Revisiting the Apple Watch SE in 2025 left me with a long list of update requests

Dear Apple,

As you know, your Apple Watch SE is not new. The second generation came out in September 2022 alongside the Series 8 and the first iteration of the Ultra. You’ve given the iPhone, all models of the iPad, AirPods, MacBooks and both the flagship and premium smartwatches updates since then — but not the budget smartwatch. Last month, my editors asked me to see how the Watch SE stacks up in 2025 and I was happy to oblige. I love getting my hands on novel tech, analyzing, evaluating and experiencing a device (then giving it back when I’m done so I don’t have to accumulate more stuff). But this review left me cold. The Apple Watch SE feels bland and decidedly lesser-than in 2025.

It’s a fairly safe bet we’ll see a new model of the SE soon. There are, of course, rumors. Plus, the launch of the iPhone 16e suggests you are still interested in churning out more affordable versions of your devices. There’s about a $150 price difference between the SE and the base Apple Watch Series 10. The latter goes for $399 at full price and as low as $329 on sale. The SE costs $249 and has gone for as little as $149. While I don’t expect a budget watch to have everything the flagship does, there are a few features that feel non-negotiable in 2025 as well as some reasonable compromises that most budget-conscious buyers will probably be willing to accept. As a daily smartwatch wearer and consumer gadget reviewer, I’m offering you my completely free advice on what I’d like to see on the next Apple Watch SE.

Give us a bigger (not better) display

I usually wear an Apple Watch Series 9 but before that, I sported a hand-me-down Apple Watch Series 4 with a scratched screen. Apart from the scuff, the screen on the 40mm Apple Watch SE I reviewed feels identical to the one on that wearable from 2018. In fact, both have the same size display areas, which is cramped and dinky compared to the generous real estate on the 42mm Series 10. Of course, the newest Apple Watch received a 2mm size bump, so a more direct comparison would be to the 40mm 9th-generation watch, which has 150 sq mm more room, thanks to thinner bezels. Considering the growing amount of information our watches handle, I’d like a bigger panel to view it on.

The brightness and overall clarity of the SE’s OLED Retina display is perfectly adequate. There’s no need for the higher-end LTPO 3 technology the latest watches have. And the SE’s 1000 nits of brightness is plenty, too. Even in bright sunlight, the screen is legible. True, it can’t get down to a single nit of brightness like the newer watches can and, while that’s distracting in a dark room, using sleep focus at bedtime turns the screen off completely.

When I upgraded to the Series 9, the feature I most looked forward to was the always-on display (AOD). That’s because my Series 4 required me to lift my wrist repeatedly before finally lighting up. It was irritating to simply check the time. But when I reviewed the Galaxy Watch 7, I turned off the AOD for much of the testing and didn’t miss it a bit. Turns out, if the watch reliably and quickly snaps to attention when I flick my wrist, AOD isn’t as crucial. So if losing that feature can keep the cost down, that’d be an acceptable tradeoff. Currently, checking the time on the SE is slightly, but not significantly better than my experience with my older watch. Which could be solved by a more advanced processor.

Let’s have a faster (not the fastest) chip

I realize when I say the processing power of the Apple Watch SE feels sluggish, I’m dishonoring my 14-year-old self whose pipe dream was owning a Casio calculator watch. But still, compared to my experience with current models, the SE lags. Opening apps, controlling music playback, starting workouts and talking with Siri is just slower than it should be. A budget watch doesn’t need to pack the zenith of Apple’s system-in-package (SiP), but stepping up to 2023’s S9 chip would make the watch feel satisfyingly zippy.

A processor bump could also enable double tap, which debuted with the Series 9. But that’s not critical — I could take or leave the gesture control feature. It doesn’t feel as accurate or as integrated with the OS as, say, Samsung’s version on the Galaxy Watch. Though I have to admit, with my Series 9, it does feel a little magical when I can double pinch to start a suggested walking workout — especially when I’m grappling with the leash of a crazy puppy.

The S9 chip also enables on-board processing of Siri requests, which means those don’t have to borrow a connected phone’s internet. If I’m on a bike ride and want to log it as such, I can just ask Siri, even if I left my phone at home. (True, the cellular-enabled SE can complete those requests without a phone, but the price bump and monthly service fee for that configuration starts to muddy the idea of a budget watch.) Siri requests are also completed much faster when they’re handled on the watch itself. When I want Siri to quickly set a two minute timer for steeping green tea, the process with the SE just takes too long.

For Pete’s sake, make it charge faster

My dad’s name is Pete. And if he had an Apple Watch SE (instead of his Series 7), I know he’d want it to recharge in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, the battery performance on the SE is surprisingly good. I can get through a full day that includes tracking a run, a Fitness+ workout, setting timers, obsessively checking the weather, logging meds and taking a couple of dog walks — all with enough juice left to track my sleep. By the time I wake up, it’s usually time to stick the watch on the charger. That’s a similar experience to my Apple Watch Series 9. But instead of getting the battery refilled while I shower and get ready for the day, the SE takes over two hours to go from around ten percent to a hundred. That’s too long to wait.

Keep your titanium and sapphire crystal

Budget models always get handed the less-expensive materials and that’s OK. The aluminum alloy Apple uses in its non-premium watches strikes a good balance between durability and lightness. The Ion-X glass on the front isn’t as robust as sapphire glass, but it’s less expensive. I’m not trying to speak for all budget-conscious folk, but I and every other frugal person I know tends to swaddle all expensive tech in screen protectors, cases and all manner of other protective measures the moment it leaves the box. So if slightly less robust materials can shave dollars off the asking price, by all means, Apple, do so.

We’ve seen rumors that your next SE might be housed in a plastic case with brighter colors on the watch bands, possibly in an effort to appeal to kids. I’d need to see what type of plastic you feel is strong enough to stand up to the chaos of children, but if it can last a few years without failing while also keeping the price down, I’m open to the idea.

It’s OK if my watch isn’t a doctor’s office

Fitness tracking is high on my list of non-negotiable features. And accuracy for that requires a suite of sensors — a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, altimeter and an optical heart rate readeran optical heart sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer, GPS connection and an altimeter. The SE has all of those and the data collected from my tracked workouts and runs were on par with what my newer watch would gather.

The SE lacks an electrical heart rate sensor so it can’t take an ECG reading. There’s also no temperature sensor, which the Series 10 uses to help predict ovulation and menstrual cycles. If and when your company ever works out the patent dispute over its blood oxygen sensor, I imagine a new Apple Watch SE won’t get that capability either.

That’s fine. I’ve used the ECG reading exactly once — to test it out for comparison on another smartwatch review. I was hyper-obsessed with my ovulation cycle for a total of six months, approximately eight years before my now seven-year-old kid was born. While it’s neat that our watches can compile so much data, I think it’s more important to cover the basics: tell me when I’m really hauling on a run and when my heart rate gets up to 170 on a HIIT workout. We can get those more specialized, seldom-used health assessments elsewhere.

The SE doesn’t have a depth gauge or a water temperature sensor either. That’s also fine. I don’t think anyone in the market for a budget wearable will mind terribly that it isn’t designed to go scuba diving with them.

Newer flagship Apple Watches have an ultra wideband (UWB) chip inside to help with more precise finding of a misplaced iPhone and supports additional interactions with a nearby HomePod. I use my watch to find my phone up to three times per day. The UWB enables a more precise way to locate devices, and that interface pops up on my Series 9 each time I ping my phone, offering a cute little game of hot and cold, pointing an arrow in the direction of my missing handset. But I mostly ignore the directions and just listen for the da-ta-da-ta-ding-da-ding of the phone’s ringer. Which is to say, I didn’t miss the lack of UWB in the least on the SE.

Wrap-up

When the Apple Watch SE came out in 2022, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low called it the best smartwatch $250 can buy. That was certainly the case at the time. But two and a half years later, it’s reasonable to expect more from your budget timepiece. I remember the decade or so post-college when $250 represented more than my monthly food allotment. For many, even an “affordable” Apple purchase is still a significant one.

For the same money, people can get a lot more if they step outside of your walled ecosystem. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is just $200. Not only does it have the same sensors as the company’s flagship wearable, it can also perform an ECG. For $200, we could also get a Fitbit Versa 4 instead. True, it doesn’t pack nearly as many features as the Pixel Watch 3, but it covers the basics well, tracking activity, delivering notifications and going for up to six days on a charge. It’ll even pair with an iPhone. And then there’s the Garmin Forerunner 165. Right now it’s our editors’ favorite running watch and it can be had for $250. Making a quality $250 smartwatch isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Apple, you can save your premium materials, super specialized sensors and nice-to-have extras like UWB connections for your flagship and premium models. That way, people who are willing to pay more will still feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. Just focus on the features that make a difference to everyday users, and forget those inessential perks. There’s still room for you to make a reasonably priced watch that doesn’t feel like a second-class accessory.