Apple’s Cheaper Apple Watch SE May Be the Wearable Most People Need

Why spend more than $300 for an Apple Watch? Apple may have its wearables fans asking that question with the new Apple Watch SE. The third-gen update brings a host of upgrades, including a new screen and better performance from a new chip. It may not have all the health tracking features of the mainline wearables, but that may simply make it a better option for most people.

The last SE (2nd-gen) arrived in 2022 alongside the Apple Watch Series 8 and the first Apple Watch Ultra. The revised edition revealed Tuesday at Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event may look closer to the regular Apple Watch Series 11 than the older 2020s-era wearables. The new smartwatch sports an aluminum frame, so it’s closer to the premium feel of the other models. On the other hand, this new SE also supports the same 5G capabilities as the Apple Watch Series 11. The new SE is even closer to replacing a regular Apple Watch with an on-device Siri voice assistant and an always-on display.

With the upgraded chip, Apple promised the new device would be faster than the one from 2022 thanks to last year’s S10 SiP, or system in a package. The device will still have the sleep apnea and sleep score features found on last year’s Apple Watch and the Series 11, respectively. Better yet, it will have fast charging, promising 15 minutes of charging to get 8 hours of battery life. It includes temperature sensing and some of the “wrist flick” gestures for shuffling through apps or music.

You don’t have to worry about a price bump like we saw from the iPhone SE to the iPhone 16e. The device starts at $250 for the 40mm version with GPS and comes in both a “midnight” and silver “starlight” aluminum case.

The Apple Watch SE starts at $250 for the 40mm and will be available for preorder Tuesday. It should start shipping by Sept 19.

This is a developing story.