The Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) pictured with the Spigen Crystal Liquid Pro Apple Watch band. Kayla Solino/ZDNET
Apple's popular watch wearables are available in several models, and the Watch SE (2nd Gen) is still the latest base model watch to hit the market. Despite Apple unveiling the new Watch Series 10 in September 2024, the SE did not get an upgrade as originally rumored. While it's not packed with all the Series 9 or 10 features, it offers great value for those looking to track basic health and fitness metrics, keep in contact with ease, and benefit from connection to the Apple ecosystem.
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The Watch SE (2nd Gen) is the model I own, and it's been the perfect smartwatch companion to my mostly low-key tech lifestyle. It's proven great for tracking my workouts, steps, and more health metrics, and it has been a great introduction to sleep tracking. And right now you can grab my favorite watch model (and Apple's most up-to-date base model) the Watch SE (2nd Gen), for $80 off at Amazon during Prime Day sales.
This isn't quite as low as I saw the watch drop during Black Friday sales (where it was briefly on sale for $149), but prior to this price drop, the Watch SE hadn't seen many discounts at all, so this 32% off offer is solid.
If you're not looking for the advanced features offered in the newer Series 9, 10 or Ultra and Ultra 2 models, the watch SE is a great buy with all the essentials. You'd be surprised how well this model compares to Apple's other contenders.
The SE offers users up to 18 hours of battery life and 32GB of internal storage, and it does offer some of the same health and safety features as the Series 9, 10 and the Ultra, though it doesn't track blood oxygen, do ECG heart checks, or check your temperature.
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During Black Friday sales last year, I upgraded from the Series 3 Apple Watch to the 40mm SE model, and I've never been happier with a tech purchase. The SE has all the necessary features without the complicated bells and whistles I didn't want (or need) -- yet it still offers a crisp display, fast response rate, and seamless use. It's perfect for tracking my workouts and walks and for quickly answering texts, emails, and more. Plus, with the savings I got from purchasing the more basic SE model, I was able to snag several different watch bands to dress my look up or down.
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