GoKawiilApple recently unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12, its latest flagship smartwatch. The Apple Watch Series 12 isn’t too different from its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 11, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The most important thing that didn’t change is its price. The starting price still remains at $399.
If you’re looking to save money, however, it’s worth looking at Apple’s more economical smartwatch offering, the Apple Watch SE 3, which starts at just $249. It doesn’t have the same level of features as its pricier siblings, but if all you want is a capable fitness wearable, the Watch SE 3 is a pretty solid option.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how these two Apple wearables compare.
The Apple Watch Series 12, in gold titanium (left) and bronze aluminum. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET
Design and display
The Apple Watch Series 12 looks and feels very similar to its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 11. It has a rectangular OLED Retina display (up to 2,000 nits of brightness), rounded edges, and it comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes. In addition to aluminum and titanium, the Apple Watch Series 12 now also comes in ceramic, a callback to the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019.
It’s worth noting that the ceramic version is quite a bit heavier. While the 42mm aluminum model is 32.2g, the titanium is 36.5g, the pearl white ceramic is 41.7g (interestingly, the night blue hue of the ceramic is 42.8g).
Speaking of which, the Apple Watch Series 12 comes in a variety of colors depending on the case. The aluminum comes in dark bronze, light gold, black and space gray, the titanium comes in radiant gold and natural hues, while the ceramic comes in the aforementioned pearl white and night blue.
The Apple Watch SE 3 also has a rectangular display design with rounded edges, but it comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes instead. Rather than an OLED Retina display, the SE 3 uses an always-on LTPO OLED display that gets up to 1,000 nits of brightness. It doesn’t refresh quite as often as the Series 12, however.
The SE 3 comes in 100% recycled aluminum in either midnight or starlight colors. It’s also very lightweight compared to the Series 12; it weighs only 26.4 grams (40mm) or 33 grams (44mm).
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