The budget-conscious Apple Watch SE 3 features an S10 chip, an always-on display, a new Sleep Score feature, Double Tap gesture support, wrist temperature sensing for retrospective ovulation estimates, sleep apnea detection, fast charging support, 5G support on cellular configurations, on-device Siri, and many other improvements.
Here is how the new Sleep Score feature works, according to Apple:
Sleep quality is influenced by several factors, such as sleep duration, bedtime consistency, how often a person wakes up, and how much time is spent in each sleep stage. With sleep score, Apple Watch helps track each of these categories to offer users a transparent and easy-to-understand metric for their overall sleep quality. After each night, sleep score provides an overall score and classification in the Sleep app on Apple Watch, plus a clear breakdown of the most critical components so users know what to prioritize to improve their sleep.
Apple Watch SE 3 is available in Starlight and Midnight, in 40mm and 44mm sizes. In the U.S., pricing starts at $249. Pre-orders begin today, ahead of a Friday, September 19 launch.
With watchOS 26, which will be released on Monday, September 15, the Apple Watch SE will support the new Workout Buddy feature powered by Apple Intelligence.
Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors
This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system.
In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.
Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad.
Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value.
...
Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead.
Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors.
Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions.
The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation.
The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false.
In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
Friday September 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The website ChargerLAB has tested the standard iPhone 17 model's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W.
The device reached a peak charging speed of around 27W to 28W with these Apple chargers:29W USB-C Power Adapter
30W USB-C Power Adapter
35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter
35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter
40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max...
Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest.
Apple often...
This seems like a really solid value. I'm torn between getting an Apple Watch SE with cellular for my 6th grader who needs some cellular connectivity for calling us for various after school activities, or if I should try to hold out for another year and get her a used iPhone. Don't really feel like a 6th grader needs a smartphone, but she says most of her friends have one. If I get her an SE, it might hold her off on bugging me about it for a couple more years and save some money on the phone bill, lol.
Good for you on not giving a smartphone to your daughter. The more we learn about smartphones & social media for children, especially girls, the grimmer the outlook is. Go read "The Tech Exit" by Clare Morell, find some like-minded families, and hold out as long as you can! You won't regret it.
This seems like a really solid value. I'm torn between getting an Apple Watch SE with cellular for my 6th grader who needs some cellular connectivity for calling us for various after school activities, or if I should try to hold out for another year and get her a used iPhone. Don't really feel like a 6th grader needs a smartphone, but she says most of her friends have one. If I get her an SE, it might hold her off on bugging me about it for a couple more years and save some money on the phone bill, lol.
This seems like a really solid value. I'm torn between getting an Apple Watch SE with cellular for my 6th grader who needs some cellular connectivity for calling us for various after school activities, or if I should try to hold out for another year and get her a used iPhone. Don't really feel like a 6th grader needs a smartphone, but she says most of her friends have one. If I get her an SE, it might hold her off on bugging me about it for a couple more years and save some money on the phone bill, lol.
If this Apple Watch is capable of cell phone calls by itself, without a smartphone (I don’t know, I’ve never had an Apple Watch), it’s definitely the right tool for a kid.
If a 6th grader is an 11 year old child, the phone bill is the last thing you should worry about giving open, unrestricted, unsupervised internet access. I mean, sometimes I get the feeling most parents haven’t used the internet like a younger person would, but there are many dangers to a child’s mental and sexual health out there, accessible either through the browser, through social media apps, or now through the use of AI. The safest way to introduce a child to the internet is through a supervised internet connected PC in a shared environment such as the living room.
Keep in mind that most of us who were born before the 2000s had Internet access while we were almost adults, with a well developed brain at 17 or 18 years old. What’s happening now to kids being exposed to such intense stimulus at such early stages is something unprecedented and with unknown consequences…
You could, of course, buy her a feature phone, but that will make her be pointed by her classmates. Little does she know, that the ones doing the wrong thing for their age, are their classmates and not her. And that, ultimately, the responsible of all of this, are the parents, teachers and education institutions that allow this.
