Apple Watch SE 3: What to Expect From Apple's Upcoming Budget Smartwatch

Along with the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple plans to introduce a new version of the Apple Watch SE. The Apple Watch SE hasn't been updated since 2022, so it is overdue for an update.

Size and Design

The Apple Watch SE could get new display sizes, according to display analyst Ross Young. The device will supposedly come in 1.6-inch and 1.8-inch display sizes.

Those sizes aren't too far off of the current Apple Watch SE 2 display sizes, but it's time for a display upgrade. The Apple Watch SE 2 is modeled after the Apple Watch Series 6, and it comes in the older 40mm and 44mm size options.

With the Series 7, Apple updated the Apple Watch sizing to 41mm and 45mm, and with the Series 10, display sizes changed to 42mm and 46mm. It's possible that the Apple Watch SE 3 will get the Apple Watch Series 7 design, which features a thinner design and slimmed down bezels.

Right now, the Apple Watch SE does not have always-on display technology, and it's another feature that Apple could bring to the low-cost watch now that it's been around for some time. There are no rumors about always-on display technology for the SE 3, though.

Updated S11 Chip

The next-generation Apple Watch SE will get the same S11 chip as the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra, according to information that Apple accidentally leaked.

The S11 is essentially the same as the S9 and the S10, but it will be a major improvement over the S8 chip that's in the current Apple Watch SE. Performance should be much quicker and the SE 3 should be much more responsive.

With the S11, the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌ could get features like on-device Siri processing, support for double tap gestures, and more storage.

Possible Health Features

The Apple Watch SE has historically had fewer health features than Apple's flagship Apple Watch models. It doesn't have the ECG app, and there's no blood oxygen monitoring. If there are new health features in the Series 11 and the Ultra 3, it's unlikely the functionality will make it to the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌.

The Apple Watch SE does support core features like heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and respiratory rate tracking, so Apple could add sleep apnea detection to the SE 3 because it would have all of the hardware to support the feature. Sleep apnea detection is currently limited to the Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2.

Apple could upgrade the optical heart sensor to the third-generation version that was initially introduced in the Apple Watch Series 7, because the current Apple Watch SE is still using the second-generation sensor.

Other possibilities include improved battery life, faster charging, and better water resistance.

Plastic Casing Rumors

Back in mid-2024, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on a new Apple Watch SE with a colorful plastic casing. The device would have been reminiscent of the iPhone 5c, an iPhone that used a rigid plastic material instead of aluminum.

As of this year, Gurman says that Apple might have scrapped the plan for a new casing design. The design team supposedly did not like the look of the device, and the materials team was struggling to make it cheaper than the current aluminum casing.

For that reason, the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌ may continue to use an aluminum case instead of the more colorful plastic that's been mentioned in rumors.

Price

There haven't been rumors of a price increase for the Apple Watch SE, and Apple will likely want to keep the device affordable. The current 40mm version is priced starting at $249, and the 44mm model is priced starting at $279.

Apple has been marketing the Apple Watch SE to parents who get the device for their children, and raising the price could impact Apple's efforts to market the device to kids.

Launch Timing

We're expecting Apple to announce the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌ at its September 9 iPhone event. Pre-orders for the watch could follow on September 12, and a launch could come on September 19.