Apple Now Says Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2 Support Bluetooth 5.3 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Now Says Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2 Support Bluetooth 5.3

When the Apple Watch Series 8 and second-generation Apple Watch SE were first announced, the Apple Watch comparison page said both models supported Bluetooth 5.0, but Apple now says they actually support the newer Bluetooth 5.3 standard.

f1662570472
Apple's website still lists the Series 8 and new SE with Bluetooth 5.0 support in some places, but we received confirmation today from Apple that both models do in fact support Bluetooth 5.3 in the United States at a minimum.

All four iPhone 14 models, the second-generation AirPods Pro, and the Apple Watch Ultra also support Bluetooth 5.3, according to Apple.

Bluetooth 5.3 is said to include "several feature enhancements with the potential to improve reliability, energy efficiency, and user experience in many types of Bluetooth enabled products," such as the LE Audio specification. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Apple has implemented LE Audio yet in its latest products.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, Apple Watch SE 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

apple watch series 6 blood oxygen monitoring 1

ITC Judge Rules Apple Watch Blood Oxygen Workaround Does Not Infringe Masimo Patents

Thursday March 19, 2026 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple's current blood oxygen sensing implementation in the U.S. does not infringe on patents owned by Masimo and Apple will not face a revived import ban, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge said this week (via Reuters). After Apple was found to have violated Masimo's patents related to blood oxygen sensing, the Apple Watch faced a U.S. import ban that caused Apple to briefly pause...
watchos 26 gradient light

watchOS 26.4 Now Available With Workout Update and New Emoji

Tuesday March 24, 2026 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 26.4, the fourth major update to the watchOS 26 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 26.4 comes a month and a half after Apple released watchOS 26.3. watchOS 26.4 can be downloaded for free on an iPhone running iOS 26.4 by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update, or initiating an update in the Settings app on the...
Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black

No Major Apple Watch Redesign Expected This Year

Thursday March 26, 2026 11:12 am PDT by
In addition to indicating that a new full-sized HomePod is in the works, and that the foldable iPhone will likely ship later than the iPhone 18 Pro models this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said he does not expect any major design changes for the next-generation Apple Watch models coming later this year. Gurman revealed all of this information in a live Q&A call today on the Bloomberg...

Top Rated Comments

jz0309 Avatar
47 months ago

in the uk it still shows Bluetooth 5.0
Did you read the article?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
47 months ago

BUT ONLY IN THE US!!! I talked with Apple and got an email confirmation that the European version of the series 8 and SE (2022) are just bluetooth 5.0...
I find this pathetic. Europeans pay more and get less 🤡
If you look up model numbers for Apple Watch the GPS version has one version globally called A2771 which means all have the same Bluetooth version which is 5.3.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
47 months ago

BUT ONLY IN THE US!!! I talked with Apple and got an email confirmation that the European version of the series 8 and SE (2022) are just bluetooth 5.0...
I find this pathetic. Europeans pay more and get less 🤡
The person who replied to your email probably looked at the Watch specs on the website. Apple usually keep specifications consistent across regions, so the EU version should also support Bluetooth 5.3.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
47 months ago

why would it even matter tho you dont use bluetooth much it just pairs and once its paired that's it
When I go for a run, I pair AirPods with Apple Watch. AirPods Pro 2 has Bluetooth 5.3, which can improve the battery life and connectivity with Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra, and iPhone 14 series.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
47 months ago

why would it even matter tho you dont use bluetooth much it just pairs and once its paired that's it
The last paragraph in the article tells you how Bluetooth 5.3 is an improvement.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
47 months ago

I don’t understand why there wasn’t a follow up “which countries do not have Bluetooth 5.3 in their watches”. This is still ambiguous.
I did ask this as a follow-up question. Apple didn't respond. So I published the information that I have.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)