The Apple Watch has reached a major milestone with the release of the Series 10, marking its 10th generation. While the Series 10 boasts a host of new features, it remains a premium smartwatch with a price tag that might not be for everyone. The Apple Watch SE 2, a two-year-old entry-level model, provides a more affordable alternative. If you’re looking to experience the Apple Watch but have a limited budget, should you settle for the SE 2 or stretch your budget for the Series 10? Let’s delve into a detailed comparison to help you make the right decision.
Design and Display:
The Series 10 has undergone a significant redesign compared to the SE 2, which retains the design language of its predecessors. This difference is immediately noticeable. The Series 10 is 1mm thinner, slightly heavier, and larger than the SE 2, but the most striking difference is its much larger display. Despite the larger screen, the thinner design makes it feel remarkably comfortable and premium on the wrist. The Series 10 features a glass front, a titanium or aluminum frame, and a ceramic and sapphire crystal back. In contrast, the SE 2 has a less premium feel, opting for plastic instead of ceramic and offering only an aluminum frame.
The display on the Series 10 is a significant upgrade. It’s bigger, boasts a slightly higher density, and shines brighter with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The SE 2’s display, while still a Retina OLED with 1,000 nits peak brightness, pales in comparison. The Series 10 also boasts a Sapphire crystal glass front, ensuring greater durability than the Ion-X strengthened glass on the SE 2. Although both displays utilize LTPO technology, only the Series 10 features an always-on display and a wider viewing angle. The Series 10 emerges as the clear winner in this category, offering a visually superior and more durable display.
Health and Fitness Tracking:
Both the Series 10 and SE 2 run WatchOS 11, but the Series 10 has the edge in terms of health features. The lack of ECG and temperature sensors in the SE 2 means you’ll miss out on features like ECG recordings, advanced heart rate monitoring, and temperature sensing. While both watches offer sleep tracking, the Series 10 gathers more detailed data and can even detect Sleep Apnea.
Both watches provide access to the Training Load and Vitals apps, offering a visual representation of your heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep duration. However, the Series 10 takes this a step further by tracking your wrist temperature overnight, providing an early indicator of potential illness. The Series 10 also excels in tracking periods, providing retrospective ovulation estimates, while the SE 2 offers only basic cycle tracking.
For swimmers and divers, the SE 2 has limitations, offering only water resistance up to 50 meters. The Series 10, on the other hand, boasts a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge up to six meters, providing more detailed workout statistics. While the SE 2 offers core health features at a lower price, the Series 10 provides a more comprehensive health and fitness tracking experience.
Software and Performance:
The Series 10 is powered by the S10 SiP, incorporating the double-tap gesture introduced with the Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The SE 2, utilizing the two-year-old S8 SiP, misses out on features like precision finding for the iPhone and faster charging. This difference is also evident in the Siri experience. The Series 10’s S10 SiP offers a much faster, on-device Siri that can access your health data, while the S8 SiP provides a more basic version. While the S10 SiP is more powerful, the SE 2’s performance remains solid and shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most users.
The longevity of software updates remains a crucial factor. Apple Watches typically receive support for around five years, meaning an SE 2 might only receive three more updates. In contrast, the Series 10 is guaranteed to receive updates for a longer period. The performance difference between the S10 SiP and S8 SiP, while noticeable, shouldn’t be the sole reason for upgrading.
Battery and Charging:
Both the Series 10 and SE 2 offer an advertised battery life of up to 18 hours. However, in real-world usage, the SE 2 might fall short, with the Series 10 consistently exceeding 24 hours. Apple significantly revamped the charging experience with the Series 10, making it faster than any other Apple Watch. In our tests, it charged to full in less than an hour, and a 15-minute charge provided enough battery life for 12 hours of use. This faster charging experience is a significant advantage, making the Series 10 the clear winner in this category.
Price and Availability:
The biggest draw of the SE 2 is its price. At a starting price of $249, it’s significantly more affordable than the Series 10, which starts at $399 and can reach $799 for the Titanium model with the largest size and titanium band. The SE 2 offers various configurations, with the 40mm GPS model starting at $249, while the larger 44mm model costs an additional $30. Adding GPS and Cellular functionality adds $50, and the stainless steel Milanese loop band costs another $50, resulting in a maximum price of $379.
The Series 10 starts at $399 for the 42mm aluminum model and $699 for the titanium model. The aluminum model is available in both GPS and GPS and Cellular variants, with the latter costing $100 extra. The titanium model comes only with GPS and Cellular. Upgrading to the larger 46mm model adds $30 for the aluminum model and $50 for the titanium model. The SE 2 provides a pared-down feature set at a lower price, serving as an entry point into the Apple Watch experience. The Series 10, on the other hand, represents the pinnacle of the non-Ultra product line, offering a more comprehensive feature set at a higher price.
Verdict:
The Apple Watch Series 10 is undoubtedly the best Apple Watch available today. However, its starting price of $399 might be a barrier for some. If you’re looking for a more affordable way to experience the Apple Watch, the SE 2 provides 75% of the experience at less than 75% of the price. If you can afford the Series 10, the extra money is well worth it. The larger display, faster charging, and thinner design make it a more desirable and comfortable choice. While the Series 10 comes at a premium, it’s worth considering if you can stretch your budget, especially if you can find one of the best Apple Watch deals.
