After three fantastic years with the Apple Watch SE 2, I finally upgraded to the Apple Watch 11, and boy, was I blown away! The bigger, brighter display made every interaction a joy, and the speedy new S10 processor made everything feel lightning-fast compared to my old SE 2. Plus, the improved battery life let me wear it all day and night, taking full advantage of Apple’s new Sleep Score feature.
But here’s the thing: I was mainly after the blood-pressure monitoring feature, which is still not approved in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Association. So, for now, the Series 11 feels like overkill for my personal use case, especially since the Apple Watch SE 3 offers almost all the same health and fitness tracking features, including Sleep Score.
The SE 3: Nearly as Good, Half the Price
Apart from missing out on some cardiac health monitoring features and minor design differences, the Apple Watch SE 3 is nearly identical to the Series 11. My colleague Jacob Kroll even scored it higher in his review, giving it 4.5 stars out of 5, compared to the Series 11’s 4 stars.
What’s more, the SE 3 is selling for the same low price as the SE 2, starting at $249 / £219 / AU$399, while the Apple Watch 11 starts at $399 / £369 / AU$679. The SE 3 packs the same S10 processor as the Series 11, so you get the always-on display, double-tap gesture, and wrist-flick functionality. Day-to-day performance is nearly identical too.
Battery Life: A Trade-off
The Apple Watch 11 does win out in battery life, offering up to 24 hours compared to the SE 3’s 18 hours. But the SE 3 has a secret weapon: low-power mode, which can stretch a single charge to nearly two days. Plus, it now supports fast charging, so you can quickly top it up before bed or while you’re getting ready in the morning.
Even durability has been improved. My SE 2’s screen got a few scratches, but the SE 3’s Ion-X glass makes it four times more resistant to cracks.
Futureproofing? Not a Big Deal
The SE 3 misses out on 5G connectivity if you opt for the LTE version, but I don’t think that’s a major selling point for a smartwatch. Most of us have our phones with us anyway, so we’re typically tethered to our paired iPhone.
When Health Matters
The Apple Watch SE 3 doesn’t have blood oxygen monitoring, sleep apnea detection, or irregular heart rhythm notifications. But if you already have these conditions, you’re likely using an Apple Watch 10 or 11 already. For me, I’m at a stage where monitoring my blood pressure a few times a week would be helpful, but I’m not quite getting that with the Series 11 yet.
The Bottom Line
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Apple Watch 11. But given I’m not getting what I hoped for right off the bat, I think the larger 44mm Apple Watch SE 3 would have served me just as well. So, if you’re in the market for a new Apple Watch, consider what you really need from it and then make your decision. You might just save some cash!
