Apple Watch SE 3: The Budget Apple Watch With Notable Compromises

The Apple Watch SE 3 occupies a peculiar position in Apple's 2025 lineup: it's simultaneously the best budget smartwatch you can buy and a masterclass in strategic compromise. At $249, it delivers 90% of the Apple Watch experience while cutting costs in ways that matter more to some users than others. The missing ECG and blood oxygen sensors, dimmer display, and daily charging requirement are real trade-offs–but for most people, they won't matter.

The always-on display changes everything. Previous SE models required that awkward wrist flick to check the time, making them feel like budget watches pretending to be premium. The SE 3 finally acts like a real smartwatch–glance down and there's your watch face, always visible, always ready. It's the single biggest upgrade from the SE 2, and it transforms the daily experience.

Design & Build

Apple hasn't redesigned the SE since the Series 4 era, and it shows. The bezels are noticeably thicker than the Series 11's edge-to-edge display, and the overall footprint feels dated when the two watches sit side by side. The aluminum case comes in Midnight, Starlight, and Silver–safe choices that won't offend anyone but won't excite them either.

The 40mm and 44mm sizes remain unchanged, which means the display area is the smallest in the current lineup. Text-heavy watch faces feel cramped, and the default text input method is a drawing pad rather than a keyboard–a limitation that becomes annoying quickly if you frequently reply to messages from your wrist.

Build quality is solid. The Ion-X glass is reasonably scratch-resistant, and the 50-meter water resistance handles swimming and showers without issue. The nylon composite back sits comfortably against skin during workouts. This is a well-made watch; it just doesn't look as modern as its siblings.

Display

The always-on Retina display is bright enough for indoor use and most outdoor conditions, but here's where the compromises become visible. At 1,000 nits peak brightness, the SE 3 is half as bright as the Series 11's 2,000 nits–a difference that's immediately apparent in direct sunlight. Checking your pace during a midday run requires shading the screen or squinting.

The display also lacks the lovely ticking-seconds-hand animations that watchOS 11 brings to the Series 11 and Ultra 3. It's a small omission, but these details accumulate into a less refined experience overall.

Performance & Features

Here's where Apple made no compromises: the SE 3 runs the same S10 chip found in watches costing three times as much. Apps launch instantly, animations are butter-smooth, and there's no perceptible difference in daily performance between this and the $799 Ultra 3. The 64GB storage (doubled from the SE 2) holds plenty of music, podcasts, and apps.

All the gesture controls work identically–Double Tap to answer calls or pause music, Wrist Flick to scroll through notifications. Siri responds quickly. Third-party apps run without lag. If raw performance is your concern, don't be–the SE 3 punches at the same weight as its premium siblings.

watchOS 11 runs beautifully here, bringing the new Vitals app, improved sleep tracking with Sleep Score, and the redesigned fitness rings. You're not missing any software features due to the lower price point.

Health & Fitness

This is where the SE 3's compromises become most significant for certain users. The optical heart rate sensor handles continuous tracking, workout heart rate zones, and high/low heart rate notifications competently. It occasionally struggles with the rapid peaks of high-intensity interval training–a limitation shared by most optical wrist sensors–but it's accurate enough for general fitness tracking.

The temperature sensor is a major upgrade from the SE 2, enabling retrospective ovulation estimates for cycle tracking and populating the wrist-temperature data in the Vitals app. Sleep apnea detection, new for 2025, works here too.

But here's what you don't get: no ECG for atrial fibrillation detection, no blood oxygen monitoring, and no passive hypertension notifications. If you have a heart condition that requires monitoring, or you want SpO2 tracking for sleep quality insights, the SE 3 simply cannot provide those features. The Series 11 at $399 becomes the minimum viable option for health-focused users.

Fall Detection and Crash Detection work identically to the premium models–potentially life-saving features that Apple hasn't reserved for higher price points.

Battery Life

Let's be direct: the Apple Watch SE 3 requires daily charging. Apple rates it at 18 hours, which means putting it on the charger every night. If you want to use sleep tracking–and the new Sleep Score feature is genuinely useful–you'll need to find a charging window during your day. The fast charging helps here; 45 minutes gets you from empty to 80%, so a shower-time top-up can work.

Compare this to the Garmin Forerunner 165 at $249, which offers 11 days of battery life. Or the Huawei Watch Fit 4, which goes a week between charges. Daily charging is the Apple Watch tax, and the SE 3 doesn't escape it.

Who It's For

The Apple Watch SE 3 is the right choice for: - First-time Apple Watch buyers who want the core experience without the premium price - Kids and teenagers who need safety features and basic fitness tracking - iPhone users who primarily want notifications, Apple Pay, and music control on their wrist - Budget-conscious buyers who can live without ECG and blood oxygen monitoring

Who Should Skip

Look elsewhere if you: - Have heart conditions requiring ECG monitoring or blood oxygen tracking - Spend significant time outdoors where the 1,000-nit display will struggle - Want multi-day battery life–fitness trackers and sports watches deliver this; Apple Watches don't - Already own an SE 2–the always-on display is nice, but it's not a $249 nice upgrade

The Verdict

Score: 75/100 – The Apple Watch SE 3 delivers the essential Apple Watch experience at a $150 discount, but the missing health sensors, dimmer display, and daily charging are compromises that matter. Excellent value for casual users; Series 11 remains the better choice for health-focused buyers.