Apple Watch SE (2022) overview: The finest smartwatch $250 should purchase | Engadget

I wasn’t anticipating Apple, of all corporations, to ship probably the most competitively priced smartwatch you should purchase in 2022. But with Apple shaving $30 off the associated fee, the brand new Watch SE is arguably probably the most compelling wearable available on the market. For $150 lower than the brand new Series 8, this yr’s Watch SE delivers a complete suite of well being and health instruments, emergency options and surprisingly few tradeoffs. It even makes use of the identical new chip because the Series 8, and it appears indistinguishable as well.

Design and {hardware}

If you’ve seen one Apple Watch, you’ve just about seen all of them. Unlike nearly all of smartwatches for Android customers, iPhone house owners are caught with the rounded sq. face the corporate has retained yr after yr. At this level, it seems like most individuals are used to the form and have both embraced it, adjusted to it or given up complaining.

I’m a type of who’s determined to not waste my breath asking for a spherical face. At least the Watch SE appears inoffensive and is mild, snug and properly made. The 40mm mannequin I’ve been testing sits properly on my wrist and more often than not I barely even discover it’s there. A 44mm model can also be out there.

It’s value noting that the majority current wearables are equally unobtrusive, although at 26.4 grams (0.93 ounces), the 40mm Apple Watch SE is likely one of the lightest round. Meanwhile, the Fitbit Sense and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 each outweigh it at 37.6 grams and 28.7 grams, respectively.

Though the SE’s underside is made out of a nylon composite and sapphire crystal as an alternative of the ceramic on its predecessor and the Series 8, I didn’t even understand there was a distinction till I scrutinized the spec sheet.

Unlike the Series 8 and Watch Ultra, the brand new SE isn’t rated IPX6 for mud resistance, however it is water-proof at as much as 50 meters. It additionally makes use of an older coronary heart charge monitor than the opposite two, however comes with the identical S8 system-in-a-package (SiP) processor, in addition to an onboard high-g accelerometer that makes crash detection attainable.

Like its predecessor, the SE’s display is roofed by an Ion-X glass versus the sapphire crystal on the Series 8. I’ve had no mishaps with the brand new SE, although my first overview unit of the last-generation machine did get critically broken, with spiderweb cracks masking the show after it fell off my lavatory sink. If you’re clumsy or anticipate being careless together with your smartwatch, it could be value paying extra to get a hardier mannequin.

Display

The Watch SE’s Retina show is vivid, crisp and simple to learn, even in direct daylight. That latter trait has rather a lot to do with the truth that Apple constantly makes use of colourful textual content on a black background, which is nice for readability. Though Samsung watches just like the Galaxy Watch 5 usually have greater resolutions and higher brightness, in addition they typically use tiny fonts with low distinction and might be laborious to learn.

The new SE has the identical show as its predecessor, which is to say it’s additionally an LTPO OLED panel that runs at resolutions of 394 x 324 and 448 x 368 for the 40mm and 44mm variations, respectively. It’ll additionally max out at 1,000 nits of brightness just like the older SE and the Series 8.

Besides the shortage of a pores and skin temperature sensor, the principle distinction between this yr’s Watch SE and its extra premium siblings, is that it doesn’t have an Always On Display (AOD). This simply means you’ll should raise your wrist (pretty intentionally typically) to see issues just like the time, how lengthy you’ve been understanding or a notification that simply got here by. It does take a second for the Watch SE to get up and present me what I’m in search of, however it by no means felt too laggy. If you’re the impatient sort and have cash to spare, although, that is one function which may make the Series 8 value the additional $150.

Performance and in use

For the value, it’s spectacular that the Watch SE makes use of the identical S8 SiP because the Series 8 and Watch Ultra. In normal, this meant the $250 watch was simply as snappy as its pricier counterparts at setting new watch faces, measuring my coronary heart charge, beginning exercises and extra. I wore the SE and a Series 8 throughout my testing and typically it was faster to detect that I had been strolling for 10 minutes or longer, whereas different instances higher-end mannequin could be first. Regardless of which machine alerted me first, although, they each clocked roughly the identical length for my out of doors walks.

Using the SE to trace my every day HIIT and resistance coaching classes felt precisely the identical as utilizing the Series 8. The solely distinction was that the latter’s AOD stored the exercise display on so I may extra simply keep watch over stats like elapsed time and energy burned.

The most vital function that the SE lacks is the brand new pores and skin temperature sensor that Apple launched on the Series 8. This measures the wearer’s physique temperature in a single day and, primarily based on any deviations from a baseline studying, retrospectively estimates in the event that they’ve ovulated. Because the SE doesn’t have the {hardware}, it doesn’t provide this ovulation-tracking function. But it does every thing else associated to cycle and sleep-tracking. You can log your intervals or put on this to mattress to see how lengthy you’ve spent in zones like REM, Deep and Core sleep.

Despite packing an older coronary heart charge monitor than the Series 8 and Watch Ultra, the SE didn’t take considerably longer to ship a studying. Frankly, for probably the most half, I couldn’t inform that there was any distinction between the SE and the Series 7 I had been carrying for a yr. Missing options just like the ECG and blood oxygen apps weren’t issues I used a lot anyway.

Battery life

One space the place the SE lagged pricier Apple Watches is battery life. While the Series 8 often caught round all day with juice to spare the following morning, the SE tended to run dangerously low at evening if I’d been notably energetic earlier. I often monitor one exercise each morning and depend on the watches to robotically detect my two to 5 out of doors walks every day, all whereas attempting to hit my stand and transfer targets. If I stroll for longer than 10 minutes greater than twice, the Watch SE will wrestle to final until midnight.

Another notable distinction between the SE and the Series 7 and later is that it doesn’t provide quick charging, however it by no means took longer than an hour to get again to 100%.

Wrap-up

Apple sacrificed surprisingly few options on the second-gen Watch SE. As a starter smartwatch, it affords loads of well being and fitness-tracking capabilities, whereas offering peace of thoughts by way of emergency options like crash detection and compass trackback. As lengthy as you’re not extraordinarily clumsy or impatient, you received’t miss issues just like the hardier display, mud resistance or always-on show. At $250, the brand new Watch SE is one of the best smartwatch for the cash.