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The Apple Watch SE 3 might look a lot like the Watch Series 7 Photograph: (Daniel Romero via Unsplash)
The Apple Watch SE has largely stayed unchanged since its introduction in 2020. Derived from the then-defunct Series 4 design, the SE offered the thrills of the premium Apple Watch without the hardcore health and fitness monitoring parameters. A mid-life facelift saw the Watch SE get its metallic underside replaced with plastic in 2022 in order to further Apple’s carbon-neutral goals.
In 2025 though, the Apple Watch SE has started to age, especially when compared to more low-priced alternatives from rival brands like Samsung and OnePlus. Hence, we have been expecting a thorough upgrade and thanks to the latest bunch of leaks and rumours, we know that there’s a new Apple Watch SE coming our way.
The wait won’t be as long as the iPhone 16E’s, considering that the Apple Watch SE has been one of Apple’s top-selling products. A refreshed new Watch SE could see a lot of existing Watch SE owners as well as users coming from other ecosystems upgrade this festive season and make greater use of Apple’s latest features.
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Apple Watch SE 3: What’s new for this year?
Based on the report from Mark Gurman on Bloomberg, the new Apple Watch SE is changing quite a few things, starting with the design.
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Gurman says that the new Apple Watch SE will get a new design from the outgoing model. Given that Apple’s SE lineup recycles older designs, we expect the Watch SE to borrow the narrow-bezel design from the Apple Watch Series 7. This means that the users of Watch SE will finally be able to have a QWERTY keyboard for typing out things.
A newer design could also allow for greater battery life and possibly fast charging. Rumours suggest that the Watch SE 3 will trade the aluminium body in favour of a rigid plastic body in a bid to keep the costs in check. You can expect Apple to cite the reasons for going carbon neutrality and recycling for choosing plastic as the choice of material.
Of course, you can expect to find newer silicon inside the Watch SE 3 to allow for newer watchOS versions and possibly run Apple Intelligence features. We doubt whether Apple will include its advanced health and fitness tracking features like Blood Oxygen saturation and ECG monitoring.
Apple Watch SE 3 expected price and launch date
The new Apple Watch SE 3 could be priced on par with the outgoing model. Hence, the base variant of the Watch SE with a smaller display and no LTE support could start from as low as INR 32,000. The new model could be announced alongside the Watch Series 11 and the iPhone 17 during Apple’s September launch event.
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