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From across the room, you’d have a hard time telling the Apple Watch Series 12 and the SE 3 apart. On your wrist, the screen, the health sensors and the battery life are pretty different.
By the end you’ll know if the Series 12 gets you extra features you’ll use, or if the SE 3 is all the watch you need.
For most people, I’d get the Series 12. The brighter screen, the extra heart sensors, Live Rewind and the longer battery are worth it. Get the SE 3 if all you want is notifications, activity rings and the basics, or if it’s for a kid on Family Setup.
- $150 less, starting at $250
- Cellular adds $50, not $100
- Covers the basics: heart rate, sleep score, sleep apnea, wrist temperature, crash detection
- 18 hours of battery still gets you through a day
- Twice as bright, 2,000 nits vs 1,000
- ECG, blood oxygen and hypertension notifications
- Over 24 hours of battery in my test, and faster charging
- Siri Live Rewind and Recap, coming later this year
Price and sizes
| SE 3 | Series 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (GPS) | $250, 40mm | $400, 42mm |
| Larger size | $280, 44mm | $450, 46mm |
| Cellular | +$50 | +$100 |
| Brightness | 1,000 nits | 2,000 nits |
| ECG, blood oxygen, hypertension | No | Yes |
| Battery rating | 18 hours | 24 hours |
| 15-minute charge | 8 hours | 12 hours |
| Chip | S10 | S11 |
Need help picking any Apple gear? Tell me how you’d use it and I’ll give you a personalized pick.
The SE 3 starts at $250 for the 40mm GPS model, and the 44mm is $280. The Series 12 starts at $400 for the 42mm aluminum model, and the 46mm is $450.
The sizes are a little different too. The SE 3 comes in 40 and 44mm, and the Series 12 comes in 42 and 46mm, so you get a bigger screen at each size on the Series 12.
Colors and finishes
The SE 3 only comes in aluminum, in midnight or starlight. The aluminum Series 12 comes in black, space gray, light gold and dark bronze, and that bronze looks really nice.
The Series 12 also comes in titanium, in natural or radiant gold, starting at $700 with cellular included. There’s a new ceramic option in pearl white or night blue too. Both look amazing, but they start at $900, which is more than an Apple Watch Ultra. The titanium and ceramic models come with cellular and a sapphire crystal screen, which is even more durable than the one on the aluminum Series 12.
Cellular
Both have a cellular option, and both support 5G. With cellular, you can take calls, send texts and stream music without your iPhone nearby, which is useful for workouts. You do have to pay extra on your phone plan for it. Cellular adds $50 to the SE 3 and $100 to the Series 12.
For most people, either watch with GPS is going to be fine. You can pair either one with AirPods and listen to music without your phone, which is super nice for running.
Screen brightness
Both have an always-on display, but the Series 12 is twice as bright, 2,000 nits vs 1,000 on the SE 3. Outside, the SE 3 is still visible, but there were times I had to turn my wrist a little to see what was on the screen. The Series 12 just feels extra visible.
Both have wide viewing angles too, and the Series 12 is still a little better there.
Health features
The SE 3 covers the basics well. It has heart rate, sleep score, sleep apnea notifications, wrist temperature and crash detection built in, which are the essentials. It’s missing ECG, blood oxygen and hypertension notifications.
The Series 12 also has Apple’s new heart rate sensor, with more windows on the back. It checks your heart rate every five seconds all day long, and it powers the new Readiness score. To use Readiness, you do have to sleep with your watch on.
Battery life and charging
Battery is one of the biggest differences. The SE 3 is rated for 18 hours and the Series 12 for 24. In my testing I got over 24 hours out of the Series 12, which is nice if you track your sleep or have long days.
18 hours on the SE 3 should still get you through a whole day, and if it’s getting low, you can put it in Low Power Mode to squeeze out a little more. The Series 12 charges faster too. Fifteen minutes on the charger gets you 12 hours on the Series 12 and 8 on the SE 3.
Chip, Siri and Live Rewind
The SE 3 has last year’s S10 chip, the same one in the Series 11 and Ultra 3. The Series 12 has the new S11. On paper the Series 12 is faster, but using Siri and doing other things, they ran about the same for me. Both run watchOS 27, so you get the new Siri on either one.
The Series 12 also supports Siri Live Rewind and Siri Recap, and the SE 3 won’t. Live Rewind is really cool. Press the Digital Crown and it gives you a text version of the last 15 seconds of your conversation, which is going to be useful for people like me who are hard of hearing. The catch is it isn’t ready yet. It’s coming later this year.
Which one to buy
The SE 3 is for you if you want the bare bones, the basic health features and notifications, or if it’s for a kid on Family Setup. Family Setup needs the cellular model, and the SE 3 is a lot cheaper with cellular than the Series 12. It’s also the better pick on a budget if all you care about is notifications, activity rings and the basics. It does all that just fine for $150 less.
The Series 12 is the better pick if you want a nicer watch with more health features, the brighter screen and a battery that gets you through the longest days. Get it if you care about ECG, blood oxygen or blood pressure alerts, because the SE 3 doesn’t have them.
| Get the SE 3 if | Get the Series 12 if |
|---|---|
| You want notifications, activity rings and the basic health features | You want ECG, blood oxygen or hypertension notifications |
| It’s for a kid on Family Setup | You want the brighter screen and longer battery |
| You’re on a budget | You want Siri Live Rewind and Recap when they arrive |
The bottom line
You save quite a bit with the SE 3, but I’d still push you toward the Series 12 unless all you care about is basic notifications. The extra heart sensors, Live Rewind and the battery life are worth it.
Still deciding? See my Apple Watch Series 12 review, which Apple Watch to buy, SE 3 vs Series 12 vs Ultra 4, or tell me how you’d use it and I’ll give you a personalized pick.
