I Tried Every Apple Watch Model In 2025 - Here's Why The Se 3 Is The Most Underrated

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Apple's affordable SE 3 is an approachable introduction constituent into nan brand's health-tracking suite.
• Some users mightiness not for illustration nan smaller display
• The watch packs awesome worth for a little price, making it nan 1 retired of nan lineup I'd urge to smartwatch-curious shoppers.

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Last week, Apple unveiled three caller smartwatches during its yearly September iPhone event. While flashier features connected nan much costly watches, for illustration Hypertension connected nan baseline Series 11 aliases Emergency SOS connected nan Ultra 3, caught nan astir wind, nan Apple Watch SE 3 commanded attraction by simply existing. 

The smartwatch is nan astir affordable retired of nan lineup. At $250, it's $150 little than nan starting value of nan Series 11 and $550 little than nan rugged Ultra 3. Despite its cheaper price, it packs overmuch of nan aforesaid package and hardware that its siblings boast and forgoes nan flourishes.

Also: Should you upgrade to Apple Watch Series 11? Here's really it compares to older models

I tested nan smartwatch retired to spot really its regular personification acquisition compared to different members of 2025's Apple Watch lineup. Here's who I'd urge nan watch to (and who I wouldn't).

Let's statesman pinch hardware. 

The lawsuit is 2 millimeters smaller than nan Apple Watch Series 11's, and nan show area is nan smallest retired of nan watch lineup. Because of this, nan default for connection isn't a keyboard -- it's a missive drafting pad. This was a fun, imaginative replacement to nan SE 3's mini surface problem, but I tin ideate drafting retired words connected a mini surface would get exhausting if a personification did not person their telephone nearby. 

Also: How to preorder Apple's latest devices, including nan iPhone 17 series

At 1,000 nits, nan watch's brightness is nan lowest retired of nan lineup -- compared to nan Series 11's 2,000 and nan Ultra 3's 3,000. Nevertheless, I was still capable to spot nan functionalities extracurricular connected a sunny walk, and I don't judge astir users would moreover announcement nan dimmer surface if they weren't actively comparing pinch a Series 11 aliases Ultra 3.

The Apple Watch Series SE 3 (right) and Watch Series 11 (left) look astir identical, which is simply a bully thing.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Because of nan watch's smaller build, it was easy to workout and slumber pinch it, particularly compared to its large brother, nan Apple Watch Ultra 3, which took a small getting utilized to successful nan bedroom. In my testing, nan watch's artillery life lived up to its 18-hour claims. With accelerated charging, nan watch tin now spell from 0 to 80% successful 45 minutes. 15 minutes of charging springiness users 8 hours of deterioration -- capable to way a full night's sleep. 

Apple adds its S10 chip, recovered successful nan Series 10, 11, and Ultra 3, to its SE 3. This brings an Always-On Display, fast-charging, and 5G to nan instrumentality for nan first time. 

Also: Why I'm sticking pinch my iPhone 12 for different twelvemonth - and I'm not alone

One critique of nan SE 2 was that it lacked nan Always-On Display, which makes nan watch easy glanceable and interactive. However, nan S10 fixes that and makes nan smartwatch astir arsenic competitory arsenic its higher-end siblings. The spot besides brings Sleep Apnea Detection to nan SE 3 and is 1 of nan bigger characteristic announcements coming to nan different smartwatches: Sleep Scores. 

The SE 3 now rates slumber based connected duration, bedtime consistency, and interruptions to present a nightly score. Before this update, I was getting a chart pinch my bosom complaint information and slumber long each morning. Now I tin visualize done an easy-to-understand standing strategy really I slept and 3 circumstantial factors that I tin amended on. 

As I constitute successful my reappraisal of nan Series 11, Sleep Scores aren't perfect, and they often consciousness generous successful their rating. But nan characteristic summation could thief boost nan watch's sleeping features and usability, and make sleep-tracking much approachable.

Apple besides adds somesthesia sensing to nan smartwatch, for users search their menstrual rhythm for family-planning purposes. 

Who should bargain nan Apple Watch SE 3? 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

The Apple Watch SE 3 is nan smartwatch first-time buyers and fund shoppers should get. 

The watch is made for funny users looking to dip their toes successful nan health-tracking water, doing truthful without immoderate of nan much high-end functionalities that hike up nan prices of different watches. 

The SE 3 misses immoderate meaningful upgrades. ECG updates, Blood Oxygen monitoring, Hypertension Detection, and Emergency SOS via satellite, a characteristic astir utilized during outdoor, off-grid excursions, are not disposable connected nan watch. These higher-end features are useful for group digging into nan weeds of their health, intent connected search definite metrics to enactment connected apical of their conditions. 

Also: The Apple Watch Series 11 is 1 characteristic distant from making maine ditch my Oura Ring

But for nan younger smartwatch personification looking to usage nan instrumentality to way workouts, sleep, their menstrual cycle, and respond to nan overseas matter each erstwhile successful a while, these high-end features are passable for nan awesome worth SE 3 offers.

While its competitors uncover smartwatches pinch starting prices successful nan $350 range, nan SE 3 proves that Apple tin make rivaling, useful devices that are $100 less. 

Who shouldn't bargain nan SE 3?

If you person problem reference and interacting pinch a mini display, I'd urge Apple's monolithic Ultra 3 show aliases its Series 11 complete nan SE 3. Texting utilizing voice-to-text aliases nan drafting characteristic successful spot of nan keyboard could get annoying for immoderate users. Some group usage their smartwatches arsenic standalone phones while they're retired and about, but I wouldn't urge nan SE 3 arsenic one. 

If you've sewage a bad wont of letting your devices dice retired earlier recharging, you mightiness person problem pinch nan 18-hour artillery life. It mightiness beryllium little competitory than nan Series 11's 24 hours, particularly if you're utilizing nan watch to slumber track.  

ZDNET's buying advice

The Apple Watch SE 3 is nan underdog that fewer expected Apple to denote astatine its yearly hardware launch. It doesn't person nan precocious hardware that its siblings boast. 

It lacks immoderate of nan hotter features of nan Apple Watch Series 11 aliases Apple Watch Ultra 3, for illustration Hypertension Detection aliases Satellite Connectivity, but it's shaping up to beryllium a bully worth for smartwatch-curious consumers.