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VPNs for ad-blocking But the important difference to note is the price. The SE starts at $429, and Series 6 at $599. For me, that saving is worth the small sacrifices to performance, features and cosmetic options. The Apple Watch SE starts at $429 here in Australia, that’s for the 40mm non-cellular version, but that price can go as high as $549, depending on what you need. Officeworks currently has the best price on the Apple Watch SE, but only by a small $2 saving. You’ll be paying almost the same price no matter where you pick it up. Here’s a closer look at every Apple Watch SE model and how much they’ll cost you in Australia. For the sake of this review, I tested out the Sport and Sport Braided Loops and I’ve stuck with the braided alternative. The packed-in rubber version isn’t overly uncomfortable day-to-day, it just gets a little clammy after a run or swim. You’re free to tailor your own experience by adding personal data to the Health app, and setting individual fitness goals but if you can’t be stuffed, or you’re just none the wiser, tracking your wellbeing with Apple’s iconic Activity Rings is as simple as opening the Activity App or setting the correct Watch face. From there, the Apple Watch will start sending good vibes your way whenever you manage to pull yourself out of the house for a few hours. For my money, this simplicity makes the Apple Watch one of the best in the fitness tracking game. When I finish my workday, seeing I’m close to closing out my exercise or standing goal is all the encouragement I need to go for a quick jog, zip to my local climbing gym, or boot up Fitness Boxing on Switch. Apple Watch SE Activity RingsThe Apple Watch’s fitness tracking is perfect for someone like me who doesn’t take their fitness too seriously. If I’m out for a walk, the Apple Watch will give me a little tap on the wrist and ask if I’m going for an outside walk and will track that as a workout. What surprised me most about this was how accurate it was. I was about halfway through my walk when it had enough movement data to determine what I was doing, but when I accepted the prompt, I realised that it had already been measuring this workout in the background – so I started the workout with roughly 10 minutes worth of data under my belt. Again, I’m not super invested in my fitness but for those that are, the Apple Watch does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. There are loads of activity types in the Workout app too. Tai Chi, Wrestling, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), Wheelchair-based workouts, even Fitness Gaming and… Pickleball? My point is, there’s something for everyone and the Apple Watch caters to every type of fitness enthusiast; whether you’re casually trying to burn calories, or you’re training rigorously for a big event. The Apple Watch isn’t a huge outlier. Its closest competitor, the Galaxy Watch 3 will only last 2 days on average, and the $449 OPPO Watch only lasts 24 hours. It’s the fitness tracker brands that give Apple a run for its money. The Fitbit Versa 3 can give you six full days of charge, and the Garmin Fenix 6 series can last up to nine days without needing a charge. Basically, if you don’t like the sound of charging your smartwatch every other day, you might be better served shopping for a fitness tracker with smartwatch capabilities, rather than a smartwatch with fitness tracking features. Frankly, I’d count myself in that camp. For everything the Apple Watch SE gets right, battery life and charging is a huge obstacle. For one, the sleep tracking and alarm features make it something I like to wear overnight. Be that as it may, wearing the Apple Watch to bed means I can’t charge it overnight. So I always need to find a spare hour or two during the day to give it a little extra juice. Even if I wanted to charge it overnight, therein lies another problem. Apple doesn’t pack in a charging brick with the Apple Watch, nor its latest iPhones for that matter. My current iPhone charger is a USB-C-to-lightning situation. So there’s no chance I can use that charger. That means it’s on me to track down a plug with a traditional USB-A port, which isn’t all that difficult but it’s becoming harder as more devices move to USB-C. In reality, most of my charging is done via a laptop USB port, which just won’t be convenient for a lot of people. After returning to the Apple Watch after a few years, I’ve realised that, however unnecessary it might seem, I’m using my iPhone a lot less. It seems antithetical that another connected device would reduce your screen time but that’s precisely what I’ve found. When I’m not using the Apple Watch, I might unlock my phone to check a Facebook message before mindlessly navigating to Twitter out of habit, and before you know it, I’ve wasted thirty minutes doom scrolling. When I get a notification on the Apple Watch, I’m free to glance at the message and move on with my life, I also feel less compelled to respond immediately. I’ve been trying to reduce my screen time over the last few months, and the Apple Watch SE has gone a long way in helping me achieve that. This isn’t surprising as the iPhone 12 Pro has fewer relevant sensors with which to collect workout data. The Apple Watch SE (and Series 6) both use altitude and heart rate data in their calculations. Still, I’d figured the device would be smart enough to recognise my daily walking route (which doesn’t change Monday to Friday) to assess the calories burnt. Lastly, one small annoyance that I thought would be fixed at this point are the inconsistencies with raise-to-wake. Most of the time it works fine, but I’ve found it less receptive if I’ve just hopped out of the shower, or I’m trying to show someone else something on the Apple Watch SE display You quickly learn there’s a very specific motion required to active raise-to-wake and it can be a tad annoying when you haven’t fulfilled the Watch’s needs precisely.
