Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) review: The smartest smartwatch for most iPhone users

You don't often hear "bargain" and "Apple" in the same sentence — "sticker shock" more often comes to mind — but the Apple Watch SE is an undeniable bargain for iPhone users. Priced at $249 but routinely discounted (frequently to $199, sometimes to $169, occasionally even $149), the 2nd-generation SE straps an abundance of genuinely useful features to your wrist. It also easily outperforms all third-party watches when it comes to iPhone integration.

That means, for example, you can not only read incoming text messages, emails and the like, but respond to them as well. You can invoke Siri just by raising your wrist; use Apple Wallet to pay for things or show a boarding pass; and leverage a wealth of native and third-party iPhone apps. It really is a wearable extension of your phone. And I haven't even mentioned its considerable health and fitness capabilities.

Yes, it's borderline ancient for a tech product; Apple launched the 2nd-gen SE in September, 2022. There's a case to be made for choosing the much newer Apple Watch Series 10 instead, or waiting for a likely 3rd-gen SE, which could launch as soon as September. But I think most users will find this an excellent wrist companion, especially after saving $50-$100. Here's my Apple Watch SE review.

Apple Watch SE: Options and more options

The button above leads you to the baseline Watch SE, but there are several other choices to consider before you check out. For starters, that one has a 40mm display; for $30 more you can get the 44mm model. Obviously a 4mm difference isn't much, but if you can swing the extra cash, you'll never regret choosing the larger screen. (That's especially true for those of us with aging eyes.)

Next decision: GPS-only or GPS+Cellular. The latter, which adds $50 to the price of any Watch model, gives you the option of adding cell service, effectively turning the SE into a standalone phone. You could then make or take calls, send or receive text messages and so on, even when your iPhone is nowhere nearby. The GPS-only SE can do those things as well, but only when it's in Bluetooth range of your phone or connected to a Wi-Fi network.

To me the cellular option falls under "nice to have," as I'm rarely separated from my phone. I'd almost never use it, yet I'd be paying an extra monthly charge to my phone carrier. (A watch plan typically runs $10-15 per month.) On the other hand, if you're a hiker, runner, paddleboarder or the like and don't want to have to carry your phone on these excursions, definitely consider the GPS+Cellular model.

Like other Apple Watches, the SE is available in several different finishes (Starlight, Moonlight and Silver), with a few different band types and colors to choose from as well. My advice: pick the finish you want and don't worry too much about the band; there are tons of third-party options available from Amazon and elsewhere, most of them significantly cheaper than Apple-branded replacements. It takes no more than a minute or two to swap them out (if you're even inclined to do so).

Apple Watch SE: Setup is easy, operation less so

As with most modern Apple products, the Watch SE comes with only the most basic setup instructions — but it's enough to get you started. After powering it on, you simply bring your iPhone nearby and follow the prompts from there. Note that although the necessary Watch app should already be installed on your phone, you'll need the Apple Tips app in order to access most of the tutorials offered in the former.

The watch charges via a magnetic dock; Apple estimates around 2.5 hours to go from zero to full. That's fine if the dock lives on your bedside table and recharges overnight — most of us do likewise with our phones — but potentially problematic if you intend to use it for sleep-tracking. (See below for more on that.) That might be a reason to consider the Series 10; it can reach an 80% charge in just 30 minutes.

I won't say an Apple Watch is hard to use, but rather that there's a lot to remember. For example, there's the Crown, which rotates to control things like brightness and volume but is also a button. There's the button below the crown; it brings up a menu with a lot of icons, some of which are pretty cryptic. (Curiously, there are no text labels unless you go into the edit menu to decide which icons should actually be displayed on this menu.)

Speaking of cryptic, the default app view arranges tiny icons in a weirdly random grid; I've always had trouble finding the one I'm looking for and remembering which icon is for which app. (Many look alike, especially as third-party apps get added.) Thankfully, you can switch to an alphabetical list view that I find much easier.

I suspect new users may also struggle with basic navigation of the interface, like when to swipe down versus up (one brings you to notifications, the other to a "smart stack" of "live activities"). And when you're tracking, say, a run, it's not always evident how to navigate to other areas of the interface and then get back to the tracking screen. (The fact that Apple has frequently changed the interface and even what the buttons do over the past few years adds to the frustration.)

The iPhone Watch app provides access to various settings, and like the iPhone's own Settings app, the number of options here can feel overwhelming. Again, nothing here is difficult; there's just a learning curve. I definitely recommend perusing the Apple Watch User Guide, which is built into the Watch app and doesn't require the aforementioned Tips app.

Apple Watch SE: Features and more features

Space doesn't permit me to list all the Apple Watch SE's features, so I'll spotlight several favorites — especially those that first-time smartwatch owners might be surprised to discover.

For starters, I love it for reading and responding to text messages, which saves me having to reach for my phone and helps me avoid missing crucial messages because I couldn't hear my phone ding or feel it vibrate.

I usually let Siri transcribe my voice when sending a text, but there's also onscreen handwriting recognition (or a keyboard) for times when it's inconvenient to talk. (Both are a little cramped, but they work!) I also find Apple Watch Siri very handy for setting quick reminders when my phone is in a pocket or otherwise tucked away; I can just raise my wrist near my mouth and start talking.

An Apple AirTag can't help you find your misplaced phone, but an Apple Watch can: Just one tap of the latter and the former will beep loudly (as long as it's within Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi range). I use this pretty regularly when I can't remember which room I left the phone in. (Worth noting: The Series 10 includes an Ultra Wideband chip for "precision finding," meaning you can locate your phone via a directional arrow, same as your phone can do with an AirTag. Personally, I find the beeping more than sufficient for getting the job done.)

Even if you don't spring for the cellular option, the Watch SE is a useful companion for times you want to leave your phone behind. It has built-in GPS for navigation (with or without downloaded maps) and 8GB of available storage for music, audiobooks and podcasts. Just keep in mind the sources: You can download this kind of content only from Apple Music, Apple Books and Apple Podcasts, respectively. (Thankfully, you can pair just about any Bluetooth earbuds or headphones to the watch; you're not limited to Apple products.)

If you like using Apple Pay on your iPhone, you might like it even more on your Apple Watch (because, again, you can leave the phone in your pocket or purse). I also sometimes use mine to unlock my front door when my hands are full of groceries; the SE supports Apple Home Key, a feature available in my Aqara Smart Lock U100. It can also display Apple Wallet items like concert tickets and airline boarding passes.

The Watch SE is a robust health and fitness companion, able to automatically detect and log things like walks, runs and bike rides. (It can manually log lots other exercises as well — including pickleball, a big one for me.) Stressed out? It can walk you through a one-minute breathing exercise to help restore your calm. You can set fitness goals and get reminders (okay, nags) if you're not hitting them. On more than one occasion, a tap on the wrist and nudge-message have elicited from me a huffy, "Fine, I'll go do my workout."

If you have an Apple Fitness+ subscription, the watch will transmit real-time workout data (such as heart rate) to your iPhone or iPad — or your TV if you're using an Apple TV streaming device. Nice as it is to have this data on your wrist, I find it especially cool to see on the big screen.

Speaking of heart rate, that's something the Watch SE monitors all day every day, even going so far as to alert you of an extra-high or extra-low heartbeat (or an irregular one, known as Afib). It does not, however, have the ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor found on the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra — but unless you're actively monitoring a heart issue, it's not something you're likely to need.

Apple did include two key safety features: fall- and crash-detection, which can optionally notify family and/or emergency responders if such an event occurs. My mom is at an age when a fall could be extremely serious; I'm planning to get her an Apple Watch SE for this feature alone.

In addition to everything that's built into the product, there are countless iPhone apps that have Watch counterparts. Admittedly, not all of them are super-useful — I don't need an app for, say, my healthcare provider or robot vacuum — and in fact you can end with a lot of "app clutter" that requires tedious clean-up.

All this barely scratches the surface of the Watch SE's capabilities — but to be honest, I barely scratch them myself. This coming from a tech-savvy gearhead. You may have specific reasons for wanting a Series 10, but I stand by my assertion that the remarkably versatile SE is the best pick for most users.

That said, it's not perfect.

Apple Watch SE: Where it could improve

I do have some nitpicks, starting with this: Although the SE can track your sleep, its battery life (rated at just 18 hours) makes that a logistical challenge. Unless you give it some charging time during the day, it's not likely to make it through the night — and definitely not the following day.

Although the Series 10 also tops out at 18 hours, its faster charging might be advantageous here: You could top off the battery by docking it while taking your morning shower or doing nighttime bed-prep.

The SE doesn't have an always-on option, meaning the screen goes dark unless you tap it or raise your wrist. For what it's worth, I'm currently wearing a Series 9, which does offer always-on, but I don't use it; I'd rather have the extra battery life. But if you're someone who wants the clock to remain visible at all times, you'll need a higher-end Watch model.

One complaint I have with all Apple Watches: They're inexplicably slow to auto-detect walks, either outdoors or on a treadmill. Usually I don't get notified until at least 10 minutes in — and very often it's at least 10 minutes after I'm done before it asks if I'm done. This can lead to skewed data on both ends of the activity. Why doesn't Apple let me adjust walk-detection to kick in sooner?

I'm also miffed that after all these years, Apple still doesn't have a marketplace for watch faces; you're stuck with the company's couple dozen offerings. They're nice, but when I look at the dizzying array available for, say, Amazfit watches, I find myself wanting more and better choices. (Thankfully, you can use any photo as a customized background.)

Apple Watch SE: Should you buy it?

I'll die on this hill: If you're an iPhone user, there's no better watch to buy than an Apple Watch, because nothing else integrates as well. (Let's state for the record: Android phone owners should look elsewhere, as the Apple Watch line isn't even an option for non-iPhone users.) And the Apple Watch SE, dated though it may be, would have qualified as a flagship model not too long ago. It's almost surprising how capable it is given its entry-level designation and affordable price.

Should you consider an Apple Watch Series 10 instead? It adds (slightly) larger screens, an always-on option, on-demand ECG, sleep-apnea detection and a handful of other small amenities. Even factoring in sale pricing, you'll pay at least $100 extra for all that; I'm not convinced the value is there.

Indeed, with the Watch SE (40mm) routinely discounted to $199 and often available for even less, it's one of those rare Apple products that feels like an outright bargain. A 3rd-generation successor might be close at hand, but this degree of sale pricing is probably a lot further down the road.