Aside from the new flagship Apple Watch Series 6, Apple also announced a newer budget wearable dubbed the Apple Watch SE at its September 15, 2020 Time Flies event.
If you’re curious about what this cost-efficient option might be packing under the hood, then you’ve come to the right place. This column will outline all the new wearable’s technical specifications in one convenient and easy-to-digest piece.
Apple Watch SE tech specs
Trim styles and finishes
- Apple Watch Series 6 GPS + Cellular (44 mm case and 40 mm case)
- Aluminum case – colors: gold, silver, or space gray
- Apple Watch Series 6 GPS (44 mm case and 40 mm case)
- Aluminum case – colors: gold, silver, or space gray
- Apple Watch Nike (44 mm case and 40 mm case)
- Aluminum case – colors: silver or space gray
Case dimensions
40mm
- Height: 40mm
- Width: 34mm
- Depth: 10.4mm
44mm
- Height: 44mm
- Width: 38mm
- Depth: 10.4mm
Case Weight
- GPS + Cellular
- Aluminum 40 mm = 30.5 g
- Aluminum 44 mm = 36.5 g
- GPS
- Aluminum 40 mm = 30.5 g
- Aluminum 44 mm = 36.5 g
Chips
- S5 SIP with 64-bit dual-core processor
- W3 Apple wireless chip
Features
- GPS, GNSS
- Compass
- Always-on altimeter
- Water-resistant up to 50 meters
- Second-generation optical heart sensor
- International emergency calling
- Emergency SOS
- Accelerometer (up to 32 g-forces with fall detection)
- Gyroscope
- Ambient light sensor
- 50% louder speaker
- Improved microphone
- Apple Pay
- GymKit
- Storage capacity 32GB
- Digital crown with haptic feedback
- Ceramic and sapphire crystal back
Connectivity
- GPS + Cellular model:
- LTE and UMTS
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- GPS model:
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz)
- Bluetooth 5.0
Display
- LTPO OLED Retina display with 1,000 nits brightness (not always-on)
- 324 by 394 pixels (40 mm) with 759 sq mm display area
- 368 by 448 pixels (44 mm) with 977 sq mm display area
Power
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Up to 18 hours
- Magnetic charging cable
Operating system
Conclusion
The Apple Watch SE is fundamentally a dumbed-down version of the Apple Watch Series 5, lacking the always-on display and some other key features like the ECG app, an electrical heart sensor, and more favorable finishes. It also doesn’t include the new blood-oxygen sensor and app that the flagship Apple Watch Series 6 ships with, but these cut corners are to be expected when shopping for a budget wearable. Even so, it’s an excellent value.
Do you plan to get an Apple Watch SE? Or perhaps you will keep what you already have or opt for the Apple Watch Series 6 instead? Let us know in the comments section below.