Apple Watch SE 3: First impressions
At its ‘Awe Dropping’ event on September 9, Apple launched the third generation of its affordable smartwatch— Apple Watch SE 3 . The latest model comes with a price tag of Rs 25,900 and has borrowed its looks and design from its predecessor — Apple Watch SE 2 which the company launched in 2022. Apple Watch SE 3 also includes a number of upgrades such as a more powerful chipset, some new health features and an always-on display. We got a chance to play with the Apple Watch SE 3 for sometime and here’s our first impressions about the budget-friendly Apple Watch.
Design
Apple Watch SE 3 has chosen to stick to the classic Apple Watch design. The smartwatch comes with a lightweight aluminium case and it comes in two sizes 40mm and 44mm. The smartwatch features an Always-on display with a custom Ion-X cover glass which makes it four times more scratch-resistant.
The Always-on display of the smartwatch allows users to conveniently view the time and glance at notifications without raising their wrist or tapping the display. The smartwatch comes in midnight and starlight aluminium cases options.
The Digital Crown is placed on the upper right side and the side button is placed just below the crown. Unlike the Ultra models, the SE 3 does not include an Action Button. However, it supports gesture-based controls introduced in watchOS 10.
Features and performance
Apple Watch SE 3 is powered by Apple’s own S10 chipset. The S10 chip powers an Always-On display, the double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri, and fast charging. This chip brings the double tap and wrist flick gestures to Apple Watch SE 3, allowing users to do even more on Apple Watch with one hand.
With the double tap gesture, users can simply tap their thumb and index finger together twice to select the primary action in a wide variety of apps and notifications, including opening the Smart Stack, answering and ending calls, viewing and sending a message, pausing or ending a timer, snoozing an alarm, and more.
When a user raises their wrist to check a notification or call but isn’t ready to respond, the new wrist flick gesture allows them to quickly turn their wrist over and back to dismiss the notification.
For Phone or FaceTime audio calls, the S10 chip powers Voice Isolation to suppress background noise, so a user’s voice sounds crisp and clear on the other end of the line.
Apple claims that the Apple Watch SE 3 can deliver up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. The company said that the fast charging capability of the Watch SE 3 can deliver up to 8 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging. However, we did not have the time to completely test the battery output of the smartwatch. But, we will give the complete battery analysis of the smartwatch in our detailed review.
Apart from this, the Apple Watch SE 3 offers multiple health features such as: Sleep score which offers detailed insights into the sleep quality, stages, duration of the user. There’s a wrist temperature sensing which can provide insight into overall wellbeing and adds to the other key health metrics available in the Vitals app. Apple Watch uses two temperature sensors and an advanced algorithm to compensate for the temperature of a user’s environment.
The smartwatch includes workout buddy feature which is an AI-powered feature that offers spoken motivation and personalised feedback during workouts. There’s on-device Siri which lets users log health data, start workouts and get answers without relying on cloud processing.
Apple Watch SE 3 also comes with 5G connectivity, live translation and voice isolation for calls.
What we think
Priced at Rs 25,990, Apple Watch SE 3 is no longer just a lite version of the Apple Watch lineup. The smartwatch packs a lot of features and comes with useful health tracking upgrades. The smartwatch is definitely an ideal buy for first time Apple Watch buyers or for anyone looking to upgrade without splurging on the Series 11 or Ultra 3.
Design
Apple Watch SE 3 has chosen to stick to the classic Apple Watch design. The smartwatch comes with a lightweight aluminium case and it comes in two sizes 40mm and 44mm. The smartwatch features an Always-on display with a custom Ion-X cover glass which makes it four times more scratch-resistant.
The Always-on display of the smartwatch allows users to conveniently view the time and glance at notifications without raising their wrist or tapping the display. The smartwatch comes in midnight and starlight aluminium cases options.
The Digital Crown is placed on the upper right side and the side button is placed just below the crown. Unlike the Ultra models, the SE 3 does not include an Action Button. However, it supports gesture-based controls introduced in watchOS 10.
Features and performance
Apple Watch SE 3 is powered by Apple’s own S10 chipset. The S10 chip powers an Always-On display, the double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri, and fast charging. This chip brings the double tap and wrist flick gestures to Apple Watch SE 3, allowing users to do even more on Apple Watch with one hand.
With the double tap gesture, users can simply tap their thumb and index finger together twice to select the primary action in a wide variety of apps and notifications, including opening the Smart Stack, answering and ending calls, viewing and sending a message, pausing or ending a timer, snoozing an alarm, and more.
When a user raises their wrist to check a notification or call but isn’t ready to respond, the new wrist flick gesture allows them to quickly turn their wrist over and back to dismiss the notification.
For Phone or FaceTime audio calls, the S10 chip powers Voice Isolation to suppress background noise, so a user’s voice sounds crisp and clear on the other end of the line.
Apple claims that the Apple Watch SE 3 can deliver up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. The company said that the fast charging capability of the Watch SE 3 can deliver up to 8 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging. However, we did not have the time to completely test the battery output of the smartwatch. But, we will give the complete battery analysis of the smartwatch in our detailed review.
Apart from this, the Apple Watch SE 3 offers multiple health features such as: Sleep score which offers detailed insights into the sleep quality, stages, duration of the user. There’s a wrist temperature sensing which can provide insight into overall wellbeing and adds to the other key health metrics available in the Vitals app. Apple Watch uses two temperature sensors and an advanced algorithm to compensate for the temperature of a user’s environment.
The smartwatch includes workout buddy feature which is an AI-powered feature that offers spoken motivation and personalised feedback during workouts. There’s on-device Siri which lets users log health data, start workouts and get answers without relying on cloud processing.
Apple Watch SE 3 also comes with 5G connectivity, live translation and voice isolation for calls.
What we think
Priced at Rs 25,990, Apple Watch SE 3 is no longer just a lite version of the Apple Watch lineup. The smartwatch packs a lot of features and comes with useful health tracking upgrades. The smartwatch is definitely an ideal buy for first time Apple Watch buyers or for anyone looking to upgrade without splurging on the Series 11 or Ultra 3.
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