Apple Announces Second-Generation Apple Watch SE With S8 Chip and Crash Detection for $249

Apple today unveiled the second-generation Apple Watch SE, featuring the S8 chip, Crash Detection, and new color options at a lower $249 price point.

apple watch se 2
The second-generation ‌Apple Watch SE‌ offers the core Apple Watch experience at a more affordable price. The ‌Apple Watch SE‌ is now 20 percent faster thanks to the S8 chip, the same chip from the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra. The S8 chip allows the ‌Apple Watch SE‌ to deliver Crash Detection, international roaming, and Low Power Mode.

The back case has been redesigned with a new, color-matched nylon composite material to reduce its weight. The second-generation ‌Apple Watch SE‌ is available in a refreshed series of color options, including Midnight, Starlight, and Silver.

apple watch se nylon composite back
The second-generation ‌Apple Watch SE‌ starts at $249 for the GPS model and $299 for the cellular model. Orders open today and it will become available on September 16.

The second-generation ‌Apple Watch SE‌ follows the now-discontinued first-generation model released in September 2020, which started at $279.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch SE
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
36 months ago
This is honestly the more important announcement as it's a mainstream Watch that everyone can afford, especially with an S8.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jmausmuc Avatar
36 months ago

I want to buy my wife an Apple Watch today, and I'm trying to figure out the differences between the Series 8 and the new SE. This is what I put together, but what am I missing?

-SE has no Always On Display
-SE has a smaller display?
-SE has no temperature sensor, but has most of the health features found in other Apple Watches
-SE has no fast charging?
No ECG
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisMoBro Avatar
36 months ago

SE1 is slow as heck.
Really? Doesn’t it use the same chip as the S5? I have that model and it’s lightning fast
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ekuLoN Avatar
36 months ago
S8 chip means S7 chip. Which means S6 chip based on a13 cores. That was the last real upgrade with SiP aspect
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
infinitedreams Avatar
36 months ago
So only thing new about this watch is car crash detection. Will stick with my SE 1.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
36 months ago
So back to a composite back from ceramic. That's disappointing. My S0's composite back became scuffed over time just from going on the charger.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)