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Apple’s iPhone event brought us several new phones, but my eyes (and hands) were all over the three new smartwatches the tech giant debuted this week. Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 11, the Ultra 3, and SE 3 at its September “Awe-dropping” event, and I have some first-hand thoughts.
Apple’s baseline Apple Watch Series 11 is the smartwatch that hobbyist health trackers and small wrists should buy, with a starting price of $399.
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Apple’s rugged Apple Watch Ultra 3 offers advanced satellite communication functionalities built for off-grid hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. It also has the largest screen yet and the longest battery life of the lineup, at 42 hours.
The affordable SE 3 is simply that: a fairly priced smartwatch with most of the features a user would want, like upgraded sleep-tracking, thanks to the newly announced Sleep Scores coming to every watch, and the usual slate of exercise tracking and second-screen functionalities a smartwatch-curious customer would want.
Let’s talk sleep scores
Apple’s smartwatches received several notable upgrades, including a long-awaited Sleep Score that calculates how sleep duration, bedtime consistency, and interruptions impact overall sleep. Basically, your sleep is about to be graded. Are you ready for the test?
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I’ve been wishing for a sleep scoring feature on the smartwatch for as long as I’ve owned it, but as Apple’s competitors delve further into personalized sleep and activity ratings, Apple has lagged behind — until now.
If you want to grade your sleep without buying a new smartwatch, download WatchOS 26 with an Apple Watch Series 6 or higher. The feature also applies retroactively to every sleep you’ve taken with Apple Watch.
Longer battery life never hurts
Ah, yes. We’re finally getting a day’s worth of battery life out of the Series 11, six hours more than the Series 10. Additionally, 15 minutes of charging provides eight hours of battery life on Apple’s baseline smartwatch.
Apple increases the rugged Ultra 3 battery life to 42 hours, eight more than the Ultra 2. Fast charging is now supported, providing 12 hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge. The battery fun doesn’t stop there – the SE 3 now supports fast charging.
Everything is thinner now
Apple says its Series 11 smartwatch is the thinnest watch yet. This could make the smartwatch easier to sleep with and less obtrusive for everyday wear. My thoughts? Heck yeah.
Hypertension alerts (and which models support them)
Let’s be clear: This new feature does not provide blood pressure readings. Instead, it takes a 30-day average of your blood pressure using the watch’s optical heart sensor to see how the blood vessels react to heartbeats. Then, it delivers an average rating.
If your 30-day rating is above the threshold, Apple advises users to take the data collected to a doctor for medical review. A doctor might suggest that the user with high blood pressure take average readings with a traditional cuff.
Also: Excited about Apple Watch 11’s hypertension feature? It’s coming to older models too
The Hypertension feature offers a blood pressure log for easy tracking of diastolic readings. The log can be exported into a PDF to send to a doctor. Apple is seeking FDA clearance on Possible Hypertension and is expected to receive it by the end of the month.
Possible Hypertension is supported on Apple Watch Series 9 and later and Ultra 2 and later, and skips the SE 3.
Satellite upgrades
As Apple’s most expensive smartwatch, it comes with a few perks that its siblings don’t get. Built-in satellite communication for contacting emergency services, sharing locations, and messaging contacts hit the new rugged smartwatch. Additionally, 5G cellular capabilities come to the watch for faster downloads and improved performance.
Any notable SE 3 news?
It’s getting the Series 10’s S10 chip and an Always-On display. The most exciting part of the SE 3 is that Apple is offering a more affordable smartwatch alongside its baseline and luxury Series 11 and Ultra 3.
The new Apple smartwatches are available to preorder now and will ship on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The Series 11 starts at $399, the Ultra 3 at $799, and the SE 3 at $249.