Apple Watch SE 3: Everything you need to know

While the Apple Watch X and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 could be arriving in September, we're also expecting an Apple Watch SE 3 to debut.

Apple's cheaper smartwatch could make some big changes to appeal to a wider range of budgets and users, with rumors it'll be made of a cheaper plastic material, while still packing as many of its fitness-focused features in as possible.

The idea could be to compete with cheaper Android fitness trackers that are only getting lower in price every year. Still, with watchOS 11 under the hood, there's every chance an Apple Watch SE 3 could blow them all out of the water with a more mature operating system.

Here's all we know about the Apple Watch SE 3.

Apple Watch SE 3: Release Date Rumors

Apple Watch is a companion device to the iPhone in just about every sense, and as a result, we tend to see it revealed alongside Apple's big-selling handset.

With that in mind, it's likely we'll get a reveal in September alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, followed by a release date in late September or early October.

Naturally, there's always the potential for things to change. Still, given the history of the Apple Watch, it's unlikely to deviate too much - although the Apple Watch X could arrive later because it's a tenth-anniversary model. The original didn't ship until 2015.

Apple Watch SE 3: Price Expectations

The current Apple Watch SE, the second generation, retails at $249 for the 40mm model, and $279 for the larger 44mm one.

That could stay the same with the Apple Watch SE 3, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested it could use a rigid plastic shell to get closer to Samsung's Galaxy Watch FE which retails for $199.

Apple Watch SE 3: Design and Size

As mentioned above, the material could change to keep costs down, but reports have previously suggested the new SE could use the overall shape of the Series 8.

That could mean slimmer bezels and a slightly larger 41 and 45mm display option for the SE 3, upping the usable display area by almost 20%.

Apple Watch SE 3: Features

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that the next Apple Watch lineup could see a new SiP (system in package), potentially to "lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road", and while Apple Intelligence isn't expected just yet, it'll be pretty wild if the cheaper SE 3 ends up with the same chip as its much more expensive siblings.

It's hard to say if that could happen, but given the SE 2 is on the S8 chip and Apple finally pushed past that with last year's Series 9 and Ultra 2 getting the S9, at the very least it seems reasonable to expect the S9 chip to come to the latest SE.

Elsewhere, there's a good chance that the Apple Watch SE 3 could benefit from the fast-charging introduced with the Series 7 a few years back, as well as the next generation of the optical heart sensor which debuted in the Series 6 way back in 2020 but somehow hasn't found its way to the SE lineup yet.

Apple Watch SE 3: Battery Life

The current Apple Watch SE (and indeed the mainline Series 9) all claim 18 hours of battery life, and it's unlikely Apple would allow for anything less in the SE.

Still, with drastically cheaper fitness trackers on the Android side of the fence going for days and even weeks without needing a charge, this could be an area for Apple to improve - but we've not heard anything to suggest it's high up in the company's list of priorities.

watchOS 11

watchOS 11 is the upcoming version of Apple's wearable OS, which adds a new Vitals app as well as the option to customize your Activity Rings in more detail.

Live Activities will also arrive, but Apple Intelligence won't - at least not yet. For now, that's for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.