The SE might be more affordable but that word has always been relative with Apple kit – it’s still very much a luxury product. Nothing here is particularly necessary to your everyday life, although the health and wellness features are clearly trying to make that case. If you want to fully commit to those, though, a Series 6 will offer you even more peace of mind. An always-on display would certainly make the SE better too, but sacrifices have to be made somewhere to keep that price down. For those who just want to be able to see who’s texting them, whether it’s going to rain, or what song is playing, all without taking their iPhone out of their pocket, the SE does that better than any non-Apple rival and is certainly worth the extra £70 over the ageing Series 3. It’s unlikely to provide an iPhone 3G moment for the Watch, when features and price both hit that perfect sweet spot and sales went through the roof, but if you’ve been tempted to take the plunge before, the SE might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Better-than-expected battery life; More affordable price; Very customisable (especially for Apple); Fully waterproof;

No always-on display; Only available in three finishes; Still fairly pricey;

If you find the $399 Series 6 too expensive and the $199 Series 3 too dated, the $279 Apple Watch SE should be just right. With the exception of an always-on display and sensors for blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and electrocardiogram (ECG), it offers almost everything else you get in the Series 6, including a vast selection of downloadable apps, excellent calling and texting capabilities, and potentially lifesaving health features like fall detection, irregular heart rate and rhythm notifications, Emergency SOS, and international emergency calling. It also boasts a larger display, a faster processor, and more safety features than the Series 3. That makes the Watch SE an excellent, cost-effective option for kids, the elderly, or anyone who wants the apps, fitness, and safety features of the Series 6 without paying a premium for its always-on display and advanced health metrics. Price and Design  The Apple Watch SE starts at $279 for the GPS-only model or $329 for the GPS and cellu...

The Apple Watch SE drops the always-on display and a couple of advanced health sensors from the Series 6, but otherwise delivers the same winning app, fitness, and safety features for $120 less.

Same screen size and resolution as the Series 6; Supports fall detection, heart health notifications, and Emergency SOS; Always-on altimeter for real-time elevation tracking; WatchOS 7 adds a handwashing countdown timer and sleep tracking; Best third-party smartwatch app selection

No always-on display mode; Lacks ECG and SpO2 sensors

Better-than-expected battery life; More affordable price; Very customisable (especially for Apple); Fully waterproof;

No always-on display; Only available in three finishes; Still fairly pricey;

You’re happy with the features on your pre-Series 4 Apple Watch but it’s too slow. Your budget doesn’t go higher than $350. You’re giving it to a child as part of Family Setup. You don’t care about blood-oxygen or ECG readings. You’re content to wear a blank screen on your wrist for most of the day.

Design and display is identical to the Series 6; Price for the LTE model is 50% less than Series 6; Processor and LTE are pleasantly fast

Lack of always-on display is glaring; Doesn't have next-gen health sensors; Battery life is only adequate

Lacks the Series 6’s advanced health features, but the Apple Watch SE is cheaper and still a great smartwatch

Cheaper than the Series 6; Packed with features; Accurate HR and GPS tracking

No ECG or blood oxygen readings; Charges slower than Series 6; No always-on display

All it's missing is an always-on display

Sleek looking; Offers most of Series 6's key features; Excellent activity monitoring

No always-on display; Expensive; Disappointing battery life

How exactly do you go about making the Apple Watch better? It’s already a feature-packed, superbly made, easy-to-use wearable that’s the smartwatch to buy if you own an iPhone. The answer is, you make it cheaper, and that’s what Apple has done with the Apple Watch SE. Of course, a reduction in price comes with a reduction in functionality, but just how much does this impact the SE, and should it put you off? The answer is no, it definitely shouldn’t put you off. In fact, it’s shaping up to be the Apple Watch model to buy this year. The Apple Watch SE looks exactly the same as the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6. It has a 1.78-inch Retina screen under Ion-X strengthened glass with a 326 pixel-per-inch density. The Digital Crown is on the side with a single button below it, and the aluminum case comes in either 44mm (seen in our photos) or 40mm sizes, with a choice of silver, space gray, or gold finishes. If you like the look of the Series 5 or Series 6, you’ll like the SE. I chose a g...

Stylish design; Highly customizable; Comprehensive health tracking; Responsive, fluid performance; Reliable, easy-to-use software;

No always-on display;

The Apple Watch SE is as slick as the higher-priced Watch Series 6, and delivers all the essential features and then some. But when it comes to more advanced health sensors, it's not as well equipped as competitors.

Fast and smooth to use; Comfortable; wearable design; Clear and bright screen; Great background health features; Excellent fitness tracking overall

No always-on screen; Sleep tracking is basic; No blood oxygen or ECG sensors

Like with iPhone, Apple Watch is a family now, with 2020 bringing two new models targeting not only different price points but very different users, too. More affordable of the two, the Apple Watch SE bridges the gap between the flagship Apple Watch Series 6 and the cheapest Series 3 from 2017.

Affordable balance of features; Excellent battery life; Family Setup could be a game-changer

No always-on display; Advanced health-tracking needs a Series 6 instead

Apple’s smartwatch lineup has gone from straightforward to surprisingly complex seemingly overnight. Where we used to have this year’s model or last year’s model at a lower price to choose from, now Apple is selling three distinct Apple Watch models at varying price tiers and with varying options.

Fast performance; Great smartwatch software; Reliable battery life

No always-on display; No third-party watch faces; No ECG or blood oxygen monitoring