It retains many of the Series 3 features, including fall detection, compass, always-on altimeter, and water-resistant housing. Family settings (in the version with cellular connectivity), watch face sharing, sleep tracking, and other characteristic features of WatchOS 7, the device will receive along with the Apple Watch Series 6. There is a version only with GPS and Bluetooth 5.0, as well as an option with cellular support (its cost starts at $ 329). The SE doesn’t seem to have an always-on display, which was a highlight of the Series 5.

In general, it is hardly worth thinking about buying such a device for Series 3 owners. The watch, however, uses an S5 chip, which Apple says delivers twice the performance of Series 3. The Watch SE is the first affordable Apple Watch. They are designed to compete with Fitbit and other budget smartwatches. In the past, Apple’s alternatives to such products have been older discounted Apple Watch models.

The Watch SE looks a lot like the Series 4 watch that Apple discontinued the launch of the Series 5 last year. Series 4 came with 40mm and 42mm displays, while Series 3 offered 42mm and 38mm screens in the same case. As noted, SE will run watchOS 7, which Apple unveiled at WWDC this year.