Apple took the wraps off its two new smartwatches last week, the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE. While the Apple Watch Series 6 offers high-end, industry-leading specs, the Apple Watch SE is a more affordable option with a focus on essential features. So, should you spend your money and get the Apple Watch Series 6, or is Apple Watch SE enough for you? Find out which Apple Watch suits you the best in our comparison.
Apple Watch Series 6 or Apple Watch SE – Which One to Buy?
Design
- Apple Watch Series 6: Two case sizes — 40mm and 44mm; Three finishes – Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium; Eight colors: Space Gray, Silver, Gold, Graphite, Space Black, Titanium, Blue, (PRODUCT)RED; Water resistant up to 50 meters
- Apple Watch SE: Two case sizes — 40mm and 44mm; One finish – Aluminum; Three colors – Space Gray, Silver, Gold; Water resistant up to 50 meters
The Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE have the same case design. There is no change whatsoever. However, the Apple Watch Series 6 can be had with more premium case materials, more color options, and a wider choice of bands compared to the Apple Watch SE. That being said, the aluminum shell of the Apple Watch SE looks premium-enough, and its three case color options and range of bands should suffice the needs of most people. So, the design of these smartwatches shouldn’t be a deciding factor for you in our opinion.
Display
- Apple Watch Series 6: 1.78-inch LTPO OLED with 448 x 368 pixels resolution in 44mm variant and 1.57-inch OLED with 394 x 324 pixels resolution in 40mm variant, 1000 nits brightness, Always-on feature
- Apple Watch SE: 1.78-inch LTPO OLED with 448 x 368 pixels resolution in 44mm variant, and 1.57-inch LTPO OLED with 394 x 324 pixels resolution in 40mm variant, 1000 nits brightness, No Always-on display
The biggest difference between the displays of both smartwatches is that the Apple Watch Series 6 has an Always-on display whereas that of the Apple Watch SE doesn’t.
Since the display is always on, you don’t have to raise or twist your wrist to turn on the display and/or to see the content on the screen, which is a huge convenience factor and it makes living with your smartwatch much easier. Moreover, Always-on display makes the smartwatch look more appealing to the people around you.
Considering that you look at your smartwatch plenty of times in a day, having a smartwatch with an always-on display is an ideal option. For most users though, the addition of Always-on Display might not be that big of a deal though, especially if they are always in front of a screen of some form.
Processor
- Apple Watch Series 6: S6 processor, dual-core 64-bit CPU, SiP, 20% faster than S5
- Apple Watch SE: S5 processor, dual-core 64-bit CPU
The S5 chip of the Apple Watch SE is one of the most powerful SoCs in the smartwatch industry and it second only to the S6 chipset. Thanks to it, the Apple Watch SE can handle all day to day tasks without any hiccups. The Apple Watch Series 6 has a 20% faster processor but its not big enough to make a noticeable difference in daily life. So, no matter which smartwatch you choose, their real-life performance will be similar and both of them will offer a fast and smooth user experience.
Sensors
- Apple Watch Series 6: Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, always-on altimeter, GPS/GNSS, ambient light sensor, fall detection, heart rate monitor with ECG function, blood oxygen sensor
- Apple Watch SE: Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, always-on altimeter, GPS/GNSS, ambient light sensor, fall detection, second-generation optical heart rate sensor, no ECG function, no blood oxygen monitor
The Apple Watch Series 6 serves the need of the hour with a blood oxygen sensor, which can be extremely helpful in the ongoing pandemic. It comes with an ECG function as well that will automatically detect and inform you about any abnormality with your cardiac functions; it is a great feature for elderly people. Then there is fall detection, which has saved plenty of lives to date. While the Apple Watch SE lacks ECG functionality and a blood oxygen sensor, it has a basic heart-rate monitor that helps you track your workout activities. Then, there’s also the fall detection feature.
The Apple Watch Series 6 offers two additional lifesaving features –ECG and blood oxygen sensor — compared to the Apple Watch SE. But you should also consider that the ECG functionality of the Apple Watch Series 6 is of not much use to young people. And its blood oxygen sensor might not be as useful when the COVID-19 pandemic is over. So, while these are tempting health-assistance features, you should spend on them only if you need them.
Connectivity
- Apple Watch Series 6: Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/GNSS, W3 wireless chip, cellular connectivity with eSIM (optional), U1 Ultra-Wideband support
- Apple Watch SE: Single-band (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/GNSS, W3 wireless chip, cellular connectivity with eSIM (optional)
Both smartwatches offer every connectivity feature that one would want from a high-end wearable. The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with a faster 5GHz Wi-Fi but it doesn’t make much difference as smartwatches don’t require a high amount of data for them to have a high-speed data connection. The Apple Watch Series 6 packs U1 Ultra-Wideband support as well. While this feature doesn’t have any real purpose at the moment, it is said to come handy in plenty of applications in the future such as using the smartwatch as a digital car key, authenticating your smart door locks, making payments, and much more.
If you want to future-proof your smartwatch, go with the Apple Watch Series 6. But for now, the Apple Watch SE will fulfill all your needs.
Storage
- Apple Watch Series 6: 32GB storage
- Apple Watch Series 3: 8GB storage
The Apple Watch Series 6 has four times the storage of the Apple Watch SE. And that is a huge difference.
While the 8GB of storage of the Apple Watch SE is enough to store all your apps, you would definitely want to go with the 32GB-equipped Apple Watch Series 6 if you are planning on storing music on your smartwatch.
Battery
- Apple Watch Series 6: 18 hours battery backup; 40% faster charging speeds than Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch SE: 18 hours battery backup
The Apple Watch Series 6 as well as the Apple Watch SE feature an 18-hour battery backup, which is more than enough for most people to get through the day on a single charge. However, the Apple Watch Series 6 has 40% faster charging speeds compared to the Apple Watch SE, and that, in our opinion, is a huge convenience, especially when you are in a hurry. If you want the convenience of faster charging, go with the Apple Watch Series 6, but if you are a person who is not always in a hurry, we think you will do just fine with the Apple Watch SE.
Also Read: Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch Series 5: What’s the Difference | Apple Watch SE vs Apple Watch Series 3: Which One Should You Buy?
Price
- Apple Watch Series 6: Starts at $399 for the GPS-only variant and $499 for GPS + Cellular variant
- Apple Watch SE: Starts at $279 for the GPS-only variant and $329 for GPS + Cellular variant
The Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $119 higher than the Apple Watch SE but it offers a hell lot of features for that premium. If you have the money to spend, we think you should go ahead and get yourself the Apple Watch Series 6; its additional features over the Apple Watch SE will definitely come handy. But if you are tight on budget and need a smartwatch to just check time and notifications, take calls, and track workouts, the Apple Watch SE should be your choice.
➤ Buy Apple Watch Series 6
➤ Buy Apple Watch SE
Between the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, which one will you buy? Will you save money by going for the $279 Apple Watch SE or are the ECG and blood oxygen level monitoring features important for you and you will go for the Apple Watch Series 6?
