The Apple Watch SE has become a key player in the wearable technology market, providing a more affordable alternative to premium models like the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra. Despite its lower cost, the Apple Watch SE does not compromise on key features, offering an excellent blend of functionality, design, and performance. As we move into 2025, the Apple Watch SE continues to be a top choice for individuals seeking a value-packed smartwatch that doesn’t break the bank.
In this article, we’ll explore the Apple Watch SE in detail, covering its notable features, pros and cons, and why it remains an excellent option for buyers in 2025.
Apple Watch SE Overview
The Apple Watch SE, first released in 2020 and updated in 2022, delivers many core features found in more expensive Apple Watch models, at a more accessible price. Its design is similar to the higher-end options, featuring a sleek, modern appearance with an emphasis on fitness tracking, health monitoring, and usability. Additionally, it is fully compatible with Apple’s extensive ecosystem, including WatchOS, iMessage, Apple Pay, and more.
Key Features of the Apple Watch SE (2025)
Let’s take a closer look at the standout features of the Apple Watch SE that make it a popular choice for users.
1. Display and Design
- Size Options: The Apple Watch SE is available in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, ensuring it fits a wide range of wrist sizes.
- Retina Display: The always-on Retina display is bright and easy to read, ensuring visibility for notifications, fitness tracking, and time-checking in any lighting condition.
- Case Options: The watch comes in an aluminum case with color choices like Space Gray, Silver, and Midnight. While it lacks the premium materials of the Series 8 or Ultra, it offers a sleek and stylish look.
- Durability: The SE is water-resistant up to 50 meters, making it suitable for swimming and other water-related activities.
2. Performance and Battery Life
- Chipset: The Apple Watch SE is powered by the S8 SiP (System in Package) chip, ensuring fast performance, smooth transitions between apps, and quick app loading. The S8 chip is similar to the one found in the Series 8, so the SE remains fast and efficient.
- Battery Life: With up to 18 hours of battery life, the Apple Watch SE offers a full day’s use, aligning with the Series 8 and providing ample power for an average day.
3. Health and Fitness Features
- Heart Rate Monitoring: The SE features an optical heart sensor to continuously monitor your heart rate and send alerts if it becomes too high or low, a helpful feature for those with health concerns.
- Fitness Tracking: The SE tracks a wide range of activities, such as walking, running, swimming, and yoga, and supports Apple’s Fitness+ service for guided workouts.
- Sleep Tracking: Sleep tracking is a standard feature on the Apple Watch SE, providing valuable insights into your sleep patterns and quality of rest.
- Fall Detection: Fall detection is included, and if the watch detects a severe fall, it will automatically notify emergency services.
- Crash Detection: This new feature, available on the 2025 model, automatically contacts emergency services in the event of a car crash.
4. Connectivity and Ecosystem
- GPS and Cellular: The Apple Watch SE comes in two versions: GPS-only and GPS + Cellular. The GPS version works well for basic tracking, while the Cellular model enables calling, texting, and music streaming directly from the watch, even without a connected iPhone.
- Apple Ecosystem: The SE is seamlessly integrated into Apple’s ecosystem, allowing it to sync effortlessly with devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This enables you to reply to messages, receive notifications, and control music from your wrist.
- Apple Pay: The SE supports Apple Pay, allowing for secure, contactless payments straight from the watch.
5. WatchOS and App Support
- WatchOS 9: The Apple Watch SE runs on WatchOS, Apple’s smartwatch operating system. This version introduces enhanced customization options, improved notifications, and more apps for better functionality in daily life.
- Third-party App Support: Like other Apple Watches, the SE supports thousands of third-party apps, spanning categories like fitness, entertainment, and productivity.
6. Family Setup
- Apple’s Family Setup feature enables users to set up an Apple Watch for family members who don’t own an iPhone, which is particularly useful for children or elderly family members who can still benefit from the watch’s communication and safety features.
Apple Watch SE Features Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | Always-on Retina display, available in 40mm & 44mm sizes |
| Chipset | Powered by S8 SiP, ensuring fast performance |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours on a single charge |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters, suitable for swimming |
| Health Monitoring | Includes heart rate monitoring, fall detection, crash detection |
| Fitness Tracking | Tracks various activities, integrates with Fitness+ |
| Sleep Tracking | Provides insights into sleep patterns |
| Connectivity | GPS + Cellular models available, integrates with Apple ecosystem |
| WatchOS | Runs WatchOS 9 with access to thousands of apps |
| Family Setup | Available for setting up an Apple Watch for family members without an iPhone |
Pros and Cons of the Apple Watch SE (2025)
Pros
- Affordable Price: One of the main advantages of the Apple Watch SE is its cost. It provides a premium smartwatch experience at a much lower price than the higher-end models like the Series 8 and Ultra, making it a great choice for those who want an Apple Watch without the hefty price tag.
- Solid Performance: With the S8 SiP chip, the SE offers fast and responsive performance, ensuring smooth operation even with multiple apps running simultaneously, matching the performance of more expensive models.
- Comprehensive Health Tracking: The SE includes essential health and fitness features, including heart rate monitoring, fall detection, and crash detection, making it an excellent choice for health-conscious users.
- Battery Life: With 18 hours of battery life, the Apple Watch SE can easily last throughout the day, matching the battery life of other Apple Watch models.
- Sharp, Bright Display: The always-on Retina display is vibrant and easy to read, even in bright sunlight, offering great value for its price.
- Integration with Apple Ecosystem: The seamless connection with other Apple devices makes the SE an ideal companion for iPhone users, allowing for easy communication, music control, and notifications.
- Family Setup: The ability to set up an Apple Watch for family members who don’t have an iPhone is a useful feature, especially for children or older adults.
Cons
- Missing Advanced Features: While the Apple Watch SE covers the essentials, it doesn’t include some of the advanced features found in higher-end models, such as the ECG monitor or blood oxygen sensor.
- No Always-On Display: The Apple Watch SE lacks an always-on display, unlike the premium Series models. To view the time or notifications, you’ll need to raise your wrist.
- No Premium Case Materials: The SE only comes in an aluminum case, which lacks the luxurious feel of the stainless steel or titanium options available in the Series 8.
- Limited Advanced Workout Features: While it tracks a wide range of basic activities, the Apple Watch SE lacks the specialized fitness metrics found in higher-end models for professional athletes or extreme adventurers.
Why You Should Buy the Apple Watch SE in 2025
The Apple Watch SE continues to be an excellent value for anyone looking for a smartwatch that offers core features without the high price of premium models. Here’s why you should consider it in 2025:
- Great Value for Money: The Apple Watch SE delivers most of the features people want from a smartwatch, such as fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking, at a fraction of the price of the Series 8 or Ultra.
- Perfect for Everyday Use: The SE handles daily tasks like checking messages, tracking workouts, and using Apple Pay with ease. It provides all the essential smartwatch functions without paying for extra features you may not use.
- Long Software Support: Apple devices are known for receiving long-term updates, and the Apple Watch SE will continue to benefit from software improvements and new features for years.
- Enhanced Health and Safety Features: With its fall detection, crash detection, and heart rate monitoring, the Apple Watch SE is a valuable safety tool, offering peace of mind for users.
- Effortless Integration with Apple Products: If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Watch SE integrates perfectly with your iPhone and other devices, streamlining your daily tasks.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch SE remains a fantastic choice in 2025 for anyone seeking an affordable yet high-quality smartwatch. With impressive performance, a range of health-tracking features, and seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem, it continues to offer great value. Whether you’re into fitness, want to keep track of your health, or simply need a reliable smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE is an ideal option to consider.