The Apple Watch is extremely popular and could be poised to grow even more as rumors start to circulate about the next refresh of the budget SE line.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Apple Watch SE (3rd Gen) price, release date, and features.
When will the Apple Watch SE (2024) be released?
There is of course no official date for when the next generation of Apple Watch SE will arrive, but Apple has been consistent with the launch windows of its previous two generations. Here’s when they debuted:
It therefore makes sense that the 3rd generation model will arrive in September 2024, alongside the highly anticipated Apple Watch X and Apple Watch Ultra 3.
How much will the Apple Watch SE (2024) cost?
Again, we haven’t had any confirmed pricing details from Apple since the product doesn’t officially exist yet. We must therefore look to previous generations for guidance. Here’s how the base models lined up:
Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
- Apple Watch SE (1st generation, GPS, 40mm) – $279/£269
- Apple Watch SE (1st generation, GPS+Cellular, 40mm) – $329/£319
- Apple Watch SE (1st generation, GPS, 44mm) – $309/£299
- Apple Watch SE (1st generation, GPS+Cellular, 44mm) – $359/£349
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, GPS, 40mm) – $249/£219
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, GPS+Cellular, 40mm) – $279/£289
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, GPS, 44mm) – $299/£289
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, GPS+Cellular, 44mm) – $329/£319
The UK price was actually a little higher at launch, but this seemed to be linked to high inflation and distribution problems caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prices have fallen to current figures, perhaps illustrating a market correction.
We don’t see Apple raising these asking prices much, as it wouldn’t want to get too close to more premium models. So we expect the Apple Watch (3rd generation) to arrive at very similar levels to the second generation model it replaces.
What new features will we see in the Apple Watch SE (2024)?
As you’ve probably guessed, Apple is remaining tight-lipped about what we might see in the next generation of its Watch.
Some rumors and leaks have already surfaced, along with some pretty obvious upgrades that usually mark the release of a new model. Here’s what you should expect from the Apple Watch SE (3rd generation).
Faster processor
This one isn’t difficult, as Apple always brings a next-generation chipset to its upgraded devices.
The Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) currently uses an S8 SiP (System in Package), and it seems likely that the newer model could feature the S9 SiP found in the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
While the relevant upgrades of these models are carried over to the S10 SiP. The S9 is said to offer improved performance over the S8, thanks to 60% more integrated transistors, its ability to process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast as its predecessor, and improved GPU performance by about 30 %.
Bigger screens
Another strong rumor is that Apple will move the design of the Apple Watch SE (3rd generation) to a design identical to that of the Apple Watch 7.
The reason is that this will allow the platform to move from 40/44mm display sizes to the larger 41/45mm introduced with the Watch 7.
In real terms, this would give the increased panels about 20% more space for information and Mickey Mouse watch faces.
Health Improvements
One area where the SE models lag behind the higher-end models is in fitness tracking. While the main versions come with an ECG, SpO2 monitoring and a temperature sensor, the SE range has none.
It was widely speculated that SpO2 functionality could come to the Watch SE 3, but that is now uncertain, after Apple found itself embroiled in a dispute with a company called Misimo that claimed the technology infringed its patents.
This led to watches with the built-in feature having to be pulled from shelves initially and now being shipped (in the US) with the feature disabled.
Due to this ongoing disagreement, it is unclear whether Apple will continue to introduce this feature in the new SE model.
That’s everything we’ve seen so far regarding the Apple Watch SE (3rd generation), but we’ll continue to update this article as more information is revealed. In the meantime, you can read our guide to the best smartwatches as well as Macworld’s roundup of the best Apple Watch deals to see if you can find the smartwatch that’s right for you at a price that suits you.
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