Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch SE 3
Get the Apple Watch Series 12. Unless you mostly want notifications, payments and workouts — then the SE 3 runs as fast and costs much less.
Apple Watch Series 12
The best smartwatch for iPhone owners: excellent health and heart-rate tracking, a new daily Readiness score and a bright screen. Battery still lasts about a day.
Apple Watch SE 3
The best value Apple Watch: the same fast chip as Apple's pricier watches, an always-on screen and sleep and fitness tracking. No ECG or blood oxygen.
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Both need an iPhone and do notifications, payments, workouts and sleep tracking well. The Series 12 adds ECG, blood oxygen, a daily Readiness score, a better screen and a few more hours of battery; the SE 3 does the everyday things for much less.
- —You want the fullest health tracking, including ECG.
- —You'd use a daily Readiness score to plan workouts.
- —You want a few more hours between charges.
- —You want an Apple Watch for as little as possible.
- —It's a first smartwatch, or one for a teenager.
- —You don't need ECG or blood oxygen.
Key differences
Pros and cons
- +Accurate heart-rate and health tracking
- +Daily Readiness score
- +Bright, always-on screen
- −Battery lasts about a day, so it charges nightly.
- −Looks almost identical to the last two models.
- −Some new features arrive later in software updates.
- −Its GPS isn't as precise as the Ultra's dual-band GPS.
- +Same chip as Apple's pricier watches
- +Always-on screen
- +Sleep and fitness tracking
- −No ECG, blood oxygen or hypertension notifications.
- −Older design with wider borders round the screen.
- −Battery lasts about 18 hours.
Ready to choose?
- Is the Apple Watch Series 12 worth it?
- Is the Apple Watch SE 3 worth it?
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How we reached this verdict
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: Tom's Guide, TechRadar, TechRadar, manufacturer specifications.