For a while now we’ve been hearing rumors about a new, cheaper Apple Watch to replace the popular Apple Watch SE 2, which arrived in 2022. All signs were pointing to it being called the Apple Watch SE 3 or SE (2025), with the device retaining the same basic format as its predecessors: a perfectly functional Apple Watch using slightly dated parts, and missing a couple of features to keep the price down.
However, after this week’s iPhone 16e reveal, things have changed.
The phone was expected to be called the iPhone SE 4, and the announcement of the iPhone 16e was a big surprise from Apple. It’s not only a different name to the one we expected, but Apple has also made some big changes to the former SE line: notably, flagship-grade internals and a newer, more modern screen and size.
Gone are the last vestiges of older iPhones, such as the Home button and the Lightning charger, although the latter change was expected. The iPhone 16e even gets the Action button, bringing it into line with the rest of the iPhone 16 range.
Crucially, it also costs a good deal more than its SE predecessor, starting at $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the 128GB phone. The cheapest SE model cost $429 / £419 / AU$719 for a 64GB handset.
Apple has always taken steps to ensure that its product range feels seamless and part of a larger whole, and I believe the launch of the iPhone 16e is a sign of things to come for the Apple Watch. The SE is dead, and in its place, I think, will be the Apple Watch 11e, sitting alongside the mainline Apple Watch Series 11.
Reliable Apple leaker Mark Gurman noted in his Power On newsletter that we’ll be getting an Apple Watch SE 3 during 2025 and that it would be a “fresh” upgrade with a “new look”. This implies significant changes, much as the iPhone 16e incorporates significant changes from the iPhone SE 3. It could mean a larger screen and slimmer bezels, more in line with the Apple Watch 10, and possibly a newer chipset under the hood.
Right now, the Apple Watch SE 2 is one of the best value propositions in Apple’s entire range of products. Apple is known for its high prices, but the SE 2 sits pretty during sales events at around $200 / £190 / AU$400, making it by far the best cheap option in our best smartwatches for iPhone guide.
However, a new look and improvements under the hood could mean higher prices, making the Apple Watch 11e a cheaper option than the Apple Watch Series 11, but perhaps, like the iPhone 16e, not a cheap option overall.
I see Apple revamping its Watch lineup along the lines of how Garmin positions its watches: you have a Garmin Fenix 8 and a cheaper Fenix E, and a Garmin Instinct 3 and a cheaper Instinct E. They’re pretty much the same as the base watches, only a little lacking in features overall, and don’t quite represent the same outstanding value for Garmin users as the SE does for Apple users.
This would be a real shame, in my opinion: the SE has long been regarded as a loss leader by Apple, a jumping-on point to get people invested in its ecosystem, and a device that represents excellent value for money. A comparatively large price hike would see an end to that approach, even if the 11e, or whatever it’s called, does come with some cool new features to bring it more into line, performance-wise, with the Apple Watch 11.
We’ll keep an eye out for more leaks and rumors about the Apple Watch SE 3, or 11e, but we likely won’t know anything for sure until Apple’s next September event. Stay tuned!
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matt.evans@futurenet.com (Matt Evans)
