
In September 2021, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 7, featuring larger displays, improved durability, and faster charging. This came one year after Apple unveiled the Apple Watch SE, a low-cost Apple Watch option that still offers many of the Apple Watch features that have made the device so popular over the years.
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The Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch SE is priced much more competitively at $279. As these two models share many key features, including design, water resistance, and an optical heart sensor, it may not be immediately obvious which model is better for you. Is it worth purchasing the cheaper model with fewer features? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two Apple Watch models is best for you.
Comparing the Apple Watch Series 7 and the Apple Watch SE
Many of the features of these two models of Apple Watch are the same, with Apple listing the following identical features:
Similarities
- Available with aluminum casing option
- Digital Crown with haptic feedback
- Retina LTPO OLED display, with brightness of up to 1,000 nits
- "Swimproof" water resistance up to 50 meters
- 64‑bit dual-core processor
- High and low heart rate and irregular heart rhythm notifications
- Accelerometer and gyroscope (fall detection)
- Always-on altimeter
- Compass
- Ambient light sensor
- 50 percent louder speaker than Series 3
- Microphone
- Noise monitoring
- 18-hour "all-day" battery life
- GPS and GPS + Cellular models
- Support for Family Setup (GPS + Cellular models)
- International emergency calling and emergency SOS
- W3 wireless chip
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 32GB capacity
Apple's breakdown shows that these two models share a majority of features. Even so, there are a number of meaningful differences between the Apple Watch Series 7 and the Apple Watch SE that are worth highlighting, such as display size, ECGs, and blood oxygen monitoring.
Differences
Apple Watch SE
- Available with aluminum casing only
- 44mm or 40mm casing sizes
- Retina display
- Display with 3.0mm borders
- S5 SiP with 64‑bit dual-core processor
- Second-generation optical heart sensor
- Available in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold
- Weighs 30.8g/36.5g
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
- Comes with 1m USB-C charging cable
Apple Watch Series 7
- Aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium casing options
- 45mm or 41mm casing sizes
- Always-On Retina display
- 20 percent larger display with 1.7mm borders
- Crack-resistant front crystal
- IP6X dust resistance
- S7 SiP with 64‑bit dual-core processor (up to 20 percent faster than Apple Watch SE)
- Third-generation optical heart sensor
- Blood oxygen sensor
- Electrical heart sensor
- Fast charging (up to 80 percent charge in about 45 minutes)
- Aluminum models available in Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED, stainless steel models available in Graphite, Silver, and Gold, and titanium models available in Silver and Space Black
- Aluminum models weigh 32.0g/38.8g, stainless steel 42.3g/51.5g, and titanium 37.0g/45.1g
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, 5GHz
- U1 Ultra Wideband chip
- Comes with 1m USB-C magnetic fast charging cable
Read on for a closer look at each of these aspects, and see what exactly both of the Apple Watch models have to offer.
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Article Link: Apple Watch SE vs. Apple Watch Series 7 Buyer's Guide
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