The Apple Watch SE offers a lot of features for a low price — but is it a better buy than the Apple Watch Series 5? Let's take a closer look and see.

The Apple Watch SE offers plenty of health-tracking features and benefits at an affordable price — but how does it compare to the more capable Apple Watch Series 5? When it launched in September 2019, the Apple Watch Series 5 brought a lot of exciting upgrades to the table. It introduced an always-on display, a new Compass app, and emergency calling for cellular variants. In short, it was one of the most capable smartwatches of its time.

The Apple Watch SE, by comparison, is positioned as an affordable smartwatch — and it's since become one of the most appealing options in the Apple Watch lineup. Apple's affordable smartwatch entry comes with similar software improvements and performance upgrades found in its higher-end counterparts. However, the Apple Watch SE's lower price tag means it has to forego some health-tracking technology present in the Series 5.

According to Apple, the Watch SE comes with some of the latest motion sensors — including the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and altimeter as the Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 7. Despite being the budget smartwatch alternative, it also benefits from oodles of performance upgrades offered through the latest watchOS 8 operating system. This includes new watch faces specifically designed for the wearer's needs, sleep tracking, low-range VO2 Max, language translation, and Focus modes to help users only focus on notifications that matter to them.

Apple Watch SE Or Apple Watch Series 5?

Apple's budget smartwatch offers a lot for its $279 starting price, but not without skimping on certain essential health-monitoring technology. Unlike the Series 5, the Watch SE doesn't have any ECG sensor whatsoever. It also lacks the always-on retina display of the Series 5. Furthermore, the aluminum-only case finish means that the Watch SE omits the Series 5's varied case material options (including stainless steel, titanium, and ceramic). Despite those shortcomings, one big advantage of the Apple Watch SE is its S5 chipset. This is the exact same chip powering the Apple Watch Series 5. In other words, both smartwatches have virtually identical performance and battery life — a huge testament to the Watch SE's competitive value.

There's also the matter of availability to consider. Apple still sells the Apple Watch SE on its official website and through retail channels like Amazon and Best Buy. On the flip side, the Apple Watch Series 5 was discontinued in September 2020. It is still possible to find the Series 5 being sold online, though only if someone's OK getting a used or refurbished model.

So, what's the best choice between the two? For most people, the Apple Watch SE is likely the better purchase. It's affordable, has all of the core Apple Watch features, and is still readily sold/supported by Apple. If you need features like ECG or the always-on display, it's probably worth skipping the Series 5 altogether and just buying the latest Apple Watch Series 7. Not only does it have all the benefits of the Series 5, but it also touts features like a SpO2 sensor, improved performance, a larger display, and faster charging — all starting at $399.

Next: Apple Watch SE Vs. Watch Series 6:

Source: Apple