Apple Watch SE first impressions - Engadget

I've been wearing the new, 44mm Apple Watch SE for about a day, and I can't stop thinking of it as Apple's FrankenWatch.

Meanwhile, Apple has confirmed that the SE has the same compass and always-on altimeter as the Series 6, along with a very similar screen.

From what I can tell, it's the same bigger display we got in the Series 5, just without the always-on functionality enabled.

And while the Series 4 was the first Apple Watch to come with heart-sensing ECG support, you simply don't get that here?

"FrankenWatch" feels like a pretty appropriate nickname -- the SE is a mixed bag of the best parts and features from the last few years of Apple Watch history.

Both new devices are surprisingly similar to Apple's highest-end models, and if you can afford it, the SE offers a lot more than the basic model — in this case, the $199 Apple Watch Series 3.

Now, you're definitely going to want to wait for our full Apple Watch SE review, but as far as first impressions go, the SE leaves a pretty strong one.

I've spent the last year or so wearing the Series 5 and really enjoying it -- it's only been in the past few years that the Apple Watch's processing power meant you didn't really have to worry about stops and starts and stutters.

The whole experience feels pretty consistently smooth now, which you just couldn't say in the early days. .

So far, the Apple Watch SE has felt just as fast, which of course makes sense since it shares its brain with the Series 5.

In other words, you can expect performance that's in line with what was -- up until just recently -- Apple's flagship wearable.

I'd personally opt for the Series 5 myself, but I'm perhaps a little biased: Earlier this year, before 2020 started going down the drain, I had an atrial flutter strike out of nowhere, and it was only thanks to the Series 5's mild concern via the ECG app that I went to an emergency room and got the all-clear. Since then, I’ve been glad to see new wearables like Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch embrace similar features, and can’t help but be a little disappointed Apple had to cut it here.

It still has most of the health-focused features Apple has rolled out in the past few years, like fall detection, alerts for excessive ambient noise, and non-ECG-based heart rate monitoring.

That update just recently launched and is now available for the Watch Series 3 and newer.

Naturally, we'll dig into what's new in watchOS in our full review, but I just want to quickly run through a couple of the highlights.

Meanwhile, Apple really gets a kick out of showing off its new Typograph face, and with good reason: It looks fantastic.

Perhaps the biggest additions to watchOS 7 are Apple's sleep tracking tools, which I haven't been to test yet since power naps just aren’t in the cards these days. .

Since I have them, I might as well talk about Apple's new Watch bands, too.

The silicone Solo Loop feels a lot like Apple's classic Sport Band, but the material actually seems quite a bit thinner

And that's about it for my first day with the Apple Watch SE

It doesn't offer everything I hoped for, but considering its price and the strength of what it does offer, the SE just might be the ideal entry point to Apple's wearables

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple Watch SE

Apple Watch Series 3