The Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Series 11 differ significantly in design, features, and price, with the Series 11 offering premium upgrades while the SE 3 remains a budget-friendly option. As of January 2026, the Series 11 starts at $399, featuring a larger 42mm or 46mm display with up to 2,000 nits brightness, a titanium option, and advanced health features like ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, and non-invasive blood glucose tracking, while the SE 3 starts at $249 with a 40mm or 44mm size, up to 1,000 nits brightness, and aluminum casing.
The Apple Watch Series 11 has a refined design with thinner borders, a wider aspect ratio, and a more modern look compared to the SE 3’s older design based on Series 4–6 models.
Display-wise, the Series 11 offers a larger screen (42mm: 1.79-inch, 46mm: 1.99-inch) with LTPO3 OLED technology, up to 2,000 nits brightness, and a ceramic coating for enhanced durability, while the SE 3 has a smaller display with up to 1,000 nits brightness and Ion-X glass.
The Series 11 includes advanced health features such as ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, high blood pressure notifications, water temperature sensing, and depth gauge (up to 6m), which are absent in the SE 3.
Battery life is longer on the Series 11, with up to 24 hours typical use and up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode, compared to 18 hours typical and 32 hours in Low Power Mode for the SE 3.
The Series 11 supports faster charging (80% in 30 minutes vs. 45 minutes on the SE 3), has a 4-core Neural Engine, and includes Ultra Wideband (UWB) for Precision Finding, which the SE 3 lacks.
The SE 3 is available in Midnight and Starlight finishes only, while the Series 11 offers multiple aluminum and titanium color options, including Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, Slate, Gold, and Natural.
The Series 11 is rated for 5ATM water resistance and IP6X dust resistance, matching the SE 3’s 50m water resistance but adding dust protection.
The Series 11 includes features like Workout Buddy guidance, satellite SOS, and a redesigned speaker with individual holes, while the SE 3 has a single speaker and lacks satellite connectivity.
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I tried on this Apple Watch in the store a few days ago and liked the size of it. Does anyone know if it’s an SE 3 or Series 11?
5G support - First Apple Watch with 5G. Real question: who really needs 5G on a watch? 🤔 It might help with battery efficiency when on cellular, but otherwise not a big use-case yet.
Stronger glass - 2× more scratch-resistant Ion-X glass. Nice durability bump, but it comes with a small weight increase.
Battery life - Now officially tested for 24-hour use including 6 hours of sleep tracking. Series 10 was rated for 18 hours without sleep tracking. Slight bump here, but feels more like Apple optimized usage assumptions (and maybe the 5G chip helps a bit) rather than a massive hardware change.
Wrist flick gesture - Lets you navigate UI with just a flick. But older devices are also getting this via watchOS 26, so not Series 11 exclusive.
Hypertension notifications - Cool new health feature, but again rolling out to older devices with watchOS 26.
Sleep Score - Same story: comes with watchOS 26, so not Series 11 exclusive.