{"id":3047850,"date":"2026-01-01T16:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=3047850"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:20:19","slug":"is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, Apple released <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/09\/09\/apple-unveils-apple-watch-series-11-watch-ultra-3-and-watch-se-3\/\">three new Apple Watch models<\/a>: the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. Whether you\u2019re looking to get one for yourself, buying a last-minute holiday gift, or exploring the different models, we can help point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With its $799 price tag, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is clearly aimed at a niche, high-end market and athletes. For most consumers, the purchasing decision likely lies between the Apple Watch SE 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11, starting at $249 and $399, respectively.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite its lower price tag, the Apple Watch SE 3 comes with much of the same software as the Series 11. If you&#8217;re looking for a straightforward smartwatch with essential features like step counting and sleep tracking, the SE 3 is an excellent and affordable choice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Series 11 and Ultra 3 offer modest improvements over their predecessors, the SE 3 has received a significant upgrade from the SE 2. The smartwatch jumps from the S8 chip to the S10 and now features an always-on display, supports fast charging, offers better crack resistance, introduces new health features, includes a wrist-temperature sensor for advanced sleep tracking and retrospective ovulation insights, and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"305\" width=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?w=680\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3047856\" style=\"width:948px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png 3280w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=150,67 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=300,135 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=768,345 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=680,305 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=1200,539 1200w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=1280,574 1280w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=430,193 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=720,323 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=900,404 900w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=800,359 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=1536,689 1536w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=2048,919 2048w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=668,300 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=1375,617 1375w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=708,318 708w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/apple-watch-se3-colors.png?resize=50,22 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>Apple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although it\u2019s not as flashy as the Series 11 and Ultra 3, it definitely stands out and packs great value, especially for first-time buyers and younger users. The gap between the standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, if you want access to more advanced health features, better battery life, and a larger display, the Series 11 would be the better option for your needs.&nbsp;But, it&#8217;s worth comparing both models because the SE 3 might be all you need. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll walk you through the similarities and differences between the two smart watches to help inform your decision.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-techcrunch-inline-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"inline-cta__wrapper\">\n\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__logo\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"41\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 41 20\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M0 0v6.452h7.097V20h7.097V6.452h6.451V0zM27.742 13.548V6.452h-7.097V20h20v-6.452zM40.645 0H27.742v6.452h12.903z\"\/><\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__flag\">Techcrunch event<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container-desktop\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"inline-cta__header has-h-5-font-size\">Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"inline-cta__subheader\">1,000+<strong> founders<\/strong> and investors come together at <strong>TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026<\/strong> for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately.<br><br>Offer ends March 13.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__header-container-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"inline-cta__header has-h-5-font-size\">Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"inline-cta__subheader\">1,000+<strong> founders<\/strong> and investors come together at <strong>TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026<\/strong> for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately<br><br>Offer ends March 13.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__event-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__location\">Boston, MA<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__separator\">|<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"inline-cta__date\">June 9, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-cta__register-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a data-ctaText=\"REGISTER NOW\" data-destinationLink=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/events\/techcrunch-founder-summit-2026\/?utm_source=tc&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=tcfoundersummit2026&amp;utm_content=seb&amp;promo=tc_inline_seb&amp;display=\" data-event=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/events\/techcrunch-founder-summit-2026\/?utm_source=tc&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=tcfoundersummit2026&amp;utm_content=seb&amp;promo=tc_inline_seb&amp;display=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">REGISTER NOW<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-similarities-between-the-apple-watch-series-11-and-apple-watch-se-3\"><strong>Similarities between the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"437\" width=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?w=680\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3047858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png 1770w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=150,96 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=300,193 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=768,494 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=680,437 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=1200,772 1200w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=1280,823 1280w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=430,276 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=720,463 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=900,579 900w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=800,514 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=1536,988 1536w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=668,429 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=583,375 583w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=960,617 960w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=708,455 708w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/watch-series-11-and-se-3.png?resize=50,32 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>Apple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>S10 chip:<\/strong> Both models come with the same chip, which means there won\u2019t be significant differences in performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Always-on Retina display:<\/strong> The watches can display the watch face and time, even when your wrist is down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Heart health features:<\/strong> Both watches feature high and low heart rate notifications, irregular rhythm notifications, and low cardio fitness notifications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Wrist flick and double tap gestures:<\/strong> Both models let you do a &#8220;wrist flick&#8221; gesture to dismiss notifications and timers, and a &#8220;double tap&#8221; gesture to trigger actions like answering calls or playing music.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Emergency SOS:<\/strong> The watches can quickly call local emergency services, share your location, and notify your emergency contacts once you press and hold the side button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Fall detection and crash detection:<\/strong> Both watches can automatically alert emergency services and designated emergency contacts when a hard fall or severe car crash is detected.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Water resistant to 50 meters:<\/strong> Both watches can be used for swimming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Sleep tracking:<\/strong> Both models feature sleep tracking, sleep tracking notifications, and Apple\u2019s new Sleep score, which gives you a number on a scale of 1 to 100 for how well you slept. They both also have temperature sensing, which can provide insight into your well-being by tracking nightly changes in your wrist temperature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates:<\/strong> The watches can determine when you most likely ovulated in your previous cycle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Fast charging capabilities:<\/strong> Both watches are fast-charge capable (up to 80% charge in about 30 minutes for the Series 11 and up to 80% charge in about 45 minutes for the SE 3; 15 minutes for up to eight hours of normal use for both models).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Find iPhone:<\/strong> Both watches let you press a button to play a sound on your iPhone to help you locate it. However, the Series 11 does feature &#8220;precision finding,&#8221; which means it can pinpoint the exact location of your phone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-differences-between-the-apple-watch-series-11-and-apple-watch-se-3\"><strong>Differences between the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Battery life:<\/strong> The Series 11 can last up to 24 hours (28 hours in low-power mode), while the SE can last up to 18 hours (32 hours in low-power mode).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Health features:<\/strong> The Series 11 comes with more advanced health tracking features, including hypertension notifications (detects high blood pressure), an electrical heat sensor, an ECG app, and Blood Oxygen app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Screen and display:<\/strong> The Series 11 can reach up to 2000 nits, while the SE 3 goes up to 1000 nits. Plus, the Series 11 features a wide-angle OLED, while the SE 3 has a simple OLED display.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Size:<\/strong> The Series 11 is available in 46mm and 44mm sizes with aluminum or titanium cases, while the SE 3 comes in 44mm and 40mm sizes with an aluminum case. Additionally, the Series 11 is almost 10% thinner than the SE 3.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Color: <\/strong>The Series 11 comes in aluminum colors: Jet Black, Silver, Rose Gold, and Space Gray, and titanium colors: Natural, Gold, and Slate. The SE 3 comes in Midnight Aluminum and Starlight Aluminum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Other smaller differences:<\/strong> The Series 11 comes with a depth gauge to six meters, a water temperature sensor, 1 nit minimum brightness (vs 2 nit minimum brightness on the SE 3), and certified IP6X dust resistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The gap between Apple&#8217;s standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":3047855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tc-featured-article":false,"tc-header-option":"","tc-breaking-news":false,"tc-article-brief":false,"carmot_uuid":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-09-26T15:17:17Z","apple_news_api_id":"c250332c-4dee-4a3d-ba6d-5c03a2b0dcc0","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-12-26T23:05:48Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AwlAzLE3uSj26bVwDorDcwA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"tc_subtitle":"","tc_featured_image_disabled":false,"tc_exclude_from_rss_feed":false,"tc_exclude_from_content_rivers":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[449223024],"tags":[291,36265994,577225055,577369217,577369218],"tc_region":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_storyline_tax":[],"coauthors":[576912303],"class_list":["post-3047850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hardware","tag-apple","tag-apple-watch","tag-evergreens","tag-apple-watch-series-11","tag-apple-watch-se-3"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.1 (Yoast SEO v25.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The gap between Apple&#039;s standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The gap between Apple&#039;s standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TechCrunch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techcrunch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg?resize=1200,800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aisha Malik\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TechCrunch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TechCrunch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aisha Malik\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aisha Malik\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/54f67393f4d043ad70e01ead8034fd5c\"},\"headline\":\"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\"},\"wordCount\":818,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Apple\",\"Apple Watch\",\"evergreens\",\"apple watch series 11\",\"apple watch SE 3\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Hardware\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\",\"name\":\"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"The gap between Apple's standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg\",\"width\":1960,\"height\":1306,\"caption\":\"An image of three Apple Watch SE 3 models side by side showcasing different features: heart rate, sleep score, and fitness rings\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/\",\"name\":\"TechCrunch\",\"description\":\"Startup and Technology News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"TC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"TechCrunch\",\"alternateName\":\"TC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/tc-logo-2018-square-reverse2x.png?resize=1200,1200\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/tc-logo-2018-square-reverse2x.png?resize=1200,1200\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"TechCrunch\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techcrunch\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/TechCrunch\",\"https:\/\/mstdn.social\/@TechCrunch\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/techcrunch.com\",\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@techcrunch\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/54f67393f4d043ad70e01ead8034fd5c\",\"name\":\"Aisha Malik\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d51e7de01bbae7190eab1b17e90cbaa6\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a533ea84316d636ed24ffbab93202f6eee557585ac281b008713e3e749b31c6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a533ea84316d636ed24ffbab93202f6eee557585ac281b008713e3e749b31c6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Aisha Malik\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/aisha-malik\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch","description":"The gap between Apple's standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch","og_description":"The gap between Apple's standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","og_site_name":"TechCrunch","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techcrunch","article_published_time":"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg?resize=1200,800","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Aisha Malik","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TechCrunch","twitter_site":"@TechCrunch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aisha Malik","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/"},"author":{"name":"Aisha Malik","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/54f67393f4d043ad70e01ead8034fd5c"},"headline":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch","datePublished":"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/"},"wordCount":818,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg","keywords":["Apple","Apple Watch","evergreens","apple watch series 11","apple watch SE 3"],"articleSection":["Hardware"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","name":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch | TechCrunch","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-02T00:20:19+00:00","description":"The gap between Apple's standard and budget smart watches has never felt smaller.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg","width":1960,"height":1306,"caption":"An image of three Apple Watch SE 3 models side by side showcasing different features: heart rate, sleep score, and fitness rings"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/","name":"TechCrunch","description":"Startup and Technology News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"TC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#organization","name":"TechCrunch","alternateName":"TC","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/tc-logo-2018-square-reverse2x.png?resize=1200,1200","contentUrl":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/tc-logo-2018-square-reverse2x.png?resize=1200,1200","width":1200,"height":1200,"caption":"TechCrunch"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techcrunch","https:\/\/x.com\/TechCrunch","https:\/\/mstdn.social\/@TechCrunch","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/techcrunch.com","https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@techcrunch"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/54f67393f4d043ad70e01ead8034fd5c","name":"Aisha Malik","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d51e7de01bbae7190eab1b17e90cbaa6","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a533ea84316d636ed24ffbab93202f6eee557585ac281b008713e3e749b31c6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a533ea84316d636ed24ffbab93202f6eee557585ac281b008713e3e749b31c6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Aisha Malik"},"url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/aisha-malik\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg"},"articleSection":"Hardware","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aisha Malik"}],"creator":["Aisha Malik"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCrunch","logo":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/cropped-cropped-favicon-gradient.png"},"keywords":["apple","apple watch","evergreens","apple watch series 11","apple watch se 3"],"dateCreated":"2026-01-02T00:20:19Z","datePublished":"2026-01-02T00:20:19Z","dateModified":"2026-01-02T00:20:19Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"A guide to choosing the right Apple Watch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/01\/01\/is-the-apple-watch-se-3-a-good-deal\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg?w=150\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2026-01-02T00:20:19Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Hardware\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"apple,apple watch,evergreens,apple watch series 11,apple watch se 3\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Aisha Malik\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/techcrunch.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apple-Watch-SE-3-hero-250909_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133574480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3047850"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3079400,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047850\/revisions\/3079400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3047855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3047850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3047850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3047850"},{"taxonomy":"tc_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tc_region?post=3047850"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tc_event?post=3047850"},{"taxonomy":"tc_storyline_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tc_storyline_tax?post=3047850"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3047850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}