The Apple Watch SE starts at $249, providing an accessible, low-cost option for those interested in owning an Apple smartwatch. The company also now offers the Apple Watch Series 10, which starts at $399, so what exactly do you get by spending an additional $150 and is it worth it? Our comparison helps to answer the question of which of these two Apple Watch models is best for you.
Apple announced the second-generation Apple Watch SE in 2022 alongside the now-discontinued Apple Watch Series 8. The Apple Watch Series 10 launched two years later in 2024. The Apple Watch SE is designed to be a low-cost option that still offers many of the Apple Watch features that have made the device so popular over the years, while the Apple Watch Series 10 offers a more feature-rich experience with additional health monitoring capabilities.
Both the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 10 feature Crash Detection, water resistance, an optical heart sensor, up to 18 hours of battery life, and more, but there are significant differences between the two devices. Our comparison helps to answer the question of which of these two Apple Watch models is best for you.
| Apple Watch SE (second generation, 2022) | Apple Watch Series 10 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Same design as Apple Watch Series 4, 5, and 6 | Refined design with a thinner casing, display with more rounded edges and a wider aspect ratio, and front glass that extends further over the sides for a higher screen-to-body ratio |
| Aluminum casing | Aluminum or titanium casing |
| Ion-X glass front | Ion-X glass (aluminum) or sapphire crystal (titanium) front |
| Color-matched nylon composite back case | Metal back with larger charging coil and integrated antenna |
| 40mm or 44mm case size | 42mm or 46mm case size with edge-to-edge display |
| 40mm: 1.57-inch display 44mm: 1.78-inch display |
42mm: 1.89-inch display 46mm: 2.04-inch display |
| Retina display | LTPO3 OLED Always-On Retina display (faster refresh rate in always-on mode, enabling a live ticking seconds hand on select watch faces) |
| Wide-angle OLED (up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle) | |
| 40mm: 324 by 394 pixels with 759 sq mm display area 44mm: 368 by 448 pixels with 977 sq mm display area |
41mm: 374x446 pixels 989 sq mm display area 46mm: 416x496 pixels 1,220 sq mm display area |
| Up to 1,000 nits of brightness | Up to 2,000 nits of brightness |
| Display can get dimmer in dark rooms and at night (down to 1 nit of brightness) | |
| S8 chip (based on A13 Bionic chip) | S10 chip (based on A15 Bionic chip: 60% more transistors, 30% faster) |
| Neural Engine | 4-core Neural Engine (up to twice as fast) |
| Siri processed in the cloud via internet connection | Siri processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet, resulting in quicker and more reliable responses |
| Dictation | 25% more accurate dictation |
| Siri can access health and fitness data | |
| Second-generation optical heart sensor | Third-generation optical heart sensor |
| Blood oxygen sensor and Blood Oxygen app (outside the U.S. only) | |
| Sleep apnea notifications | |
| Electrical heart sensor and ECG app | |
| Body and water temperature sensor | |
| Depth gauge to 6m | |
| Depth app | |
| Oceanic+ app for snorkelling (available on the App Store) | |
| Microphone | Microphone with voice isolation |
| Single, elongated speaker hole | Redesigned speaker with individual holes |
| Speaker | Speaker with media playback |
| Cycle tracking | Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates |
| Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip | |
| Precision Finding for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, providing distance and direction, as well as visual, haptic, and audio guidance to a misplaced iPhone | |
| HomePod integration (when a user gets within four meters of a playing HomePod, the Apple Watch launches Now Playing to control playback. If nothing is playing, media suggestions appear at the top of the Smart Stack.) | |
| Fast charging (0–80% in about 30 minutes) | |
| Double Tap gesture to stop a timer, play and pause music, snooze an alarm, answer and end a phone call, take a photo with the Camera Remote, open the Smart Stack, and scroll through widgets in the stack, all without touching the display | |
| 32GB storage | 64GB storage |
| Available in anodized Silver, Starlight, Midnight finishes | Aluminum: Available in anodized Silver and Rose Gold, and polished Jet Black finishes Titanium: Available in polished Silver (matches previous stainless steel casing, Apple Watch Hermès only), Gold, Slate, and Natural finishes |
| Starts at $249 | Starts at $399 (aluminum) or $699 (titanium) |
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a relatively minor improvement over the previous Series 9 model, offering a thinner design and an improved display. Yet compared to the Apple Watch SE, the Apple Watch Series 10 is a considerably more feature-rich device with advanced capabilities.
With its larger display, additional health monitoring features, and range of colors and finishes, the Apple Watch Series 10 will be the model of choice for those who want more out of their smartwatch. If you feel that the always-on display, added health monitoring features (such as ECG and sleep apnea notifications), or fast charging would be particularly useful to you, or simply like a specific casing and color combination not available with the Apple Watch SE, the Apple Watch Series 10 will be the best model for you. It's also worth noting that the Apple Watch SE is now over two years old, while the Series 10 has only just come out, so the latter is likely to be more future proof.
If you are on a budget and are not particularly attracted to the additional features of the Series 10, the Apple Watch SE is still a compelling option. As it shares many key features with the Apple Watch Series 10, many customers will be happy choosing the more inexpensive model, unless you particularly value features such as the larger, always-on display or advanced health monitoring and can justify the added cost.
The Apple Watch SE is an ideal device for kids and senior citizens who do not have an iPhone thanks to Family Setup, but it is also the go-to model for most customers who are new to the Apple Watch and those who are upgrading from a Series 4 or older due to its competitive pricing and generous feature set, allowing users to get a balanced Apple Watch experience at a low price.
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