Apple released a new Apple Watch SE in September 2022 alongside the Apple Watch Series 8 for customers who were searching for a cheaper, fitness-oriented Apple Watch with the same core features but a lower price tag.
The second-generation Apple Watch SE is nearly indistinguishable from the Series 6 and lacks the Series 7’s redesigned look. As ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature detection all require hardware components that Apple omitted from the Apple Watch SE in an effort to keep costs down, these health features are also absent.
The Apple Watch SE is a cross between the original SE and the Series 8 versions in terms of style and features. The Apple Watch SE comes in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, and it looks the same as the Apple Watch Series 4, 5, and 6.
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Apple Watch SE Design
At first sight, the new Apple Watch SE could be mistaken for the 2020 version. The new SE, like its forerunner, is offered in two different wheel diameters (40 and 44 millimeters) with an aluminum finish.
The SE’s color scheme has evolved, though. Midnight, starlight, and silver will join the previously available silver, space gray, and gold for the 2020 release. Apple also updated the back of the watch to have a uniform look with the rest of the Apple Watch.
It’s a beautiful detail that elevates the new SE’s overall quality, but you won’t be able to tell the difference while the watch is on your wrist.
Apple Watch SE Speed
The S8 chipset included in the Series 8 also powers the Apple Watch SE. Overall, this makes the SE feel speedy and fluid; opening apps was a breeze, and Siri picked up my voice instantly.
As claimed by Apple, the iPhone SE is 20% quicker than its predecessor. The new SE opened apps promptly, whereas the Apple Watch SE from 2020 occasionally lagged behind.
What makes the SE getting the Series 8 processor so important, though, is that it makes the SE somewhat more future-proof. The 2022 SE, as it has Apple’s most recent chipset, should be compatible with upcoming capabilities in subsequent versions of WatchOS.
Apple Watch SE Battery
When it comes to battery life, there are some positives and some negatives. The Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE both have the same 18-hour battery life as their predecessors, which is bad news first and foremost.
The good news is that the Apple Watch will soon include a low-power mode. The good news for existing Apple Watch owners is that it will be compatible with Series 4 and later models.
In order to conserve power, the Apple Watch’s low-power mode disables a number of its sensors and functionalities, such as the always-on display (for watches that have it), automatic workout recognition, and background heart-rate monitoring.
Apple claims that the Series 8 Apple Watch, when paired with an iPhone, can get an additional 36 hours of use out of its battery with the help of low-power mode.
Apple Watch SE Features
Apple Watch Series 8, Series 8, and Ultra will also soon have the ability to detect vehicle collisions. Apple’s new watch models have improved accelerometers and gyroscopes to support this functionality.
Crash test lab data including frontal, rear, side, and rollover collisions were used to develop the business’s crash detection algorithm, the company claims. If you’ve been unconscious for 10 seconds after a crash is detected, Apple will contact the authorities and provide them your location.
They will also notify your emergency contacts. (You may also find this on the iPhone 14 series.) Apple has long offered a variety of security tools, and crash detection just expands that selection. A couple examples include fall detection and emergency SOS systems. And this follows Google’s earlier addition of crash detection to its Pixel phones.
Apple is also updating the Apple Watch’s Compass app so that users may more easily traverse new locations and bookmark interesting landmarks. Series 6 and later models, including the first and second iterations of the Apple Watch SE, will gain access to two new functions called Backtrack and Waypoint.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch SE is proof that you don’t need the priciest smartwatch to have a fantastic one. The Apple Watch SE, which retails for $249, is a CNET Editors’ Choice pick because it offers nearly all of the Series 8’s advanced capabilities at a much more reasonable price.
Here is the link to my September review. The Series 3 Apple Watch is no more; the 2022 Apple Watch SE is the company’s entry-level smartwatch.
The new SE, priced at a starting price of $249 (£259, AU$399), succeeds both the original SE (priced at $279) and the Series 3 (priced at $199).
