The Apple Watch SE is a less expensive version of Apple's wrist-worn device; it is not as feature-rich as the Apple Watch 10 (just announced at Apple's September “Glowtime” event), nor as rugged as the Apple Watch Ultra 2

But it excels in basic functionality, disconnecting from your phone, receiving notifications, and accessing most (but not all) of the best Apple Watch health and fitness tracking features on the cheap

However, it has been two years since Apple introduced the Apple Watch SE (2022), and with the 10th anniversary of the original Apple Watch, it makes sense for the company to introduce an updated model of the affordable wearable

Initially expected to launch at the same time as the Apple Watch 10, which did not happen, the upgraded SE may be unveiled before the end of the year at Apple's October event, which is expected to be more MacBooks and iPads

However, the new model will face greater competition than before Samsung just announced in June the Galaxy Watch FE, a low-priced $199 watch with BioActive health monitoring and the latest update to Wear OS

So will Apple follow the two-year pattern and fight Samsung this fall with a worthy successor to the Apple Watch SE? Here's everything we know so far about the Apple Watch SE 3, including predictions for price, design, features, and overall outlook

Early reports on the Apple Watch SE 3 indicated that the smartwatch would appear in 2024; it did not make an appearance at Apple's fall product event on September 9, but it may make an appearance at an October event focused on computing It may appear at a computing-focused event in October

As for pricing, the current SE models start at $249 for the 40mm size and $279 for the 44mm; Bloomberg's Mark Garman claims that Apple may release the SE at an even lower price This lower price may come from some design decisions Apple is reportedly making with the new watch

One of the major changes Apple may be making with the SE 3 is to move from a partially metal body to a plastic version Allegedly, Apple is considering this idea in order to cut costs and speed up production

For the 2022 model, the case had already been changed to a nylon composite plastic, but the shell remained aluminum However, this change makes the device less environmentally friendly, and Apple is pushing to make its products more sustainable

The only other Apple Watch SE 3 report we have seen comes from Omdia analyst David Hsieh, who claims that Apple may make the SE 3 watch larger; according to Hsieh, the SE 3 is similar in size to the Apple Watch 8 options, going up from 40mm and 44mm to 41mm and 45mm

That would be consistent with the sizes of other manufacturers' smartwatches, including the recently released Google Pixel Watch 3 However, Hsieh's report is from January 2023, so it may no longer match Apple's plans

A larger iPhone SE would mean about a 20% increase in display screen area; there are no reports on the SE 3 display, but the 2022 model has an OLED screen with Retina display, which is likely to remain the same

Again, the 2022 model will have an OLED screen

Again, there is little information on the Apple Watch SE, but it is expected to launch with at least an S9 chip If Apple is being generous, perhaps the S10 will launch with the Apple Watch 10, which will ship on September 20

Briefly, we have no information on the SE 3's potential battery, but the 2022 version lasted about 18 hours with a 245mAh battery We expect a larger battery, with some software optimization, to break the 24-hour mark at a minimum

The Apple Watch 7 introduced fast charging to Apple's watch lineup, but the SE 2 did not have that feature One imagines that the third generation SE Watch will likely include fast charging

The Apple Watch SE 3 will likely bring features from Watch 8 and Watch 9, but it is unclear what features; the SE watch is focused on essential health tracking, with more advanced tracking planned for the flagship watch

We don't know what Apple considers essential between 2022 and now, but ECG tracking, which has been available on the main series since 2018, may finally be included on the SE

As for software, the SE 3 will likely launch with watchOS 11, a software update currently in beta

The Apple Watch SE 3 will likely be a significantly upgraded version of the 2022 model However, it is unclear to what extent Apple will make changes, especially if they hope to sell the new version at a lower price than before

The Apple Watch 10 got a lot of attention at the September 9 launch event, but rumors of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 are enough to make us think it is getting ready to be released soonInformation on the Apple Watch SE 3 is a little harder to come by, so we'll have to wait and see what Apple has in store for its oh Time will tell what it plans for the affordable watch