oxygen monitoring, Hypertension Detection, and Emergency SOS via satellite, a feature most used during outdoor, off-grid excursions, are not available on the watch. These higher-end features are useful for people digging into the weeds of their health, intent on tracking certain metrics to stay on top of their conditions.
Also: The Apple Watch Series 11 is one feature away from making me ditch my Oura Ring
But for the younger smartwatch user looking to use the device to track workouts, sleep, their menstrual cycle, and respond to the odd text every once in a while, these high-end features are passable for the great value SE 3 offers.
While its competitors reveal smartwatches with starting prices in the $350 range, the SE 3 proves that Apple can make rivaling, useful devices that are $100 less.
Who shouldn't buy the SE 3?
If you have trouble reading and interacting with a small display, I'd recommend Apple's massive Ultra 3 display or its Series 11 over the SE 3. Texting using voice-to-text or the drawing feature in place of the keyboard could get annoying for some users. Some people use their smartwatches as standalone phones while they're out and about, but I wouldn't recommend the SE 3 as one.
If you've got a bad habit of letting your devices die out before recharging, you might have trouble with the 18-hour battery life. It might be less competitive than the Series 11's 24 hours, especially if you're using the watch to sleep track.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Apple Watch SE 3 is the underdog that few expected Apple to announce at its annual hardware launch. It doesn't have the advanced hardware that its siblings boast.
It lacks some of the hotter features of the Apple Watch Series 11 or Apple Watch Ultra 3, like Hypertension Detection or Satellite Connectivity, but it's shaping up to be a good value for smartwatch-curious consumers.