Smartwatches / Apple
Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)
FDA-cleared heart features for $249 — the best-value Apple Watch, with the worst battery here.
Overall score 7/10
Pros
- + Cheapest route to a US-enabled ECG plus hypertension and sleep apnea notifications
- + Same S10 chip and same watchOS 26 as the $399 Series 11 — the gap is display and sensors, not speed
- + Always-on display and fast charging finally arrive on the SE line
- + No subscription gates any metric, unlike the similarly-priced Fitbit Sense 2
Cons
- − 18 hours is the shortest battery life of any watch in this comparison
- − 1000-nit display is half the brightness of Series 11 and a sixth of Galaxy Watch Ultra2's
- − Aluminum only, two colours only, no titanium and no larger 46mm option
- − iPhone-only — worthless the day you switch to Android
Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) review: what the specs say
FDA-cleared heart features for $249 — the best-value Apple Watch, with the worst battery here. At $249, Apple's 2025 model sits among the cheapest we cover — the smartwatches we compare run from $79.99 to $799. It scores 7.0/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is App Ecosystem at 10.0/10 — whether there is a real third-party app store on the wrist or a handful of proprietary mini-apps. The weakest is Ecosystem Freedom at 1.0/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: 18 hours is the shortest battery life of any watch in this comparison; and 1000-nit display is half the brightness of Series 11 and a sixth of Galaxy Watch Ultra2's. Every specification on this page comes from Apple's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| Phone Compatibility | iPhone only. Requires iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26 or later. No Android support of any kind. |
| Claimed Battery Life | 18 hrs |
| What the Battery Claim Assumes | Apple's 18 h figure assumes the same mixed-use day as Series 11 (90 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 min app use, 60 min workout) with the always-on display active and no LTE. Add overnight sleep tracking and you are charging twice a day. |
| Case Size | 40 mm |
| Display | LTPO OLED, always-on (new to the SE line), up to 1000 nits |
| Operating System | watchOS 26 |
| Third-Party Apps | Full on-device App Store — identical native watchOS catalogue to Series 11 and Ultra 3 |
| Health Features Enabled in the US | Live in the US: ECG, irregular rhythm notifications, sleep apnea notifications and hypertension notifications (FDA-cleared), plus wrist temperature. Blood Oxygen uses the same post-Masimo design as Series 11 — captured on the watch, calculated on the iPhone. There is no depth gauge and no skin-temperature-driven ovulation estimate beyond what Series 11 offers. |
| Subscription Wall | None required; Apple Fitness+ ($9.99/mo) is optional. |
| LTE Option | Separate SKU: Apple lists SE 3 GPS + Cellular at a $50 upcharge and it needs its own carrier line. The cellular 40mm has repeatedly been discounted to $249.99 at Amazon, closing the gap. |
| Water & Dust Rating | 50 m water resistant (WR50), IP6X dust resistant |
| Battery Replacement | Apple out-of-warranty battery service is a flat $99 — over a third of the watch's price. |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, Optional LTE cellular (separate SKU) |
| Material | 100% recycled aluminum case with Ion-X strengthened front glass |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Compare Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) With
Cheaper Alternative
Amazfit Bip 6 (46mm) — $79.99
Premium Alternative
Fitbit Sense 2 — $249.95