As it turns out, the leaks were right again: At today’s event, a cheaper Apple Watch SE was actually announced, which is a Series 5 with a few brand new features and some compromises, but the Series 3 remains as an entry-level smartwatch still on the market.
At first glance, the Apple Watch SE looks very similar to the brand new Apple Watch Series 6 – the design and a large part of the equipment are identical, including the new altimeter, the gyroscope, and the microphones of the expensive smartwatch on the SpO2 sensor. To measure the oxygen content in the blood you have to do without an EKG.
Inside, the S5 SiP from the Apple Watch Series 5 works, which is twice as fast compared to the Series 3, the Series 6 offers around 20 percent better performance in comparison, and the available memory of 32 GB is the same as with the more expensive model. The microphones and speakers have also been updated to improve Siri, phone calls, and the walkie talkie functionality.
The Apple Watch SE has GPS and a compass, an LTE modem is available at an additional cost. Apart from the missing sensors, the biggest compromise is probably the display. Although this is actually identical to that of the Series 6, the always-on functionality is completely missing. The case of the Watch SE is waterproof up to 50 meters and is only available in aluminum housing in silver, space gray, and gold colors.
Apple Watch SE price and availability
The Apple Watch SE price start from $279, the 44-millimeter model costs $20 more, and an extra $50 for the LTE modem. The Apple Watch Series 3 remains in the range as an entry-level model. It can be pre-ordered via the Bhphotovideo.com store delivery begins on September 22nd, or many models will take until the beginning of October.
