Apple recently unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12, its latest flagship smartwatch. The Apple Watch Series 12 isn’t too different from its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 11, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The most important thing that didn’t change is its price. The starting price still remains at $399.
If you’re looking to save money, however, it’s worth looking at Apple’s more economical smartwatch offering, the Apple Watch SE 3, which starts at just $249. It doesn’t have the same level of features as its pricier siblings, but if all you want is a capable fitness wearable, the Watch SE 3 is a pretty solid option.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how these two Apple wearables compare.
The Apple Watch Series 12, in gold titanium (left) and bronze aluminum.Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETDesign and display
The Apple Watch Series 12 looks and feels very similar to its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 11. It has a rectangular OLED Retina display (up to 2,000 nits of brightness), rounded edges, and it comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes. In addition to aluminum and titanium, the Apple Watch Series 12 now also comes in ceramic, a callback to the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019.
It’s worth noting that the ceramic version is quite a bit heavier. While the 42mm aluminum model is 32.2g, the titanium is 36.5g, the pearl white ceramic is 41.7g (interestingly, the night blue hue of the ceramic is 42.8g).
Speaking of which, the Apple Watch Series 12 comes in a variety of colors depending on the case. The aluminum comes in dark bronze, light gold, black and space gray, the titanium comes in radiant gold and natural hues, while the ceramic comes in the aforementioned pearl white and night blue.
The Apple Watch SE 3 also has a rectangular display design with rounded edges, but it comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes instead. Rather than an OLED Retina display, the SE 3 uses an always-on LTPO OLED display that gets up to 1,000 nits of brightness. It doesn’t refresh quite as often as the Series 12, however.
The SE 3 comes in 100% recycled aluminum in either midnight or starlight colors. It’s also very lightweight compared to the Series 12; it weighs only 26.4 grams (40mm) or 33 grams (44mm).
Both watches are IP6X-rated for dust and water resistance up to 50 meters. The Series 12 has Ceramic Shield 2 glass, while the SE 3’s cover glass is made out of Ion-X and is four times more resistant to cracks than the SE 2.
Sleep tracking on the Apple Watch SE 3.
Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETHealth and fitness features
The Series 12 has many of the same sensors as the Series 11, including a second-generation electrical heart sensor, an always-on optical heart sensor, and a temperature sensor. Though it doesn’t have on-the-spot blood pressure monitoring, it can analyze data and detect signs of hypertension, which can help your doctor make a diagnosis.
The SE 3, on the other hand, lacks the electrical heart sensor found on the Series 12, so it can’t take heart readings using the ECG app or detect signs of atrial fibrillation. It does, however, have a second-generation optical heart sensor that can track heart rate during exercise or sleep. In other words, if all you want is a wearable that will track your heart rate during a workout, the SE 3 could be good enough.
Though both watches are water-resistant, the SE 3 lacks a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge, whereas the Series 12 does. The Series 12 is therefore a better option if you want to track swim workouts or dives more effectively.
Both watches offer emergency features like fall detection, emergency SOS and crash detection.
Battery life and specs
Both watches have a decent battery life. The Apple Watch Series 12 offers 24-hour battery life and fast charging from 0% to 80% in just 30 minutes. The Apple Watch SE 3, meanwhile, has an 18-hour battery life but can fast-charge to 8 hours of normal use in just 15 minutes.
The SE 3 ships with an S10 chip with a 64-bit dual-core processor and a W3 Apple wireless chip, plus 64 gigabytes of storage. It doesn’t have Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which supports precise location tracking, but you can still use Find My on an iPhone to see if it’s with you. You just won’t be able to pinpoint its location exactly by getting closer to it.
The Series 12 has an Ultra Wideband chip and Apple’s new S11 chip with a 64-bit dual-core processor, which enables features such as heart rate readings every 5 seconds.
Check out the chart below to further compare the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch SE 3.
Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Apple Watch SE 3
| Apple Watch Series 12 | Apple Watch SE (3rd Gen) | |
| Design & sizes | Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm | Rectangular, 40mm, 44mm |
| Display | 42mm: 446 × 374 pixels; LTPO3 OLED Retina display (wide-angle) 46mm: 496 × 416 pixels; LTPO3 OLED Retina display (wide-angle) | 44mm: 368 × 448 pixels (Always-On Retina LTPO OLED) Apple 40mm: 324 × 394 pixels (Always-On Retina LTPO OLED) |
| Brightness | Between 1 and 2000 nits | Up to 1000 nits |
| Thickness & weight | “46mm: 9.7mm; 39.5g (aluminum GPS), 38.6g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 44.9g (titanium); 46mm ceramic: 9.85mm; 51.3g (pearl white), 52.9g (night blue); 42mm: 9.7mm; 32.2g (aluminum GPS), 31.5g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 36.5g (titanium); 42mm ceramic: 9.85mm; 41.7g (pearl white), 42.8g (night blue)” | 44mm: 10.7mm; 33.0g (aluminum GPS+Cellular) 40mm: 10.7mm; 26.4g (aluminum GPS+Cellular) |
| Material & finish | Aluminum: Dark bronze, Light gold, Black, Space Gray Titanium: Radiant gold, Natural, Ceramic: Pearl white, Night blue | 100% recycled aluminum, midnight and starlight |
| Durability | IP6X dust resistant, water resistant to 50 meters, Ceramic Shield 2 glass | Cover glass is 4X times more resistant to cracks than the SE 2; made of Ion-X glass. Water resistant up to 50 meters. |
| Battery life | 24-hour battery life; Fast-charge capable 0% to 80% in 30 minutes | All-day, 18-hour battery life; Fast charging with 8 hours of normal use in just 15 minutes on the charger. |
| Sensors | Health sensing system, second-generation electrical heart sensor, always-on optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, water temperature sensor, depth gauge and depth app to 6m, speaker, microphone with voice isolation, always-on altimeter, high dynamic range gyroscope, compass, waypoints, backtrack and elevation view, ambient light sensor | Wrist temperature, Second-generation optical heart sensor, Noise monitoring, compass |
| Emergency features | Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check-in and Backtrack | Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, and Check-In |
| AI & coaching | Apple Intelligence, Siri AI; Workout Buddy | Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy |
| Processor | S11 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor | S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip |
| RAM/Storage | 64GB (storage) | 64GB (storage) |
| Payments | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Price (US) | $399 to $949 | $249 to $329 |
I started my career with CNET all the way back in 2005, when the (original) Motorola Razrs were all the rage. Since then, I've written about everything from consumer electronics to internet culture for outlets like CNET, Engadget and Yahoo. Outside of work, I'm a big fan of baseball, board games, tabletop RPGs and improv comedy. See full bio
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