Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Feed Link: https://www.engadget.com/
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Title: Apple acquiesced to my Apple Watch SE 3 demands (mostly)

Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2025 22:07:26 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-acqu...

Earlier this year, I typed up an open letter to Apple, giving the company my
unsolicited (but completely free of charge!) suggestions on what it could do
to improve its entry-level smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE. Now that the
iPhone event has concluded I wanted to see if anyone over in Cupertino took
my advice.

I asked for a bigger screen, a faster processor and faster charging. I said
flashier materials weren't necessary, nor was an always-on display. I also
didn't think the watch needed to have every last health sensor. But on-board
Siri would be nice. The Apple Watch SE 3 has some of what I asked for, but
not everything. Still, at the same $250, this is looking like a pretty
tempting budget smartwatch.

The screen is still small but the processor is top of the line

I compared the display on the SE Gen 2 to my old Apple Watch Series 4 and
they were about the same size. It's usable, but after wearing the Series 10,
or even the Series 9 for a while, the screen feels dinky. Down to the pixel,
the size on the SE 3 is the exact same on the Apple Watch SE gen 2, with a
759 square millimeter display area. Sigh.

The Apple Watch SE second generationAmy Skorheim for Engadget

But! The same S10 chip that's going into the new Series 11 will ship inside
the Apple Watch SE 3, too. That means the budget smartwatch will be able to
handle watchOS 26 features like Workout Buddy and Live Translation, just like
its pricier siblings (an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone still needs to be
nearby, as it does with the other wearables).

That new chip will also enable the useful double tap gesture as well as the
new wrist flick move that dismisses notifications ΓÇö something I find
surprisingly useful as an inveterate notification-clearer. You also get on-
board processing of Siri requests. No more excessive tapping just to start a
timer. Both the gesture and Siri support are things I'd hoped a new SE would
have. So, yay!

The Apple Watch SE 3 can give you a sleep score, just like its pricier
siblingsApple AOD isn't critical, but faster charging is

In my experience with smartwatches, an always-on-display is a nice to have,
but not crucial if the screen lights up quickly enough when I lift my wrist.
But Apple went ahead and added the feature. So that's a bonus.

I also said we could do without a brighter screen, and Apple agreed. Like the
SE Gen 2, the SE 3 has a maximum brightness of 1000 nits ΓÇö that's plenty. I
can easily read the time and other pertinent info in bright sunlight on such
a screen, and feel no need for the extra blaze of the Series 11's 2000 nits.

The most critical ask was faster charging. The SE Gen 2 charged... so...
slowly... It took over two hours to juice up. Which, for me, made it
completely unusable as a sleep tracker, since I couldn't recharge it while I
got ready for the day (something I could do with every other recent
smartwatch I've tested). Thankfully, Apple fixed the problem. The SE 3 can go
for 8 hours after just 15 minutes on the charger. Hallelujah.

The Apple Watch SE second generation charged too slowly.Amy Skorheim for
Engadget Sensors, case materials and the rest

The big news for the flagship Series 11 watch was a feature that can detect
hypertension. The Apple Watch SE 3 can't do that. Nor does it have the
sensors for the ECG app. As I said in my letter, it's OK if my watch isn't a
doctor's office. The SE 3 can track your heart rate during workouts and can
deliver the new sleep score if you wear it to bed. Plus Apple added
temperature sensors that can help with ovulation predictions and the like.
That's more than enough health data gathering for a budget smartwatch.

While there was talk of a plastic version of the SE, that didn't happen.
Instead, the SE 3 is made from an aluminum alloy, just like the base model
Series 11 ΓÇö similar durability is a nice consideration for any budget
model.

And it's still just $250! When the Apple Watch SE Gen 2 came out back in
2022, Engadget's Cherlynn Low called it "the best smartwatch $250 can buy."
With all the improvements Apple has added, that praise may now be an
understatement.

So maybe the Apple folk didn't read my letter. But enough good stuff came to
be that I'll pretend they did. It's always nice to feel heard.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-acqu...
demands-mostly-220726287.html?src=rss

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