Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch SE: the main differences



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The Apple Watch is bound to be a popular giveaway this holiday season, and we’re already seeing notable deals on the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE heading into Black Friday. If you’re trying to decide which model to buy, head down below for more details on the Apple Watch Series 6 versus the Apple Watch SE.

Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE both launched in September, headlining Apple’s special event which also saw the introduction of a new iPad Air. There are many similarities between the Apple Watch SE and the Series 6, but the differences are also very important to note.

Whether you’re buying for yourself or someone else this holiday season, the decision between the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE can be tricky. Here is all you need to know.

Design

The design of the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE is almost identical. They are both available in 40mm and 44mm sizes with slim bezels, rounded corners, and compatibility with Apple’s entire range of watch bands.

One of the differences, however, is that the Apple Watch Series 6 comes in different materials and colors, including aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium. On the other hand, the Apple Watch SE is only available in three different aluminum finishes: silver, space gray and gold.

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple Watch Series 6 colors and finishes:

  • Aluminum: (PRODUCT) RED, Blue, Silver, Space Gray, Gold
  • Stainless steel: silver, graphite, gold
  • Titanium: space black, silver

So while the physical design of the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE is similar, the former is available in a much wider range of colors and finishes. Depending on who you are looking for, this could be a deciding factor in your decision.

Display

Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch Series SE have the same display resolution, 368 by 448 pixels in the 44mm model and 324 by 394 pixels in the 40mm model. The difference, however, is that the Apple Watch Series 6 has an always-on display.

The Apple Watch Series 6 always-on display means you don’t have to touch the screen or lift your wrist to see the time. As such, many apps and watch faces have been adjusted to take advantage of the new always-on display. This means that when the display is darkened, you can still see the time and some complications on your watch face. When you lift your wrist or tap the screen, it will return to its full brightness.

For example, the Workouts app on Apple Watch has been optimized for always-on display. This allows you to easily see your time, calories, and other data without having to lift your wrist or awkwardly touch the screen while you workout.

Meanwhile, on the Apple Watch SE, you have to lift your wrist or touch the screen to see the time and the face of your watch. This should be familiar to anyone who has used an Apple Watch and this is how it worked until the introduction of the Apple Series 5 last year.

Another display difference to note is that the titanium and stainless steel models of the Apple Watch Series 6 feature sapphire crystal displays, which are more durable than the Ion-X glass display used in 6 Series and SE aluminum models.

Performance and battery life

The Apple Watch Series 6 is powered by Apple’s latest S6 dual-core processor, which the company claims is up to 20% faster than the Apple Watch SE’s S5 processor. In fact, Apple claims that the new Apple Silicon S6 processor is based on the A13 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

In the real world, whether or not you can notice a difference between the processor in the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE depends on how you use it. For most of the people who use their Apple Watch primarily for fitness tracking and as a supplement to your iPhone, the S5 processor is probably quite powerful.

When it comes to battery life, Apple claims the Apple Watch Series SE and Apple Watch Series 6 can both run for up to 18 hours on a single charge. Actual battery life will always vary, but this 18-hour benchmark is a good way to shape your expectations.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is able to charge slightly faster than the Apple Watch SE, with Apple claiming it can go from fully dead to fully charged in under 1.5 hours.

Best Apple Watch Charging Stations:

Health features

Another major differentiator in this comparison is that the Apple Watch Series 6 has several notable health features not available on the Apple Watch SE.

The Apple Watch Series 6’s headliner is its blood oxygen sensor, which allows you to monitor your oxygen saturation from your wrist. Oxygen saturation represents the percentage of oxygen carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body and indicates how well this oxygenated blood is delivered throughout the body.

With the Apple Watch Series 6 blood oxygen application, you can measure blood oxygen between 70% and 100%. You can manually take a reading in just 15 seconds, and periodic background measurements occur when you are inactive, including while sleeping.

Apple Watch Series 6 also supports taking an EKG from your wrist. You can then view your ECG results from the Health app. Apple Watch SE does not support taking ECGs or monitoring blood oxygen levels.

Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE include support for high and low heart rate notifications, as well as irregular heart rhyme notifications. Other health features of both devices include:

  • Emergency SOS
  • International emergency call
  • Fall detection
  • Noise monitoring

Other treats

A few other details to note include that the Apple Watch Series 6 includes support for 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which should provide faster and more reliable performance when your Apple Watch is connected to Wi-Fi. Watch SE is limited to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE include the following features:

  • S6 SiP dual-core
  • Digital crown with haptic feedback
  • Cellular connectivity on GPS + Cellular models
  • Compass
  • Altimeter always on
  • Second generation speaker and microphone
  • Support for family setup

Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch SE: Price

The Apple Watch SE comes in 40mm and 44mm configurations, with the former regularly costing $ 279 and the latter $ 309. If you go for the cell phone, you’re looking at $ 329 for the 40mm size and $ 359 for the 44mm size.

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 6 regularly starts at $ 399 for the 40mm model and $ 429 for the 44mm model. If you want cellular connectivity, this will increase the starting price to $ 499 and $ 529, respectively.

Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch SE: the verdict

For many people, the Apple Watch SE is a great way to enter the Apple Watch ecosystem. It offers premium fitness tracking features, deep integration with other Apple products and services, heart monitoring features, and more.

Apple boosts Chinese production of Apple Watch

But that being said, if you can justify the Apple Watch Series 6’s price jump, it does have some notable additional health tracking features, including blood oxygen and ECG capabilities. There is also an always-on display which will be useful for many people.

What do you think about the differences between the Apple Watch Series SE and the Apple Watch Series 6? Which one are you planning to buy? Let us know in the comments!

Throughout the holiday season, be sure to keep an eye on 9to5Toys for the best Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE deals.

Where to buy Apple Watch SE:

Where to buy Apple Watch Series 6:

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