I’m currently the proud owner of a 40mm Apple Watch SE 2, which is a few months shy of its second anniversary. It’s a smartwatch that’s been through a lot in these two years as my training has intensified significantly. I run marathons now and don’t plan to stop anytime soon.
Some runners might not like relying on an Apple Watch to track their workouts, but I had no problem with mine. The Apple Watch SE 2 has been incredibly reliable, and I’ve worn it around the clock. I’ve tracked my sleep, training sessions, and day-to-day activities with it.
The best part is that the Apple Watch SE 2 got me through a full marathon despite my not being in top form when it comes to battery health. This is all the more impressive, considering that I was much slower than I intended, which prolonged the duration of the run.
I will have to upgrade the Apple Watch SE 2 this year because of its dwindling battery life. I could replace the battery, but I’m no longer happy with the Watch’s health-tracking abilities.
I’d have no problem picking an Apple Watch SE 3 this fall and sticking with the same 40mm size. I don’t even care that the Apple Watch SE 3 will be made of plastic, as a recent report indicates. But, like I said, I do have other health needs that I want the Apple Watch Series 10 to address. On top of that, I’m also reconsidering my stance towards battery life.
New health features favor the Apple Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 10 will reportedly feature two novel health features. That’s blood pressure and sleep apnea sensing. I don’t have hypertension as of this writing, but I want a wearable that would help me catch the early signs of that. I don’t worry about aging; I’m just trying to embrace it gracefully. That’s why I run and walk significantly more than I ever did.
The Series 10 might be the first to offer blood pressure monitoring. Reports say it won’t provide precise values initially, but I’d be happy if it could calculate my base figure and detect irregularities.
By the way, the Series 10 will continue to support EKG readings, a feature the Apple Watch SE never had. Who knows when those will come in handy?
Sleep is also important, with all it entails. That’s why I use the Apple Watch to track my sleeping. I don’t suffer from sleep apnea, but it’s also a condition I’d love my wearable to monitor.
It’s highly unlikely that Apple will add these new health-tracking abilities to the Apple Watch SE 3. That’s assuming the reports are accurate and Apple will launch them. I should also mention that sleep apnea detection is tied to the oximeter sensor, which is currently disabled in the US. According to some reports, the feature might be delayed.
Finally, I’d also like my next Apple Watch to monitor the temperature. My thinking is that the wearable might catch the early signs of an infection before I feel symptoms. It’s a great sensor to have on hand, even if I won’t get absolute values. Base readings could do just fine. The current Apple Watch SE 2 doesn’t have a temperature sensor.
The battery life
It’s unclear at this point what sort of upgrades the Apple Watch SE 3 will get. Mark Gurman only mentioned the plastic case choice for the next-gen device in his latest Power On newsletter. Plastic lets Apple offer the new Apple Watch SE 3 in more exciting colors that could appeal better to kids. It could also let Apple save money on manufacturing, and possibly equip better hardware inside the device.
I’d like to see a better chip in the Apple Watch SE 3. I want the S9 SiP or better for power efficiencies rather than speed gains. It’s also worth noting that you can use Siri with S9 chips or later to talk about your health data. You can’t do that with the current S8 chip.
Moreover, talking to Siri will be all the more important once Apple Intelligence is here. And the Apple Watch could be the gateway to that sort of advanced Siri interaction. While I’m at it, I’ll add that the S9 SiP supports the new Double Tap gesture, which I can’t use on the Apple Watch SE 2.
It’s not just the chip that will get me a better battery experience. The Apple Watch Series 9 supports fast charging. You get a charge of up to 80% in 45 minutes. I need 1.5 hours on the Apple Watch SE 2 to get to the same charge. That means more time spent with the Watch not tracking my vitals.
Charge speed wasn’t a problem until now. As battery health dropped to around 82%, I’m having to top the battery off more often than before to ensure there’s enough juice to last me through the next activities. On a recent 10K run, the battery died after about 9.4km. It probably was under 50% when I started the run, but it would have been enough a few months ago.
Fast charging might really help down the line once my next Apple Watch starts aging.
Final thoughts
With all that in mind, the purported plastic case of the Apple Watch SE 3 is the least of my worries. I’d love it if the next SE would get battery tech at least on par with the Series 9. But even then, I don’t think Apple would bring its newest health-tracking sensors and algorithms to the cheapest model. That’s why I’m convinced I’ll upgrade to the 44mm Apple Watch Series 10 this year, the likely successor of the 41mm Series 9 model.
