PRESS RELEASE
16 September 2020
Apple Watch SE: The ultimate combination of design, function, and value
Featuring the largest Apple Watch display, fall detection, and advanced fitness features with watchOS 7
Cupertino, California — Apple today announced Apple Watch SE, packing the essential features of Apple Watch into a modern design customers love — all at a more affordable price. The largest and most advanced Retina display allows customers to easily see more details and the information that matters most, right on their wrist. Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6, and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app.
With watchOS 7, users can take advantage of powerful new features including sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, and new workouts. Apple Watch SE is available in three beautiful case finishes made of 100 per cent recycled aluminium, and compatible with all Apple Watch bands including the new Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop.
“Apple Watch SE combines elements of the Series 6 design with the most essential features of Apple Watch, all at a more affordable price,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We’re excited to offer another great option to help customers stay connected, be more active, and keep an eye on their health.”
Design and Performance
Apple Watch SE features a stunning Retina display, with thin borders and curved corners, that is 30 per cent larger than Series 3. The interface allows for large and easy-to-read app icons and fonts, while complications are precise and informative. A variety of new watch faces are optimised for the display, so customers can easily view notifications, text messages, workout metrics, and more.
With the S5 System in Package (SiP) and dual-core processor, Apple Watch SE delivers incredibly fast performance, up to two times faster than Apple Watch Series 3. The Digital Crown with haptic feedback generates incremental clicks with an extraordinary mechanical feel as it is rotated. Apple Watch SE features the latest speaker and microphone, which are optimised for better sound quality for phone calls, Siri, and Walkie-Talkie,1 along with Bluetooth 5.0.
Advanced Fitness Features
The next-generation always-on altimeter provides real-time elevation all day long by using a new, more power-efficient barometric altimeter, along with GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks. This feature allows for the detection of small elevation changes above ground level, up and down to the measurement of 1 foot, and can be shown as a new watch face complication or workout metric.
The built-in compass provides users with better directions and compass headings, in addition to incline, elevation, and latitude and longitude. Users can add one of three new Compass complications to their watch face, and developers can take advantage of compass information in their apps to create rich experiences.
Health and Safety
With Emergency SOS on Apple Watch, customers can quickly and easily call for help and alert emergency services with just a push of a button. For added personal safety while traveling, users with cellular models of Apple Watch SE can complete international calls to emergency services,2 regardless of where the device was originally purchased or if the cellular plan has been activated.
Fall detection uses a custom algorithm and the latest accelerometer and gyroscope in Apple Watch SE to detect when a user falls. By analysing wrist trajectory and impact acceleration, Apple Watch sends the user an alert after a hard fall, which can be dismissed or used to initiate a call to emergency services. If the watch senses immobility for approximately 60 seconds after the fall, it will automatically call emergency services and play an audio message that provides the user’s location as latitude and longitude coordinates, in addition to sending a message to emergency contacts.
To provide enhanced insights into hearing health, Apple Watch SE utilises the latest-generation microphone to measure ambient sound levels in a user’s environment. Apple Watch SE sends a notification if the decibel level of surrounding sound has risen to a point that it could cause damage, and users can check noise levels at any time through the Noise app or Noise watch face complication.
watchOS 7
With watchOS 7, customers can take personalisation to the next level with seven new watch face options, including Stripes, Chronograph Pro, GMT, and Artist, while curating, discovering, and sharing new watch face configurations with others. New health and fitness features, including low-range VO2 Max, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, and new workout types, can help users better understand overall well-being. Conveniently accessible on the wrist, Maps includes cycling directions and Siri offers language translation.
Pricing and Availability
- Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at NZ$479 inc. GST and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at NZ$579 inc. GST.
- Apple Watch SE (GPS) is available to order today from apple.com/nz.
- Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) is available to order today from apple.com/nz, with availability beginning Tuesday, 22 September. For carrier availability, visit apple.com/nz/watch/cellular.
- New Apple Watch bands are available to order today from apple.com/nz, with availability beginning Tuesday, 22 September. Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop in PRODUCT(RED) will be available in late October. Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop are compatible with Apple Watch Series 4 and later.
- watchOS 7 will be available for Apple Watch Series 3 and later on Wednesday, 16 September PDT, and requires iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14. Not all features are available on all devices.
- When customers buy directly from Apple, Apple Watch Studio gives them the exclusive opportunity to pick their preferred case and band combination to create a look that is uniquely their own.
- Customers looking for convenient, contactless service are able to find many of the same shopping and support services from apple.com/nz. Customers can chat with an Apple Specialist and get shopping help, product support and no-contact delivery.
- Apple will recycle your older devices for free. Learn more at apple.com/nz/recycling.
- Three months of Apple Fitness+ are included for customers who purchase Apple Watch Series 3 or later, starting Tuesday, 15 September PDT. This extended trial is available for a limited time.5
- Customers can get up to two years of technical support and accidental damage coverage with AppleCare+.
- In line with Apple’s commitment to the environment, the Apple Watch SE case is made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium. In addition, Apple is removing the AC adapter that could become electronic waste from Apple Watch SE packaging, and helping its Apple Watch manufacturing partners transition to renewable energy.
To see all of the latest announcements and photos from today’s keynote event, check out the wrap-up on Apple Newsroom.
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Images of Apple Watch SE
- Not available in all countries.
- Not available in all countries.
- NZ$16.99 per month or NZ$139.99 per year after free trial. No commitment. Plan automatically renews until cancelled.
- In most countries.