2025 Apple Watch Hands-On: SE 3 Shines with New Features

Apple Watch SE 3: The Budget Champion

• 💡 The Apple Watch SE 3 is surprisingly the most exciting new model, retaining its $250 price point while gaining significant features.
• 🚀 Updates include a wrist temperature sensor, faster charging, and the long-awaited always-on display.
• 🎯 Health features like sleep score are also trickling down to the entry-level model.
• 🔊 The SE 3 now includes a speaker, mirroring features from higher-end models.

Apple Watch Series 11: Incremental Improvements

• 🔋 The Series 11 boasts improved battery life, moving from 18 hours to 24 hours of typical use.
• 🩺 New health features include high blood pressure insights, pending FDA clearance, utilizing existing PPG sensors.
• 😴 Sleep score is integrated to provide more context for sleep tracking data.
• 📶 Enhanced connectivity with the introduction of 5G.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: Extended Power and Display

• 🚀 The Ultra 3 offers significantly extended battery life, reaching 42 hours.
• 🛰️ A key new feature is Satellite SOS, allowing emergency communication without a cellular connection, included for the first few years.
• 📱 While the case size remains the same, the Ultra 3 features a larger display due to more optimized bezels.

Pricing and Overall Strategy

• 💰 All new Apple Watch models maintain their previous pricing: SE 3 at $250, Series 11 at $399, and Ultra 3 at $799.
• 🧩 Apple's strategy appears to be bringing many desirable features from flagship models to the more affordable SE line, blurring the lines between the tiers.