Today's Apple "Awe Dropping" event was packed with tons of announcements, and since it was a hardware-centric event, the tech community remained hooked on the iPhone 17 series and what this year's models would be bringing about. While Apple introduced its flagship lineup, it also announced some major upgrades for its smartwatch category. Along with the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3, we also saw the third generation of Apple Watch SE come out, which is the company's budget wearable. The model has not been updated since 2022, so while the update was overdue, the improvements that Apple brought about make it worth the wait, especially given how it does not take a toll on your budget.

While the attention today remained on the Series 11 and the Ultra Watch 3, the SE 3 also seems to be a strong contender in the company's wearable category, especially keeping in view the improvements Apple has brought about this year for the new model without the premium price tag being attached. The new model comes with the S10 chip, which helps drastically improve speed and responsiveness. With the help of this improvement, there would be other advancements as well, such as on-device Siri processing, double-tap gesture control, and more space for apps and media storage.

In terms of design, Apple is offering the SE 3 in 1.6-inch and 1.8-inch display sizes that bring it closer to the casing sizes seen on the recent flagship models. While speculations hinted at a plastic case option, it seems like the tech giant did not experiment with this and maintained the durability of the model by sticking to the aluminum build. Since the SE model is the affordable alternative, it does not come with the more advanced health sensors, but it does include the important health tracking features such as sleep monitoring, respiratory details, heart tracking, and even the addition of sleep apnea detection.

Since the Apple Watch SE 3 comes with watchOS 26, it offers the redesigned Liquid Glass UI, upgraded Smart Stack widgets, and the AI-powered Workout Buddy. There is also the addition of more wrist gesture control, allowing for a more intuitive experience. Given the affordable price the Apple Watch SE 3 comes at, it is the tech giant's most accessible wearable, especially with improvements in performance and the core health features it offers.