Apple Watch SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 is Apple's cheapest watch at $249, and it arrived three years after the model before it, in a line Apple had otherwise left alone while the main Series was updated annually.

The always-on screen is the change most buyers will notice. Earlier SE models went dark when your wrist dropped, so you had to raise your arm to check the time. Apple had reserved the always-on display for its dearer watches since 2019, and withholding it was the clearest reason to spend more.

Charging got considerably quicker as well, running at twice the speed of the previous SE. Fifteen minutes on the charger adds about eight hours of use, which makes it practical to top up before bed and still wear it overnight for sleep tracking. Battery life itself stayed at the usual 18 hours.

The health features are where this generation caught up properly. It gained a sleep score, wrist temperature sensing, sleep apnoea notifications and cycle tracking that can estimate ovulation after the event, most of which had previously meant buying a Series watch.

The S10 chip arrived from the Series 10, cellular models moved to 5G, and the cover glass is rated four times more resistant to cracking than before. Two case sizes were offered, 40mm and 44mm, in aluminium, in midnight or starlight.

It was announced on 9 September 2025 with pre-orders the same day, and reached customers on 19 September 2025 at $249.