Apple Watch · SE
2020
Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
Apple's first dedicated value-tier smartwatch merges the modern Series 4/5 industrial design and S5 SiP with the Series 6 always-on altimeter, establishing the entry platform for Family Setup.
- Announced
- 2020-09-15
- Family
- Apple Watch
- Branch
- SE
- Historical weight
- Major evolution
Key specifications
Apple verification ↗- Display
- 1.78" LTPO OLED, 448×368
- Chip / CPU
- Apple S5 (64-bit dual-core) · 1 GHz
- Memory
- 1 GB
- Base storage
- 32 GB
- Ports & charging
- Magnetic inductive charging
- Weight
- ~36 g
- Dimensions
- 40 mm or 44 mm case
- Original OS
- watchOS 7
- Launch price
- $279
- Released
- September 18, 2020
- Discontinued
- September 2022
- Graphics
- Integrated
- CPU cores
- 2
Generation delta
What changed?
Introduced
3- Connectivity
Dedicated SE smartwatch product tier
Established a distinct value branch priced at $279 (GPS) and $329 (GPS + Cellular), eliminating the need to rely solely on aging prior-generation hardware (such as Series 3) as the mid-market offering.
- Software
Family Setup ecosystem anchor
Positioned explicitly as the primary hardware recommendation for watchOS 7 Family Setup, enabling children and older family members without an iPhone to utilize communication, Activity rings, Schooltime, and Emergency SOS.
- Product
Always-on altimeter in the value tier
Adopted the same next-generation energy-efficient barometric altimeter introduced on Series 6, providing real-time continuous elevation tracking accurate to 1 foot.
Changed
2- Display
Performance leap over entry tier (Series 3)
S5 SiP dual-core processor delivers up to 2x faster performance than Series 3; display area is over 30% larger with curved borders.
- Design
Restricted casing materials
Available exclusively in 100% recycled aluminum (Silver, Space Gray, Gold); premium stainless steel, titanium, and ceramic finishes were omitted to maintain tier separation.
Retired
1- Input
Hardware Force Touch gasket omitted
Shipped without physical Force Touch hardware, conforming to the watchOS 7 touch interaction guidelines.
Retained
6- Input
Series 4/5 casing and audio architecture
Utilized the 40mm and 44mm case dimensions (10.7mm depth), speaker 50% louder than Series 3, haptic Digital Crown, and ceramic and sapphire crystal back.
- Display
Retina OLED display without Always-On capability
Display is a 1000-nit LTPO OLED Retina panel, but operates purely via wrist-raise wake rather than remaining continuously illuminated, maintaining a sharp functional boundary with Series 5 and Series 6.
- Sensors
Essential health and safety sensors retained
Retained the second-generation optical heart sensor (high/low heart rate and irregular rhythm notifications), accelerometer (fall detection up to 32 g-forces), gyroscope, and compass.
- Sensors
Omission of advanced health hardware
Intentionally excluded the electrical heart sensor (no ECG app) and blood oxygen sensor to preserve differentiation with the Series line.
- Silicon
Omission of advanced wireless hardware
Omitted the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and 5GHz Wi-Fi; Wi-Fi remains single-band 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n with Bluetooth 5.0 and the W3 wireless chip.
- Storage
32GB storage
Retained the full 32GB storage tier standard across contemporary Apple Watch lines.
Canonical predecessor
Starts a new branch