Apple Watch SE review: all the key smartwatch features for under $300 (2023)

The Apple Watch wearables have been undeniably some of the best and most popular smartwatches around, but they're expensive -- frequently over $400. This is a pretty steep price for what is definitely an optional device. The new Apple Watch SE bring most of the features of a premium smartwatch, but starts at about $280. This isn't exactly cheap, but if you're and iOS user and you've been on the fence about trying out a smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE is a great device to start with.

Video Transcript

CHERLYNN LOW: Smartwatches have evolved since the first Apple Watch, sort of. They still look largely the same. Battery life is still an issue, and often, software is fairly limited. Yet, they've also secured their place on many wrists by offering more fitness and health tracking tools over time, and Apple quickly became the top seller in the space. Today, most people know what to expect from a good wearable, and yet while they have become more popular, smartwatches still aren't mainstream.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The Apple Watch SE might just change that. It's the company's first new smartwatch that costs under $300 and offers basically everything its more expensive stablemates do, minus advanced features like ECG and blood oxygen sensing. Its processor is a year older than the Series 6's, and you won't get an always-on display. But at 279, the watch SE might appeal to IOS users who didn't feel like spending $400 on a smartwatch to buy one at last. I've never liked smartwatches with rectangular faces, but out of all of them, the Apple Watch has the nicest build.

The SE looks nearly identical to the series 5 and 6. So if you're familiar with the company's latest devices, you'll know what to expect. It's small, light, and feels like a high-end machine neatly crammed into a dainty 40mm or 44mm case. I may have to live with a square-ish case, but at least this looks classy. Fitbit's $329 sense has a slightly squatter square case that's a little heavier and doesn't feel as dense or premium. Shape aside, the watch SE's old retina display is crisp, bright, and colorful. App icons, memoji, and pictures my friends sent, all looked tech sharp. While I still prefer Samsung's spinning bezel for scrolling through apps, Apple's digital crown has a lower profile, and it keeps this watch small and light overall.

This year, Apple introduced a new band, it's calling the solo loop. It's one complete strap with no buckles, clasps, or any other methods of attachments. You'd put it on the way you would a rubber band, stretch it over your knuckles, and then push it onto your wrist. Because it doesn't have different options for you to adjust the fit, the solo loops sizing is crucial. You have to choose from nine different sizes when you're buying the watch, and Apple's website does offer guides on using household tools to help you figure out what your measurements are.

I love this band. It's incredibly easy to pull off or put back on. You can even get it on with just one hand since you don't have to futz around with a buckle. The strap that Apple chose for me fit comfortably too. Although, people have reported having trouble with the fit, especially since the silicone bands seem a bit tighter than the woven options. So you'll want to be careful when taking your measurements. There's a chance you might have to deal with returning your watch strap after buying it to eventually find the right fit. If you've used an Apple Watch before, most of the SE's features will be familiar. The knob is a handy way to scroll through notifications, apps, and volume controls, and together with the button below it, it offers several nifty shortcuts.

Long pressing the digital crown triggers Siri, while long pressing the button below shows the power menu. Double tapping that pulls up your default card on Apple Pay, navigating the interface is the same as before too, and if you've already set up your favorite apps in the dock, they'll carry over when you set up the new device. As an Android user who's mostly lived with other smartwatches, though, I found it jarring that a swipe right doesn't take me back to the previous page. I also still prefer Samsung's Tizen OS for its simpler navigation, where all my favorite widgets and apps are just a spin away. On Apple's watches, I have to first pull up all apps or the dock and then find the one I want.

What's new with the watch SE are mostly updates from Watchos seven, like the new fitness app, sleep tracking, as well as automatic handwashing detection and countdown. There are also new shareable watch faces with support from multiple complications from the same app. Having the daily UV index and the weather at the same time on my home screen made it easy to tell when I could skip the sunscreen. Tapping any of these complications pulls up the respective app, and it was easy to summon my activity rings to see how far I was from closing them. In Watchos seven, you can set individual targets for each of the three circles as opposed to one overall goal. I spend so much of my day stuck at my desk that a stand goal of getting up every hour for 10 hours is nearly impossible to achieve. So I tuned that down and bumped up my exercise target instead.

Apple also added four new workouts you can track with Watchos seven, dance, core training, functional strength training, and cool down. Dance and cool down are intriguing additions, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference in tracking these activities versus a generic other exercise session. Apple said it uses the watch's sensors to figure out how your arms and legs are moving as you dance to predict body movements. But honestly, at the end of the day, you're just getting reports on how much time you spend in certain heart rate zones and the calories you burned.

I don't like wearing a watch to bed, but of all the smartwatches I've tested lately, the Apple Watch SE is the one I minded the least. Sadly, it also delivers the least insightful data. While Fitbit and Samsung both use a heart rate monitor to figure out whether you're in REM, light, deep, or restorative sleep, Apple only takes into account accelerometer data. It does track your heart rate overnight, but it doesn't use that to tell you what sleep zone you're in. The watch SE wasn't accurate at detecting when I fell asleep either, assuming that I had gone to bed at the time I had set in my wind-down sleep schedule, when in fact, I only got in about an hour later.

According to the watch SE, I was restless right after I fell asleep when really I was just awake and fidgeting. And then when I woke up and snoozed my alarm a few times, none of those movements registered, and Apple decided to take the time I finally stepped out of bed as when I woke up. This is the sort of unreliable tracking that plagued early Fitbits, but they've grown much better over the years. If accurate and insightful sleep tracking is important to you, the Apple Watch won't be your best option. Apple also introduced a wind-down and wake-up feature that helps you prepare for bed and your workday.

I set my bedtime to 1:00 AM, and at midnight, the watch SE went on do not disturb and stopped bothering me, which was nice. But I continued to while away on my phone anyway, despite do not disturb automatically being enabled there too. When my morning alarm went off, it was a gentle tune rather than a jarring cacophony, which was nice. But not that much different from just picking a different option for my alarm anyway, and these sounds were also already available in iOS. What is better is that you can use the watch's haptic engine for a vibration-based alarm on your wrist to rouse you without bothering others. Also, if you wake up and move in the 30 minutes before your set time, the watch will ask you if you want to cancel the alarm, which is a nice touch.

Another new Watchos seven feature is handwashing detection, which is particularly relevant during the pandemic. The watch will automatically recognize, based on the way your hands are moving, if you've started to wash them. Then, it'll turn on the microphone to listen for sounds of water and soap suds to confirm, and then launch a 20-second timer to make sure you're scrubbing for the recommended duration. This is helpful when I'm getting my first wash in after returning from home, but kind of annoying, subsequently, because I don't always need to wash my hands for 20 whole seconds. Sometimes I'm just trying to get some grease off of my palm, and 10 seconds is enough.

Thankfully, all you get if you stop washing before the time is up is a gentle admonishment that you can skip, so it's only a minor annoyance. The watch SE was almost always able to detect when I started washing my hands, missing only one very quick session. But it also thought I was cleaning my hands when I was actually washing some grapes. Again, it was easy enough to just ignore the timer and go on with my day. While most of the new Watchos seven features are underwhelming, I'm pretty happy with everything else the watch SE provides. Siri responds in an instant, and voice dictation is quick and accurate, even with a conversation playing on TV in the background.

Since these voice-based tasks are now processed on the watch, they're understandably faster than before. Apple also does some things better than Samsung or Fitbit, when you get a message on your watch, you can reply with more options like your voice, a handwriting keyboard, emojis, suggested responses, memoji stickers, or a digital touch. Pictures that come in your notifications will also appear and take up the whole screen. And the watch's camera app acts as a remote viewfinder for your phone. Tizen offers a version of these features either in limited form, like pictures, or only supported in text message alerts or via third-party apps. But Apple's system feels snappier and more thoughtful.

The watch SE is also more intuitive when it comes to guided breathing sessions. Instead of simply vibrating once to prompt you to start breathing the way Fitbit does, the watch SE vibrates in a pattern that mimics a balloon stretching as it fills with air. Quicker at first, and then slower as it approaches capacity. This is easier to follow with my eyes close, which makes for a more relaxing experience overall. I was also pleased at how quickly the watch SE connected to GPS on my outdoor walks, and Apple Maps effectively guided me to a nearby bakery. Its new cycling directions thoughtfully include guidance on bike paths and the steepness of slopes along the route too.

I do wish it was a bit more accurate and knowing when I've reached a street corner, and need to know where to turn, but in general, maps on the watch worked fine. I also appreciate how the watch SE is always on altimeter, includes changes in elevation on my workout reports when I finished a walk, bike ride, or hike. Apple estimates you get about 18 hours of juice on the watch SE, and that seems pretty accurate. Since there isn't an always-on display, it's not surprising that I got about a day and a half before needing to plug the device in. That battery life is similar to the Galaxy Watch 3, better than the watch active two, and slightly shorter than the Fitbit sense, so the Fitbit had an always-on display.

Apple expects similar run time from the series six, though, and that's also with an always-on screen. For 279, the watch SE packs more features you'd expect from a modern smartwatch than the competition. While the Fitbit sense does offer a ton of health tracking tools for 329, it's not as good at being a smartwatch as the watch SE. Though Apple's sleep tracking does lag the likes of Fitbit and Samsung, it beats them by simply being better at integrating with the iPhone. Anyone on iOS will have a hard time finding a better watch than the watch SE apart from the series five or series six, and those who don't need advanced health monitoring features like ECG or blood monitoring won't miss much.

People contemplating their first smartwatch will find the watch SE a polished and well-rounded introduction to the category. For more reviews on Fitbit's, Galaxy watches, Apple Watches, and all of the gadgets out of consumer technology, make sure you subscribe to Engadget. And as always, thank you for watching.

[MUSIC PLAYING]