Apple Watch SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 is the entry point to Apple's watch range. Apple introduced it on 9 September 2025 alongside the Series 11 and Ultra 3 as the next generation of the SE, promising a more advanced set of health features, the S10 chip, an Always-On display and a tougher cover glass at a starting price of 249 dollars in the United States. This page summarises what Apple announced, what has changed from the previous SE and how the SE 3 differs from the more expensive models.

Launch, sizes and price

Apple opened pre-orders on 9 September 2025 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and over 50 other countries and regions, with availability from Friday 19 September. The watch comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes in midnight and starlight aluminium cases. It supports 5G cellular models with a cellular plan. Apple's vice president of Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing, Stan Ng, described the SE as a great way to begin the Apple Watch journey, offering health, fitness, safety and connectivity features at an incredible value. New subscribers who buy the SE 3, the Series 11 or the Ultra 3 could get three months of Apple Fitness+ and Apple Music, subject to region. For the more fully featured model announced at the same event, see the Watch Series 11, and the Watch SE 3 vs Watch Series 11 table lists the differences.

The S10 chip and an Always-On display

The main hardware upgrade is the S10 chip. It allows the display to stay on continuously, so you can see the time and glance at notifications without raising your wrist or tapping the screen. Even with the Always-On display, Apple quotes all-day battery life of 18 hours. The S10 also enables the double tap gesture, where tapping your thumb and index finger together twice selects the main action in an app or notification, for example to answer a call, snooze an alarm or pause a timer, and the new wrist flick gesture, where a quick turn of the wrist over and back dismisses a notification. On-device Siri is faster and can now access and log Health data, with requests such as starting a workout or setting a timer processed on the watch without a network. Voice Isolation suppresses background noise on Phone and FaceTime audio calls, and the speaker plays music or podcasts directly.

Glass and charging

Apple says the cover glass is four times more resistant to cracks than the previous generation. It is a custom grade of Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass that Apple calls the toughest available in a smartwatch. For the first time the SE supports fast charging: 15 minutes of charging adds up to eight hours of battery for daily use, and the watch reaches about 80 percent in 45 minutes, which Apple describes as up to twice as fast as the previous generation. Fast charging makes it easier to wear the watch overnight for sleep tracking, since a short top-up in the morning can cover a full day.

Health features

The SE 3 adds a group of health features that were previously found only on more expensive models. Sleep score combines sleep duration, bedtime consistency, awakenings and time in each sleep stage into one score in the Sleep app, with a breakdown of the most important factors, following guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Sleep Foundation and World Sleep Society and tested on data from more than 5 million nights. Wrist temperature sensing uses two temperature sensors and an algorithm that compensates for ambient temperature, and feeds the Vitals app. Retrospective ovulation estimates use that temperature data to estimate the likely day of ovulation after it has happened and improve period predictions. Sleep apnea notifications alert you if the watch sees consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea over a 30-day period by analysing accelerometer data for interruptions in breathing. These join heart health notifications, Cycle Tracking, cardio fitness, Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS and Check In. Notably, Apple's announcement does not list hypertension notifications, ECG or Blood Oxygen for the SE 3, so if those matter to you, review the specification of the more expensive watches before buying, such as the Watch Ultra 3.

Fitness features

The Activity app encourages you to close Move, Exercise and Stand rings with personalised goals, and the Workout app tracks a wide range of activities with validated heart rate and calorie algorithms, along with training load, cardio fitness and cardio recovery. With watchOS 26 the SE 3 gets Workout Buddy, an Apple Intelligence feature that gives personalised spoken motivation using your heart rate, pace, distance, rings and fitness milestones; it starts in English, on selected workouts and needs Bluetooth headphones and a supported iPhone nearby. The Workout app has a new layout for Workout Views, custom workouts, Pacer and Race Route, and Apple Music can suggest music for your workout.

Apple Watch For Your Kids

Apple positions the SE 3 as an excellent option for Apple Watch For Your Kids, the setup that lets a child use an Apple Watch without owning an iPhone. A parent sets it up through their own iPhone, the child gets an Apple Account and phone number, parents can reach and locate them through Find My, and children can use calls, messages, Emergency SOS, Activity goals, Memoji, the App Store, Maps, Siri and alarms. Apple lists the toughest smartwatch glass, playing media through the speaker, 5G cellular and fast charging as reasons the SE 3 suits this role.

watchOS 26 and the environment

The watch runs watchOS 26 with the Liquid Glass design, new Flow and Exactograph watch faces, over 20 refreshed faces, Smart Stack hints, Live Translation in Messages with Apple Intelligence, and Hold Assist and Call Screening in the Phone app. Requirements are an iPhone 11 or later with iOS 26. Apple says the SE 3 contains 40 percent recycled content, including 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery and 100 percent recycled aluminium in the case, and is made with 100 percent renewable electricity across the supply chain.

Who should consider it

The SE 3 suits first-time Apple Watch buyers, children on a parent's plan and people who mainly want fitness tracking, notifications and safety features. If you want a wider health suite or a longer-lasting battery, compare the models in our smartwatches section, or read the earlier Watch Series 10 page for context on how the line evolved.