Apple Watch SE 3 review: the bargain smartwatch for iPhone

Apple’s entry level Watch SE has been updated with almost everything from its excellent mid-range Series 11 but costs about 40% less, making it the bargain of iPhone smartwatches.

The new Watch SE 3 costs from £219 (€269/$249/A$399), making it one of the cheapest brand-new fully fledged smartwatches available for the iPhone and undercutting the £369 Series 11 and the top-of-the-line £749 Apple Watch Ultra 3.

The Watch SE line is updated only every few years and has been good value but was missing some crucial things that make Apple’s other watches great. The Watch SE 3’s biggest upgrade is an always-on display, which brings it up to par with the Series line, allowing you to see the time and notifications at a glance without having to twist your wrist to turn the screen on.

The screen on and active with the flow watch face (left) and in its idle always-on position (right) with the time still visible. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The SE 3 has the older Apple Watch design from 2020’s Series 6 with smaller screens, larger bezels and a choice of 40mm or 44mm case sizes compared with the current Series watches. The screen is also not quite as bright as the more expensive watches, but that is noticeable only in bright direct sunlight. It is still sharp and good looking.

The SE 3 has the same S10 chip as the Series 11 and Ultra 3, and is just as responsive. It also has the same excellent touch-free gestures, including double tap and wrist flick, which allow you to dismiss notifications, timers and alarms easily.

The watch also supports all the rest of the general Apple Watch features in watchOS 26, including Apple Pay contactless payments, rich notifications, music control, third-party apps and a range of watch faces.

The SE 3 runs all the same apps and services as its more expensive siblings. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The battery life of the SE 3 is a little shorter than the Series 11, lasting about a day and a half of general use, including sleep tracking overnight. Most will have to charge it every other day, particularly if they track any workouts. The SE 3 will last up to seven hours of running tracking with GPS and heart rate, which should be long enough for a marathon. A full charge using the magnetic puck takes about an hour, hitting 70% in 30 minutes.

Specifications

• Case size: 40mm or 44mm

• Case thickness: 10.7mm

• Weight: about 26g or 33g

• Processor: S10

• Storage: 64GB

• Operating system: watchOS 26

• Water resistance: 50 metres (5ATM)

• Sensors: HR (2nd-gen), skin temp, NFC, GNSS, compass, altimeter

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wifi 4, NFC, optional 5G

Health and workout tracking

The SE 3 has the same crown and side button as the Series 11 but lacks the metal contacts on the back for taking ECGs. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

One of the biggest cuts for the SE 3 is the removal of the electrical sensor from the back of the watch, which enables electrocardiograms (ECG) of your heart on the Series and Ultra watches. It also lacks a blood oxygen sensor and hypertension monitoring but it still has an accurate optical heart rate sensor that covers most bases, including high and low heart rate notifications.

The SE 3 also has a skin temperature sensor, which is used as part of the Vitals app, the sleep tracking and for retrospective ovulation estimates for the cycles tracking app. The watch also does a good job of tracking general workouts, including walks, runs, cycles and other common sports and activities with its GPS.

The watch also supports offline music playback via Bluetooth headphones, including from subscription services such as Spotify. And it has offline Apple Maps, should you get lost without your phone.

Sustainability

The recycled aluminium body is available in starlight (as pictured) or midnight (black). Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Apple says the battery should last more than 1,000 full-charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity and can be replaced for £95. Repairs cost between £195 and £229 depending on the model.

It contains more than 40% recycled material, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, lithium, rare-earth elements, steel, tin, titanium and tungsten. Apple offers trade-in and free recycling for devices, and breaks down the watch’s environmental impact in its report.

Price

The Apple Watch SE 3 costs from £219 (€269/$249/A$399) for the 40mm version or £249 (€299/$279/A$449) for 44mm.

For comparison, the Apple Watch Series 11 costs £369 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 costs £749.

Verdict

The Apple Watch SE 3 is the best deal in Apple’s smartwatch line this year, offering almost everything that’s great about the Series 11 but at a significantly cheaper price.

The new always-on display, S10 chip and watchOS 26 make the SE 3 just as good day to day. The only meaningful feature you miss out on is the ability to take ECGs, but if you know you don’t need it then that’s no loss. The 1.5-day battery life of the 40mm isn’t too bad but the larger 44mm should last a little longer.

The limited choice of colours is easily remedied with a bright strap, while the older design with smaller screens, larger bezels and a thicker body is easy to live with for the price.

Pros: great value Apple Watch, always-on screen, Apple Pay, double-tap and wrist-flick gestures, decent health and fitness tracking, long software support, recycled materials, 50-metre water resistance.

Cons: no ECG, no blood oxygen monitoring, no hypertension alerts, old design, only works with an iPhone, no third-party watch faces, screen not super bright in sunlight.

The new Exactograph face from watchOS 26 looks good on the 40mm Apple Watch SE 3. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian