In the ‘Time Flies’ event held on Tuesday, Apple talked about taking steps to make itself available to even more people. For this purpose, it has come up with another product called the Apple Watch SE and a new feature called the Family Setup.
Apple Watch SE
Heavy on features.
Light on Price.
Apple’s tagline for Watch SE
The all new Apple Watch SE is more of an affordable version of the Apple Watch Series 6. The base model of the Apple Watch SE is $280, which is $120 less than the entry-level Series 6.
Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 3 – A comparison
APPLE WATCH SE VS. SERIES 3 SPECS
| Apple Watch SE | Apple Watch Series 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 40mm, 44mm Retina OLED 368×448 pixels | 38mm, 42mm Retina OLED 312×390 pixels |
| Always-on | No | No |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 40mm: 40mm (height), 34mm (width), 10.4mm (depth); 44mm: 44mm (height) 38mm (width) 10.4mm (depth) | 38mm: 38.6mm (height), 33.3mm (width), 11.4mm (depth); 42mm: 42.5mm (height) 36.4mm (width) 11.4mm (depth) |
| Weight (grams) | 40mm Wi-Fi: 30.49g, Wi-Fi + Cellular: 30.68g; 44mm Wi-Fi: 36.2g Wi-Fi + Cellular: 36.36g | 38mm Wi-Fi: 26.7g, Wi-Fi + Cellular: 28.7g; 42mm Wi-Fi: 32.3g Wi-Fi + Cellular: 34.9g |
| Materials/ finishes | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Colors | Silver, grey, gold | Silver and grey |
| Interchangeable bands | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Built-in | Built-in |
| Automatic workout detection | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | No |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | Yes, up to 50m | Yes, up to 50m |
| Calls | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications | Text replies | Text replies |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Voice assistant | Siri | Siri |
| Music | Onboard, playback and streaming (with Cellular model) | Onboard, playback and streaming (with Cellular model) |
| Mobile Payments | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes (with update to Watch OS 7) |
| Period tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency features | Heart rate notifications, emergency SOS calling (international, 911 and emergency contacts), fall detection, hearing alerts | Heart rate notifications |
| Compatibility | iOS/iPhone only | iOS/iPhone only |
| Software | WatchOS 7 | Can update to WatchOS 7 |
| Processor | S5 chip dual-core processor and W3 wireless chip | S3 chip dual-core processor and W2 wireless chip |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi and Cellular option ($100 more) | Wi-Fi (Apple discontinued Cellular option) |
| Storage | 32GB | 8GB |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| Power | Magnetic Apple charging cable and USB connector (backward compatible) | Magnetic Apple charging cable and USB connector (backward compatible) |
| Battery life | All day (18 hrs.) | All day (18 hrs.) |
| Price (USD) | Starting at $279 (40mm aluminum) | Starting at $199 (40mm aluminum) |
| Price (GBP) | £269 | £199 |
| Price (AUD) | AU$429 | AU$399 |
Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 – A comparison
The Similarities
- The accelerometer, gyroscope, always-on altimeter, etc are the exact same as the ones on the Series 6.
- Both of them have the same second-generation optical heart rate sensor.
- Built-in GPS and the cellular option are available in both.
- Apple watch SE has the same advanced and large (largest in Apple Watches) display just like that in Apple Watch Series 6.
- New features like the handwashing timer and the sleep tracking sensor are present.
- It will have all the other updates that come with Watch OS 7, like Apple Fitness+.
The Differences
- There is no ECG sensor in the Apple Watch SE.
- It does not have an always-on display.
- It has the S5 chip (Series 6 has S6).
- No blood oxygen level sensor in SE.
You’re clearly not losing out on much by going $120 cheaper with the Apple Watch SE. This more affordable version has a great potential to fulfil Apple’s purpose of reaching out to more people this time.
The Family Setup
Though the new affordable Watch SE will seemingly work wonders in making more people own an Apple Watch, the company introduced an even more interesting feature that would serve the purpose. Family Setup is an entirely new way for families to use Apple Watch.
- Generally, an Apple Watch needs an iPhone to be paired with. But with The Family Setup feature, you can use your iPhone to pair watches of other members who do not have an iPhone.
- For kids you can:
- specify which contacts they can communicate with when using messages and more
- set up an automatic location notification.
- Kids can:
- create their own memoji on their watch.
- enable the school-time mode that helps kids stay focused with Do Not Disturb, restricted interaction and distraction. This mode has a distinct look to help teachers and parents recognise it at a glance.
- It can also be connected to the watches of older family members and keep a track of their health.
The Family Setup requires a cellular model of Apple Watch Series 4 and later. Currently, it is available at launch with the following career partners: China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Poland, Spain Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
