two minute review
Before you dive into this Apple Watch SE review, think about one thing: what do you really want from a smartwatch?
Because if it's just an "Apple Watch," then the Apple Watch SE is an underrated hit in the making, the great-value smartwatch with all the best watchOS benefits at a great price. Heck, for some it might just be the best smartwatch out there.
- Apple Watch SE (blue) on Amazon for €199 (opens in a new tab)
It doesn't address the remaining flaws in Apple's smartwatch lineup, though, despite some notable benefits and a starting price of just $279 / £269 / AU$429. It offers the best of what you'd expect without offering anything new. So you'll be waiting on the legendary Apple Watch SE 2 for any significant changes, though with no release date possible, the Apple Watch SE is still a safe bet.
The Apple Watch SE design is as familiar as it gets: the same curved edges, rounded aluminum chassis, and Digital Crown on the side. If you've ever owned an Apple Watch, or just admired devices and longed to own one, there's nothing new here.
Along with the Apple Watch 6, it's also a "bigger" Apple Watch, with a larger screen and at 40mm and 44mm sizes, compared to the Apple Watch 3, still on sale as of 2017, which it measures 38mm and 42mm, and packs a smaller screen. The latter is the real competitor to the Apple Watch SE, and we'll see if more attractive goodies are revealed in the upcoming Apple Watch 7.
The screen is familiar too, in terms of sharpness and resolution. Thanks to OLED technology, it's clear, bright and easy to read in any situation – that's Apple at its best.
However, some can be turned off by the lack of an always-on display - Apple left it here to keep the price down - so, like older watches, you'll need to raise your wrist to see the time, how your training. , follow a map that you use... basically anything.
While this is useful for making it cheaper and saving battery life, it's not ideal for a watch.
Where the Apple Watch excels is that it's probably the best extension of a phone on the wrist of any smartwatch. Alarms sync perfectly. Your data is instantly shared between apps. The integration into the Apple ecosystem is immense.
But while many of the Watch SE's features are smaller versions of those on the iPhone, when it comes to fitness, the Apple Watch betters it. The list of exercises that can be tracked in the default training app continues to grow, and third-party apps like Strava work well, if a bit simplistic, on the watch as well.
Add an Apple Music subscription and a pair of AirPods, and you can leave the house without your phone and go for a run with plenty of music going - these seamless experiences are what will appeal to Apple Watch users, and while that may Being done on any Apple Watch line, the combination of the SE's larger screen for tracking your workout and the lower price than the Watch-6 make the Watch SE an attractive fitness companion.
However, when it comes to battery life, Apple is still struggling to catch up. Having a smartwatch that only lasts a day and a half isn't enough in 2020, especially now that Apple has implemented sleep tracking on the Watch SE.
When are you supposed to charge this thing? There isn't a time of day when recharging is a natural option, like recharging overnight, so you end up doing small recharges here and there, or just forget to pick up the watch and don't have it on your wrist for hours on end. hours. .
While battery life is good in terms of the Apple Watch range (and thanks to the lack of an always-on display and efficient chip in the core, the best we've seen from Apple) compared to the rest of the market , much needed.
If sleep tracking wasn't so basic, it would be more complicated for you: You'd have to decide whether to change your charging routine to take advantage of the feature, or just not use it much. But all sleep tracking will do is tell you when you've slept, and several more durable and cheaper smartwatches on the market can give you much more data.
If you're looking for a state-of-the-art Apple Watch, but don't want to spend a lot of money, the Watch SE dispenses with "luxury" features and only offers what you need. It's somewhere between the Apple Watch 4 and the Apple Watch 5 in terms of power and features, and if you can get the older Watch 4 on sale, it's probably worth checking out.
But if you want a new Apple Watch, we absolutely recommend this model, as long as you can live without the always-on display.
Apple Watch SE price and release date
The price of the Apple Watch SE will depend on whether you go for the GPS-only version or the cellular edition, and whether you prefer the simple Solo Loop/Sport band or the fancier braided Solo Loop bracelet.
They sent us samples of the Solo Loop, but unfortunately they were too big for our wrists. However, there was something so much nicer about just putting them on, rather than having to fiddle with a buckle.
Apple Watch SE is available now at the Apple Store or online, and went on sale on September 18, 2020 in major territories around the world.
Slide to slide horizontallyPrecio Apple Watch SE - Solo Loop / Sport BandRegion40mm GPS40mm GPS+LTEGPS 44mm GPS+LTE279 €329 €309 €359 UK€269 €319 €299 €349 Australia€429 CA499 CA479 €549 Slide to slide horizontallyPrecio Apple Watch SE - Braided Solo LoopRegionGPS 40mmGPS 40mm+LTEGPS 44mmGPS 44mm+LTE329 €379 €359 €409 United Kingdom€319 €369 €349 €399 Australia499 CA€569 CA€549 CA€619A basic "update"
The first question you may have is: what does the Apple Watch SE actually replace? It doesn't have the always-on display of the Watch 5, but it packs more power than the Watch 4, so if those two devices were still on sale, we could call it the Apple Watch 4.5.
With that in mind, what updates, if you can call them that, does the SE bring to the Watch 4 (which, as mentioned, is no longer on sale)?
The main change is the chipset inside: we found that the Apple Watch 5's battery life improved significantly when the always-on display was off, and since it's not an issue with the Watch SE, we'd expect good battery life. the battery on this device, and that's what we're seeing in the early days of strapping it to our wrist.
There are still plenty of useful features on the Apple Watch SE that those upgrading from the Apple Watch 3 would appreciate, and many of them are also great for health tracking, which is quickly becoming the top reason to buy this watch.
The Watch SE's onboard decibel meter does a good job of alerting you when the sound around you is too loud. Sleep tracking, which is certainly available on any watch capable of running the new WatchOS 7 these days, is useful, if not as comprehensive as dedicated sleep monitors, with things like time spent in deep, restful sleep not specified.
The constantly running altimeter is useful for telling you the true reflection of your elevation during a run, at the nearest foot according to Apple, though when we tested side by side with the Apple Watch 6 during a run, we found that the height raised and lowered varied from 10 to 15 meters in a two mile run.
It's not huge, but we wouldn't use the Watch SE to calculate our exact elevation stats in any workout.
At the other end of the fitness scale, the Apple Watch SE seems like a great choice for an aging parent whose health you might want to monitor - being able to get alerts for fall detection or heart rate issues will really bring peace of mind to those who are worried.
Combine that with the larger screen at both 40mm/44mm sizes, thanks to less bezel, and this is a really useful device for older people.
With the new Family Setup feature for the Watch line, which lets you set up an Apple wearable for someone else from your iPhone, buying the Watch SE for someone who doesn't use an iPhone becomes a relatively simple proposition.
Apple Watch SE design
The design of the Apple Watch SE won't surprise anyone: the cheapest watch is no different from any other Apple Watch released since the Apple Watch 4 in 2018.
The same curved outline, which folds elegantly into the OLED display (more on that in a bit) is there and right, encasing the digital crown that rolls nicely under your finger when you use it to scroll through a list on the face. of the clock.
Below that is the power/multitasking button, which you can use to cycle through recently opened apps and return to the one you just used.
Although it is a cheaper Apple Watch, there is no indication of a reduction in the design process.
At the bottom of the Watch SE, you'll find the heart rate monitor, with the bright green LEDs that monitor your pulse throughout the day, that protrude slightly outward but can't be felt on your wrist during normal use.
2020 sees the release of a new style of band, Solo Loop, which looks like a really cool addition. It's a loop of silicone (or braided silicone) that stretches over your hand, so you don't have to constantly fasten and unfasten your Watch SE to put it on and take it off.
But you'll need to make sure you get the right size for your wrist: Apple sent us the largest and third-largest size available, turning our Apple Watch SE into a wristband.
Typically you'd go to an Apple Store and prepare for one, but in today's world of Covid people are likely to be less willing to do so; the alternative is to print a size guide on paper, and that seems like a lot of stress.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other bands to choose from, so you'll always find something to...