This year, Apple unveiled three fresh Apple Watch variations: the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. Whether you’re considering one for personal use, selecting a last-minute holiday present, or investigating the various models, we can guide you effectively.

With a price of $799, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is clearly targeted at a specialized, premium market and athletes. For the average consumer, the buying choice will likely be between the Apple Watch SE 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11, priced at $249 and $399, respectively.

Even though it has a lower price point, the Apple Watch SE 3 includes much of the same software as the Series 11. If you want a basic smartwatch with key functionalities like step tracking and sleep monitoring, the SE 3 is a fantastic and economical selection. 

While the Series 11 and Ultra 3 present slight enhancements over their prior models, the SE 3 has gotten a substantial upgrade from the SE 2. It moves from the S8 chip to the S10 and now offers an always-on display, supports rapid charging, has improved crack resistance, introduces new health functionalities, incorporates a wrist-temperature sensor for advanced sleep monitoring and retrospective ovulation insights, and more. 

Although it may not be as extravagant as the Series 11 and Ultra 3, it certainly stands out and offers great value, especially for new buyers and younger users. The divide between standard and budget smartwatches has never been narrower. 

Naturally, if you seek more sophisticated health features, greater battery life, and a larger display, the Series 11 would be the more suitable choice for your requirements. However, it’s worthwhile to compare both options because the SE 3 could be all that you need.

We’ll guide you through the similarities and distinctions between the two smartwatches to assist in your choice.

Commonalities between the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3

• S10 chip: Both devices are equipped with the same processor, ensuring uniform performance levels.
• Always-on Retina display: The watches allow displaying the watch face and time, even with the wrist lowered.
• Heart health features: Both models provide high and low heart rate alerts, irregular rhythm notifications, and low cardio fitness alerts.
• Wrist flick and double tap gestures: Both watches support the “wrist flick” gesture for dismissing notifications and timers, as well as a “double tap” for actions like answering calls or playing music.
• Emergency SOS: The watches can rapidly contact local emergency services, share location details, and notify emergency contacts by holding down the side button.
• Fall detection and crash detection: Both models can automatically alert emergency services and identified emergency contacts when a severe fall or crash is detected.
• Water resistant up to 50 meters: Both watches are suitable for swimming activities.
• Sleep tracking: Both variants include sleep tracking capabilities, sleep tracking alerts, and Apple’s new Sleep score ranging from 1 to 100 regarding sleep quality. Additionally, both feature temperature sensing to provide insights into well-being through nightly wrist temperature changes.
• Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates: These watches can identify the likely ovulation period in your last cycle.
• Fast charging capabilities: Both models support fast charging (up to 80% in approximately 30 minutes for the Series 11 and up to 80% in about 45 minutes for the SE 3; 15 minutes for eight hours of typical use for either device). 
• Find iPhone: Both watches allow pressing a button to make a sound on the iPhone to aid in finding it, though the Series 11 features “precision finding” for exact phone location tracking.

Discrepancies between the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3

• Battery life: The Series 11 lasts up to 24 hours (28 hours in low-power mode), while the SE can last up to 18 hours (32 hours in low-power mode).
• Health features: The Series 11 offers more sophisticated health monitoring options, such as hypertension notifications (detects high blood pressure), an electrical heat sensor, an ECG app, and a Blood Oxygen app.
• Screen and display: The Series 11 can achieve up to 2000 nits, whereas the SE 3 maxes out at 1000 nits. Additionally, the Series 11 features a wide-angle OLED display, while the SE 3 has a standard OLED screen.
• Size: The Series 11 is offered in 46mm and 44mm sizes with aluminum or titanium casings, while the SE 3 is available in 44mm and 40mm sizes with an aluminum casing. Furthermore, the Series 11 is nearly 10% thinner than the SE 3. 
• Color: The Series 11 is available in aluminum shades: Jet Black, Silver, Rose Gold, and Space Gray, alongside titanium colors: Natural, Gold, and Slate. The SE 3 features Midnight Aluminum and Starlight Aluminum.
• Other minor distinctions: The Series 11 includes a depth gauge of six meters, a water temperature sensor, a minimum brightness of 1 nit (compared to 2 nit on the SE 3), and certified IP6X dust resistance.