Our Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 3 is a swell entry pointedness for the platform , but it ’s catch a petty long in the tooth now . There ’s a reason we called the Apple Watch SE the ‘ double-dyed first Apple Watch ’ , as it immingle a tremendous amount of mightiness and feature of speech into a small package . If you could expend the extra money on the SE , you ’ll get a much good experience .
If you ’re thinking of kick upstairs your old Apple Watch or want to take the plunge for the first time , then you do n’t need to spend lots of money on a Series 7 – you may get many of the same feature from Apple ’s trashy role model . We liken the two most affordable offering so you may see the main difference and know what you ’ll be getting . Find out if you should buy the Apple Watch Series 3 or the Apple Watch SE .
Apple Watch History
These Apple Watches are presently to be replaced with newer models . We ’re expecting to seeApple Watch Series 10 , Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE tertiary multiplication , runningwatchOS 11 , launch in September 2024 at the company’sGlowtime event(seehow to follow the September upshot ) . If you ’re in the market for a new Apple Watch , see ourApple Watch buying guidebook , cycle - up of thebest Apple Watch lot , and advice on whether you shouldbuy Apple Watch now or wait . You might also be concerned in what othernew Apple productsare come this yr , and when is thenext Apple event . you may feel contact to all our Apple Watch reviews below
Display
The obvious place to part is with the part of the picket you ’ll be using the most : the presentation . As theApple Watch Series 3is a scrap older , first present back in 2017 as opposed to the 2020 first appearance of theApple Watch SE , the display is n’t quite as ripe as on its stable companion .
Both declare oneself two sizes :
This is bolster up further by the fact that the SE uses more of the board , meaning that the presentation space is 30 % larger than that of the Series 3 , as you may see from the below persona .
This provides the following resolutions for the two size of each example :
You ’ll reach up to 1,000nits brightness on either gimmick , which means you’re able to read it alfresco in the sunniness , and everything look endearing thanks to the OLED video display . However , the SE has the added benefit of LTPO applied science in its panel which allows it have those larger and higher quality displays without sacrifice any battery living .
The glass on both devices is Ion - X , which should protect against scrape and cracks even if you treat the vigil a little rough .
Case and design
Apple keeps the same design oral communication across both equipment , albeit with a few small differences . All of the models have the squarish chassis that we ’re all so familiar with now , but there are size remainder between the two mannequin , as you could see below :
The Digital Crown is another classic part of the Apple Watch design , and it appears on all the models free so far . The Apple Watch SE steal the borderland here though , as it boast haptic feedback , making it easier to be precise when scrolling through menus .
Both are made of aluminium , with the SE using 100 % entirely recycled material . But only the latter generate the selection of Ceramic and Sapphire Crystal material on the back , with the Series 3 featuring a composite design .
They ’ll both be safe in water , up to depths of 50 meter , and you’re able to have either in Space Grey and Silver , but the additional choice of Gold is reserved just for the SE .
Health and wellbeing features
One of the main reason for buying an Apple Watch is for the health monitoring and general well - being features that are include . Both of the models here are very utile in this esteem , but it will come as no bully surprisal that the new Apple Watch SE has more capable than the sure-enough Series 3 .
First up , here ’s the things that are usable on both models :
Heart pace monitoring , with low / high rate and unorthodox calendar method warnings . cracking for helping you realise that you might require to visit the Doctor of the Church . It should be mention that the Series 3 uses a first - generation optical meat rate monitor for this , while the SE employs an improved second - generation version .
You ’ll also bump Emergency SOS capabilities on the Series 3 and SE , making it easy to quickly connect with the emergency Robert William Service if you get into difficulty .
move onto the principal dispute , only the Apple Watch SE has nightfall sensing , noise monitoring ( to permit you know if the sound in your environment could be serious to your hearing ) , plus external emergency calling . The latter of which is made possible by the cellular model of the SE available . Now , you may think back that the original Series 3 was the first to feature cellular variant , but the current ones on sale from Apple no longer have this capability .
Other features
There are peck of features that both models apportion , such as gyroscopes , ambient brightness detector , speaker , microphones , Apple Pay , accelerometer , GPS and altimeters . The SE often has upgraded versions of these sensor , but either will be able to track your movements , workout , let you interact via vocalism instruction , bear for thing and generally surrender the Apple Watch experience .
Everything is a bit quicker on the Apple Watch SE , as it boasts an S5 SiP processor , which Apple claims is about twice as tight as the S3 on the Series 3 . The latter also has an older W2 wireless chip , while the SE gets the rise to the W3 that ’s also incur in theApple Watch Series 7 .
Storage also gets a encouragement for the SE , with 32 GB onboard , but the Series 8 only get 8 GB , that does feel rather paltry in comparison . Bluetooth is also unattackable on the SE , as it expend 5.0 rather than the 4.2 on the Series 3 . This could be significant if you want to employ that redundant storage for restrain medicine on the gadget and hear via wireless earbuds like AirPods .
Price
As you might expect from the variances in features and element , the prices for these devices are a small different . manifestly , as with any Apple Watch you’re able to take various straps that change how much thing cost , but as a service line , here ’s how they equate :
Here are the ripe prices decently now for each picket :
Apple Watch SE – From £269/$279
Apple Watch Series 3 – From £179/$199
Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 3 is a expectant ingress point for the Apple Watch political program , but it ’s have a little long in the tooth now . If you could find the extra £ 70/$70 then it ’s well worth plumping for the Apple Watch SE rather . Not only do you get the New central processing unit and various raise sensing element , but there are additional lineament such as fall detection , extra storage and better Bluetooth capabilities . Then there ’s the cellular option that can free you from bring your iPhone when you ’re out running or just do n’t want to carry a valuable and breakable object in your pocket .
They ’re both good , but the Apple Watch SE is definitely the better option .
