Don't Want To Break The Bank For A Smartwatch? The Apple Watch SE 3 Is Quite The Steal
All the essentials, packed into one device.
Cover image via Anne Nunis / SAYSFollow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
Modern smartwatches come packed with sensors that track your life and put convenience right on your wrist. But what if you don't really want to pay a premium for it?
That's where a smartwatch like the Apple Watch SE 3 comes in. While it may skip some of the flagship bells and whistles, it covers all the basic metrics most everyday users actually need.
It also comes at a more affordable price than Apple's Series and Ultra models. Considering the SE 3 packs nearly all the health monitoring features found on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3, it's a pretty good steal.
The Apple Watch SE 3 comes in two sizes and two finishes. The GPS-only 40mm unit costs RM1,049, while the 44mm version costs RM1,199. Colour options are kept simple, with a choice between Starlight and Midnight.
If you're looking for a watch that can make calls and send messages, a GPS + Cellular model will set you back an extra RM200-plus, depending on the size you choose.
The strap works the same way, with three styles to choose from: rubber, textile, and stainless steel. Each has its own variants and prices, and choosing stainless steel could see the watch cost as much as RM2,599.
The watch pictured above is the 44mm model with a rubber strap in the Midnight finish. In both size and design, this combination fits my wrist perfectly.
Simply put, it's an Apple Watch through and through
If you're all about the bragging rights of wearing an Apple Watch, the SE 3 offers a more affordable way to do it. It has the same iconic Apple Watch look with its rectangular watch face and Digital Crown, though it harks back to the older designs. That said, the screen is smaller and the bezels are thicker compared with higher-end models.
It has a durable aluminium case, and its Ion-X glass is four times more resistant to cracks than the Apple Watch SE 2. After accidentally bumping my wrist against a door frame and bracing for the worst, I was relieved to find the watch came through unscathed.
The SE 3 is water-resistant up to 50m, making it suitable for swimming in pools or the ocean, but not for activities like scuba diving.
For what it delivers at this price, the Apple Watch SE 3 is a solid bang for your buck
It has the same S10 chip as the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, both of which launched alongside the SE 3 in September.
The performance is smooth, the display has very little latency, and even the touch-free gestures (wrist flick and double tap) are highly responsive. My only issue with its performance is that action buttons in the far and curved corners of the screen can sometimes be hard to press. I found myself having to repeatedly press the "X" button whenever I wanted to close an app.
The Watch SE 3's peak brightness can go up to 1,000 nits, which is low in comparison to the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra's 2,000 nits and 3,000 nits peak brightness, respectively. However, it still remains visible under direct sunlight depending on how brightly coloured your watch face is.
Along with that powerful chip, one of the biggest upgrades that comes with the SE 3 is the option of an always-on display (AOD). This is a first for the SE line; the necessary specs to accommodate such a feature were previously something reserved for the higher-end Series and Ultra models.
As with any device with AOD, the trade-off comes at the expense of your battery life (more on that later).
The SE 3 covers all the basics when it comes to health and sleep monitoring
Aside from hypertension notifications and electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen monitoring, the SE 3 has all the health readings its higher-end launch mates have. Health sensors include heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking with sleep apnoea detection.
There's also a new wrist temperature sensor that offers more insights in the Vitals app, as well as ovulation estimations in the Cycle Tracking app.
Motion sensors, on the other hand, include activity tracking, fitness metrics, and safety features like Emergency SOS and Fall and Crash Detection.
When linked to the Workout app, it serves as an exercise buddy to keep track of your workouts and movement throughout the day with its in-built GPS and sensors. And if you're ever lost, you can access the Backtrack feature in the Compass app to bring you back on your path.
Running on the watchOS 26, the Apple Watch SE 3 also has handy features like Apple Pay, Find My iPhone, wireless music control, and Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence. You can also easily access Siri from your watch.
A possible irk some users may have with the Apple Watch SE 3 is its battery life
In Apple's defence, it has stated that the battery life of the SE 3 can go up to 18 hours (32 hours in Low Power Mode). And in my experience, the battery life has exceeded this estimation.
Having used the watch mainly for activity and sleep tracking with quick notification checks throughout the day, the battery life easily lasted me a day and a half before needing a charge. Granted, this extra half-day battery meant I'd have to turn on Low Power Mode towards the end of the battery's life cycle so it could last till I could charge it at home.
If you're a heavy Apple Watch user, it'll likely require a daily charge. When I toggled the always-on display, I always had to charge it at the end of the night.
The good news is that the Apple Watch SE 3 supports fast charging via the Type-C magnetic puck it comes with, and it went from 15% to 100% in a mere 50 minutes.
Having said all that, is the Apple Watch SE 3 worth it?
Honestly, this is a good Apple Watch for the everyday person. What I like about it is that it covers all the basics of a smartwatch for a relatively affordable price while also supporting most of what the watchOS 26 has to offer.
It's a great beginner Apple Watch, and if you're not someone who absolutely has to have a flagship-level smartwatch, the only really important feature you're missing out on is ECG tracking, and this is something not all users look for in a smartwatch anyway.
The watch itself comes with a variety of watch faces to choose from, so it can easily blend in to whatever scenario you find yourself in.
At its price point, the Apple Watch SE 3 is a great value-for-money kind of watch. It's affordable, it's practical, and it's easy on the eyes. What's not to love about that?
