Apple has announced two new smartwatches: the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE. Usually, each new Apple Watch slots in at the top of the company’s lineup, making the older ones a little less expensive as a result, but this year’s cadence is different. The new Apple Watch SE looks very similar to the new $399 Series 6, but it lacks a few of its highlight features to reach a lower $279 price.
So which one should you buy, and how do these smartwatches compare to each other? Should you spring for the Series 6 over the SE? What about the Series 5 that came out last year? And are you really missing out on much if you just get the cheapest Series 3 Watch? It’s getting complicated to suss out the differences, so we’re going to spell out the specs below to make your buying decision a little more clear.
Apple has a comprehensive look at all of the specs of each model right here, but if you just want a quick look at specs, check out the table below. And just to note: we haven’t used the Series 6 or Apple Watch SE yet, so don’t let these specs solely guide you; numbers don’t always tell you everything you need to know about tech.
Apple Watch specs comparison
| Categories | Apple Watch Series 6 | Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 5 | Apple Watch Series 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Apple Watch Series 6 | Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 5 | Apple Watch Series 3 |
| Starting price | $399 | $279 | $399 | $199 |
| Processor | S6 dual-core processor | S5 dual-core processor | S5 dual-core processor | S3 dual-core processor |
| watchOS version | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 |
| Water resistance | Water resistant up to 50 meters | Water resistant up to 50 meters | Water resistant up to 50 meters | Water resistant up to 50 meters |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| LTE | Yes, $499 | Yes, $329 | Yes, but hard to find | Yes, but hard to find |
| Built-in mic and speaker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| W-series Wireless chip | W3 | W3 | W3 | W2 |
| U1 Ultra Wideband support | Yes | No | No | No |
| Always-on altimeter | Yes | Yes | No, but still has an altimeter | No, but still has an altimeter |
| Compass | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Digital Crown haptic feedback | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Heart sensor | second-gen optical heart sensor | optical heart sensor | second-gen optical heart sensor | optical heart sensor |
| Case sizes | 44mm, 40mm | 44mm, 40mm | 44mm, 40mm | 38mm, 42mm |
| Display | Always-on OLED Retina display | OLED Retina display | Always-on OLED Retina display | OLED Retina display |
| Display size (approx.) | 44mm: 1.78-inch, 40mm: 1.57-inch | 44mm: 1.78-inch, 40mm: 1.57-inch | 44mm: 1.78-inch, 40mm: 1.57-inch | 42mm: 1.65-inch, 38mm: 1.5-inch |
| Screen resolution | 44mm: 368 x 448, 40mm: 324 x 394 | 44mm: 368 x 448, 40mm: 324 x 394 | 44mm: 368 x 448, 40mm: 324 x 394 | 42mm: 312 x 390, 38mm: 272 x 340 |
| Storage | 32GB | 32GB | 32GB | 8GB |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Family Setup support | Yes, with cellular version | Yes, with cellular version | Yes, with cellular version | No |
| Fall detection? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Emergency SOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG app | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Blood Oxygen app | Yes | No | No | No |
| Noise monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| High, low, or irregular heart notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Optical heart sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
