Rene Ramos/ZDNET/Apple
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Back in September, Apple unveiled the new iPhone 17 lineup at its annual hardware event, and its most accessible smartwatch finally got a much-needed facelift. That's right, the Apple Watch SE 2 is officially retired, as the Watch SE 3 takes its place with fresh upgrades.
The Watch SE 3 joins two other new wearables from Apple -- the Watch Series 11 and the more advanced Watch Ultra 3. While both of the latter watches saw some sizzling upgrades, the Watch SE 3 got some long-awaited refreshes that make it an enticing buy for first-time watch users, children, elderly individuals, and more.
Also: Our favorite Black Friday deals live now
Whether you're considering switching from your Watch SE 2 to a brand new Watch SE 3 or deliberating between the two options, we've weighed the pros and cons of each watch to help you make the best decision. And with Black Friday sales finally bringing the cost of both these watches down to all-time low prices, there's no better time to upgrade.
The latest Watch SE 3 is on sale for $199 (save $50) at most retailers, and the older Watch SE 2 is only $129 -- a $40 savings from the $170 price it's been selling for over the last few weeks. For $200, I highly recommend grabbing the new Watch SE 3, which is ready to rock for the next few years, or considering another model on sale instead of the Watch SE 2.
Specifications
Apple Watch SE 2 (2022) Apple Watch SE 3 (2025) Battery life 18 hours 18 hours, 32 hours in Low Power Mode; Fast-Charging capabilities Screen size 40mm and 44mm 40mm and 44mm Hardware S8 SiP chip S10 chip Storage 32GB 64GB Durability 50m water resistance 50m water resistance, 4x more crack-resistant Ion-X glass than previous generation Finish Aluminum Aluminum Colors Midnight, Starlight, Silver Midnight, Starlight Connectivity Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS GPS + Cellular Wi-Fi, 5G and LTE GPS + Cellular Display OLED Retina display Always-On OLED Retina display Brightness Up to 1,000 nits Up to 1,000 nits Special features Heart health, Sleep Score, Cycle tracking, SOS, Fall and Crash detection Sleep Apnea tracking, Temperature sensing, Cycle Tracking with retroactive ovulation estimates, wrist flick and double tap gestures, on-device Siri health access, play music via watch speakers Price Starting at $249 (typically around $189 Starting at $249
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