Which Apple Watch to choose, Apple Watch Series 8 vs. Apple Watch SE 2022? As always happens when Apple puts new products on the market, the question immediately arises spontaneously. Which device model to buy? The new one is better, or choose to save money by falling back on the slightly older device. Even more happens today with Apple Watch: after the introduction of Apple Watch Series 8 and the permanence in the Apple Watch SE price list, the question is current. Which to choose between Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE? After all, we will also give a few hints about Apple Watch Series 7 which is slightly different from Apple Watch 8 and is still found on the market sometimes at affordable prices.
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Design and colors
From an aesthetic point of view, Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch SE can look very similar, even identical to the untrained eye. In reality there are differences, and they are also significant. For example, the profile of Apple Watch 8 is more refined, with smoother and thinner edges, compared to previous models. But, as with the dimensions we’ll discuss below, it will be difficult for most people to distinguish the two smartwatches at first glance.
The only real aesthetic distinction occurs for the colors of the Apple Watch 8 case which has a greater assortment of both colors and versions. While Apple Watch SE has only three colors (Silver, Space Gray and Gold) Apple Watch 8 has four (Midnight, Galaxy, Silver and Red). Apple Watch 8 also has steel versions with sapphire glass with three colors: silver, gold and dark gray.
Dimensions
The screen size of the model 8 follows those of the previous Apple Watch 7. It is the second time since Apple Watch 4 that Apple has changed the measurements of the watch face. The Apple Watch 8 display therefore has a larger screen, even if by very little compared to the Apple Watch SE: 41mm (against 40mm) and 45mm (against 44mm). To give you a more precise idea of what differences there are, we refer you to the review of Apple Watch 7, which has the same measurements as apple watch 8. Here we limit ourselves to saying that if you do not have the two Apple Watches, one next to each other, it will be practically impossible to distinguish them at first glance. The good news for those who have invested in this accessory is that the straps are perfectly interchangeable: a 40 or 44mm Apple Watch strap can also be used with the 41 or 45mm Apple Watch 8.
The full keypad
As with the 7 model, the larger screen size allows the Apple Watch 8 to carry a full keypad with it. To learn more about the keypad, you can read our article presenting the Apple Watch 7 review, where this function was already present. Obviously it’s not essential, but it’s not in Apple Watch SE.
Materials and water resistance
As far as materials are concerned, if we talk about the case and aluminum, there is no difference between the 8 series and the SE series.
However, the Apple Watch 8 screen is made of a more robust glass because it is up to 50% thicker. Apple Watch 8 is then water resistant (50 meters according to ISO 22810:2010 standards like Apple Watch SE) and dust according to IP6X certification. This is a minor novelty, but for those who use Apple Watch in situations such as on the beach, on a construction site, during a mountain bike excursion, it is an interesting detail.
As we mention above, Apple Watch 8 is also presented in steel. It is a more resistant version because the screen is made of sapphire glass.
Display
In the transition from Series 4 to Series 5, the main distinguishing element of the Apple Watch was the display. With Apple Watch 5, Apple has reduced the display refresh rate from 60Hz to 1Hz. This element, combined with a low-power driver, updated power management and an improved ambient light sensor, allowed the screen to stay on all the time. Obviously this function remains on Apple Watch 8.
On the contrary, however, Apple Watch SE does not have an always active display, and this will require you to lift your wrist or make a “tap” to reactivate the screen. This is a throwback to the system used in the Apple Watch Series 4, which leads us to think that the Apple Watch SE features the same display used in that model.
If it seems essential to you to have the screen always on and to be able to see the time without raising your arm, then you have to choose an Apple Watch 8. This is socially relevant; just think how many times, perhaps while talking to someone, it is appropriate not to point out that we are looking at the time. With Apple Watch SE we will have to express our impatience or concern for the time by raising our arm or “plugging” the screen; not with the other two models.
It must be said that despite all that Apple has done to reduce the impact of consumption, the always-on screen produces more consumption. It is therefore very likely that many of these readers will eventually “downgrade” the Apple Watch 8 to the level of the Apple Watch SE by taking away the always-on screen.
As for the specifications of the two displays, they offer a slightly different resolution due to the size: 396×484 for the 45mm Apple Watch 8, and 368×448 for the 44mm size. The Apple Watch 41mm, on the other hand, has a display with a 352×430 resolution, while the SE 40mm has a 324×394mm resolution.
These numbers lead to a difference in the touch surface, which is much larger on the Apple Watch 8, ranging from 1143 mm2 to 904 mm2, respectively for the 45 and 41 mm model, against 977 and 759 mm2, for the SE model 44 and 40mm.
Performance and components
The Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 8 share the same S8 Sim chip, making them nearly identical in terms of performance.
Health functions
Apple Watch 8 has an optical heart sensor, like Apple Watch 7. This, in addition to providing the ability to monitor heart rate, allows users to perform an electrocardiogram simply by placing a finger on the digital crown (video below with the test on an old Apple Watch, but it works the same)
Furthermore, Apple Watch 8, retracing the footsteps of its direct predecessor, also adds the possibility of monitoring blood oxygen levels, to prevent any breathing difficulties and heart diseases, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We remind you that SpO2 measurement is one of the parameters taken into consideration when talking about Covid. The SE model, on the other hand, does not provide an ECG function or even the ability to monitor blood oxygen levels.
The sensor on the back uses a combination of red, green and infrared light on the skin to monitor blood oxygen levels. The smartwatch provides this reading “on call”, using an app and occasionally reads the oxygen in the blood during the day even without our intervention.
The Apple Watch SE offers neither ECG nor blood oxygen monitoring, but it is still able to record the rate of the heartbeat. It should be noted, however, that on the 8 Series Apple mounts a third generation heart rate monitor, while on SE 2022 a second generation sensor is still present. In everyday use it may be difficult to notice the difference.
Furthermore, the temperature sensor is also present on Apple Watch 8, which is not on the SE 2022 model. Note, however, that this sensor is not used to detect body temperature, rather to offer two new functions at the debut: the most accurate monitoring also in forecasts for women’s menstrual and fertile cycles, as well as for more accurate models for monitoring sleep.
In short: Apple Watch 8 more than Apple Watch SE 2022 has the function of electrocardiogram and measures oxygen in the blood, as well as the temperature sensor, which however has no diagnostic or medical value.
Both Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch SE 2022 have:
- Automatic fall detection and emergency call (LTE models)
- International emergency call (LTE models)
- Noise level analysis
Altimeter and compass
Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch SE have both a compass and an always-on altimeter. This allows you to constantly show the altitude you are at, possibly even adding it to a complication.
Autonomy and recharge
The Series 5 offered the same claimed battery life as the Series 4, with Apple’s claimed 18 hours of use. The 8 Series and SE 2022 offer, on paper, the same battery life, despite providing a brighter always-on display. The estimate of 18 hours is reliable even if a lot depends on the number of interactions and the use of the telephone. For some users, 18 hours is a pessimistic estimate, for others, an optimistic one.
Even the autonomy of the cheapest model is estimated at 18 hours, but if for Apple Watch 8 the always-on screen and the way of use suggest 18 hours is not always a valid estimate, for Apple Watch SE 2022 we can say that yes this is a pessimistic estimate. The 24 or even 30 hours are always exceeded even without particular tricks.
The biggest difference between Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 8 in terms of battery is in the duration of the charge. The new model takes almost an hour less to recharge thanks to the new USB-C magnetic charger included in the package.
Apple Watch 7
Even if Apple Watch 7 is no longer found in official stores, it is possible to find it on various online sites. For this it might be interesting to have a quick look at its functions. We could actually get away with it in a flash, saying it’s an Apple Watch 8 with a slightly less powerful processor. More analytically we can say that it is different for
- The case design, identical
- The screen, identical in size and features
- Charging times, identical
- Screen, identical
- Processor: S8 SiP on Apple Watch 8, S7 on Apple Watch 7
- Dust resistance, present on both
- Temperature sensor, present only on Apple Watch 8, not on 7
Prices
We come to the element that could have a certain weight in the choice of one or the other device: the price. Apple Watch Series 8 starts at 509 euros for the 41mm GPS-only model. Apple Watch SE 2022 has an entry price of 309 euros. In practice, Apple Watch SE 2022 costs over 30% less than Apple Watch 8.
Tips for shopping
Giving purchase advice when choosing between Apple Watch SE 2022 and Apple Watch 8 must start from the real differences between the two models, evaluating how important they are for each of us.
In our opinion, those that really make the difference are
- The screen always on
- ECG and oxygen measurement
- Charging speed
If those aren’t the three things you want from a smartwatch, don’t worry about processor speed or screen size. They are not noticed and will not change your experience of use and enjoyment.
Apple Watch 7 could be a valid alternative to Apple Watch 8 and also to Apple Watch SE 2022. At the moment it is possible to find it at a discount on Amazon of 20% or 25% while the steel and sapphire models sometimes drop by 40%. At these prices it’s a serious contender to both the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch 7.
Where to buy?
If you don’t want to resort to Apple or authorized resellers who are always a guarantee, at the moment the safest way to have an Apple Watch SE 2022 and an Apple Watch 8 by purchasing online is to buy on Amazon.
The large online retailer certainly doesn’t have the assortment that Apple has reserved for its own stores and it doesn’t even have the Apple Watches with Solo Loop and Solo Loop braided bracelet, but it has all the basic configurations of both Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 8 and very often all are on sale.
Large retailers have an offering comparable to Apple’s. Apple Stores and Apple premium resellers offer a personalized offer and a wider choice of products.