Apple has recently announced the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE to replace the outgoing Apple Watch Series 5. Apple announces a new version of the Apple Watch every year so you might be wondering about the value of buying the latest and greatest. We hope that this comparison will help you decide which Apple Watch is right for you.
Apple usually announces a new Watch and offers the older model at a lower price. However, much like the Apple iPhone SE, the new Apple Watch SE seems to offer majority of the Apple Watch Series 6 features at at a lower price. When we look at all of the different options, there are many questions that come to mind:
- Is it worth it to buy the new Apple Watch Series 6 over the Apple Watch SE?
- Are you better off just getting the last year’s Apple Watch Series 5?
- If you are on a budget, then are you really missing out if you get the Apple Watch Series 3?
At the end of this comparison, we will answer these questions for you to make your purchase decision easier. However, we need to first understand the similarities and differences of the features being offered by each smartwatch. We will then recommend each smartwatch based on the features and use cases.
Before you decide on your smartwatch model, you need to ask yourself a few simple questions and prioritize few key features. Based on the facts, we will provide you with justification as to why you should look for specific features over some of the gimmicks.
Few things to consider when purchasing a smartwatch
- Know your needs and wants: When buying any smartwatch, a well-informed consumer knows what they need from a smartwatch. It is important to have this identified up-front as it will make your buying decision much easier. A customer who knows the needs, almost always ends up more satisfied with the purchase. It is important to note that the Apple Watch only works with an iPhone, so if you are using an Android device then Apple Watch is not the right option for you. We will try to provide enough information in this article so that you can identify your needs vs wants when buying an Apple Watch.
- Recognize important features of a great smartwatch: With introduction of new features in every new Apple Watch, it is important to identify features that provide real value to you as the consumer versus features that are merely gimmicks. For any smartwatch, some of the important features include the screen, battery life, design (band options), connectivity, and fitness tracking (heart rate sensor and GPS).
- Newer model doesn’t always mean a better watch for your needs: Apple loves to introduce a new watch models with limited upgrade over previous models for more cost. Apple likes to stick to what works and very rarely changes the design or functions of the watch. An average consumer most probably won’t notice any performance benefit from the changes introduced in a newer watch model. Therefore, a newer model doesn’t always mean you are getting a better watch.
- Cost always goes down over time: As new models are introduced, the cost of the previous models almost always goes down.
Similarities between Apple Watch Series 6, SE, and Series 3
All Apple Watch versions are great smartwatches as they can be used as a watch and fitness tracking device as well as to make and receive phone calls, text messages, Alarms, Notes, etc.
Apple Watch Series 6, SE, and Series 3 are all water resistant, swimproof, and feature a retina display. They all have an optical heart sensor for measuring your heart rate and heart rhythm (can alert you if it detects unusually high or low heart rates or an irregular rhythm) and GPS to pinpoint your location. Emergency SOS allows you to quickly call for help and alert your emergency contacts.
In addition, all of these Apple Watches include Accelerometer, Altimeter, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor, Speaker, Microphone.
Apple Watch Series 6, SE, and Series 3: Specs Comparison
| Categories | Apple Watch Series 6 | Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 5 | Apple Watch Series 3 |
| Processor | S6 dual-core processor | S5 dual-core processor | S5 dual-core processor | S3 dual-core processor |
| 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 | No longer sold | No longer sold |
| 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: 977 sq mm, 40mm: 759 sq mm | 44mm: 977 sq mm, 40mm: 759 sq mm | 44mm: 977 sq mm, 40mm: 759 sq mm | 42mm: 740 sq mm, 38mm: 563 sq mm |
| 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 |
| Screen Brightness | 1000 nits | 1000 nits | 1000 nits | 1000 nits |
| 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 |
| watchOS version | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 | watchOS 7 |
| Starting price | $399 | $279 | $399 | $199 |
Differences between Apple Watch Series 6, SE, and Series 3
As you can see in the comparison above. the Apple Watch Series 6 and SE are very similar with the exception of always on display, processor (S5 vs S6), ECG app, and blood oxygen monitor. The Apple Watch Series 3 has additional differences as it lacks an always-on altimeter, a compass, noise monitor, and 8GB storage option. Depending on your use case, you might not find any issues with these omissions. In fact, most Apple Watch users will not find a need for these features and here is why:
Always-on Display: Depending on your expectations of a watch, you might find the lack of always-on display a deal breaker as you can’t just glance at the watch to view the time. When Apple first introduced this feature on the Series 5, some users have reported reduced battery life (as much as 30%) when using always-on display. If you don’t mind raising your wrist or tapping the display for checking the time, then Apple Watch SE or Series 3 will not pose any issues for you. However, it can be a deal breaker if you expect the watch to always have the time visible.
ECG App: It is important to note that all Apple watches listed above include an optical heart sensor that is able to measure your heart rate and heart rhythm. With the ECG App on Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 5, the only distinction is that they have built-in electrodes in the Digital Crown and the back of Apple Watch, which can measure the electrical signals across your heart when used with the Heart Rate app or the ECG app. The main difference is that you can get a measurement every second instead of every 5 seconds. Once again, users who are interested in an electrocardiogram might find it useful to have the ECG app but for most users this is not a deal breaker.
Blood Oxygen Monitor: If you notice on Apple’s website or advertisement, Blood Oxygen monitor is being marketed as the main feature of the Apple Series 6. Apple says that Blood Oxygen app measurements are not intended for medical use, including self-diagnosis or consultation with a doctor. In addition, it is designed for users who are at least 18 years old and it can’t be used accurately in cold weather, with skin tattoos, while in motion or with high heart rate (above 150 bpm). With all of these limitations, the blood oxygen monitor might not be a super useful feature for everyone.
Aways-on Altimeter: not that big of a deal unless you need to know your elevation every second (this feature is not going to be useful for 99% of the users). All Apple Watches listed above have an Altimeter so you will be able to know your elevation when required, it just won’t be always-on with Apple Watch Series 3.
Compass – many argue that compass helps you navigate when you are offline. However, the GPS chip provides far more detailed navigational information and you can easily download offline maps using apps like ViewRanger to use GPS for navigating around the map and your new trail without your iPhone or cellular connection.
Noise monitoring: The Apple Watch Series 3 lacks a noise monitor, which provides notifications or real-time noise levels if you are in a noisy environment. If this is a must have feature for you, then you will have to go for Apple Watch SE or above.
Storage: Apple Watch Series 3 has 8GB of onboard storage for app usage whereas you get 32GB of storage on Apple Watch SE or above. Most Apple Watch users rely on the onboard storage for playing offline music and installing apps. From personal experience on Apple Watch Series 3, we found that the most amount of space is usually taken up when you download songs for playing music without your iPhone (when connected to your phone, you don’t need to rely on the storage on the Apple Watch). However, it is important to note that only 25% of the storage capacity is dedicated to Music app, which means that you can only use 8GB of the 32GB storage for playing music. On Apple Watch Series 3, you can use 2GB for offline music listening which translates to about 18 hours of music (assuming 256kbps bit rate). If you want to have a playlist with longer than 18hrs of listening time then Apple Watch series 3 might be a deal breaker if you are not willing to remove old songs when adding new ones.
Performance: The Apple Watch Series 3 has Bluetooth 4.2 and S3 dual core processor. In comparison, the Apple Watch SE has S5 dual core processor that is 2x faster and Series 6 has S6 processor that is 20% faster than S5 processor. When you look at Apple’s website, the increase in performance is not even mentioned as a selling point and our Apple Watch Series 3 still feels plenty fast, so we don’t feel the improvements in Bluetooth and processing power will have an impact on the user experience.
Which Apple Watch to buy?
Based on the comparison and facts listed above, it is now time to answer the three questions that we initially had about the Apple Watch:
- Is it worth it to buy the new Apple Watch Series 6 over the Apple Watch SE? Yes, if you need the always-on display (but go for Series 5 if you can find it). No, if you are okay with raise to wake and not worth it for ECG and Blood oxygen monitor.
- Are you better off just getting the last year’s Apple Watch Series 5? Yes, definitely if you need the always-on display and if you can find it for a cheaper price.
- If you are on a budget, then are you really missing out if you get the Apple Watch Series 3? In our opinion, you would be missing Always-on display and Storage capacity. If you can live without these features then Apple watch series 3 is a great option if you are on the budget.
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav