The Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249, while the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399. The $150 difference buys a more advanced health detection system, a larger screen, longer battery life, and more options for tracking training and recovery.
The two watches still share many features, including an always-on display, wrist temperature detection, sleep apnea notifications, retrospective ovulation estimates, 5G connectivity on cellular models, media playback, and 64GB of storage. Our guide helps answer the question of how to decide which of these two Apple Watch models is best for you. The differences between the two models are as follows:
| Apple Watch SE 3 |
Apple Watch Series 12 |
| Same design as Apple Watch Series 4, 5 and 6 |
Refined design with a thinner body, a screen with rounder edges and a wider aspect ratio, and a front glass that extends further to the sides for a higher screen-to-body ratio |
| 40mm or 44mm case |
42mm or 46mm case |
| Aluminum housing |
Aluminum, titanium or ceramic housing |
40mm: 40 by 34 by 10.7 mm
44mm: 44 by 38 by 10.7 mm |
42 mm aluminum/titanium: 42 by 37 by 9.7 mm
46 mm aluminum/titanium: 46 by 40 by 9.7 mm
Ceramic 42mm: 43 by 37 by 9.85 mm
Ceramic 46mm: 47 by 41 by 9.85 mm |
| Aluminum GPS weight: 26.3 grams (40 mm) or 32.9 grams (44 mm) |
Aluminum GPS weight: 32.2 grams (42 mm) or 39.5 grams (46 mm) |
| Ion-X front glass |
Ceramic Shield 2 front panel on aluminum models; sapphire crystal on titanium and ceramic models |
| No published IP6X rating |
IP6X dust resistance |
| LTPO OLED display |
LTPO3 display with an always-on 1Hz refresh rate, enabling a live second hand on supported watch faces |
| OLED screen |
Wide-angle OLED screen |
40mm: 324 by 394 pixels
44mm: 368 by 448 pixels |
42mm: 374 by 446 pixels
46mm: 416 by 496 pixels |
40mm: 759 mm² display surface
44mm: 977 mm² display surface |
42mm: 970 mm² display surface
46mm: 1,196 mm² of exhibition surface |
| Up to 1,000 nits of brightness |
Up to 2,000 nits of brightness |
| Minimum brightness of 2 nits |
Minimum brightness of 1 nit |
| Nylon composite and sapphire crystal back |
Bottom in aluminum or titanium and zirconia; ceramic and zirconia back on ceramic models |
| S10 chip (2024) |
S11 chip (2026) |
| 2 GB of RAM |
4 GB of RAM |
| Second generation optical heart sensor |
Always-on optical heart sensor |
| Standard background heart rate tracking |
Background heart rate readings every five seconds |
| Heart rate variability tracking |
Recovery HRV and more frequent overall HRV readings |
| Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature and sleep duration |
Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, HRV and day view |
|
Prep app |
|
Electrical heart sensor and ECG app |
|
Blood Oxygen Sensor and Blood Oxygen App |
|
Hypertension notifications |
| Follow standard steps |
Improved step tracking |
|
Real-time heart rate and steps monitor facial complications |
|
Water temperature sensor |
|
Depth gauge up to 6 meters and depth app |
|
Oceanic+ app for snorkeling up to 6 meters, available on the App Store |
|
Audio intelligence features including Siri Recap, Sound Recognition and Shazam |
|
Live Rewind and Siri Recap, expected in beta version at the end of 2026 |
| Microphone |
Microphone with voice isolation |
| Single, elongated speaker openings |
Holes for individual speakers |
| Wi-Fi 4 2.4GHz |
Wi-Fi 4 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz |
| GPS L1 |
L1 Precision GPS |
|
Second generation Ultra Wideband chip |
| Find an iPhone |
Precision search for iPhone, with distance and direction guidance |
| HomePod playback controls |
HomePod playback controls and media suggestions based on proximity to a compatible HomePod Ultra Wideband |
| Up to 18 hours of normal use |
Up to 24 hours of normal use |
| Up to 32 hours in low power mode |
Up to 38 hours in low power mode |
| Up to 7 hours of workout tracking |
Up to 10 hours of workout tracking |
| Charges from 0 to 80% in approximately 45 minutes |
Charges from 0 to 80% in about 30 minutes |
| 15 minutes charge for up to 8 hours of normal use |
15 minutes charge for up to 12 hours of normal use |
| 8 minutes of charging for up to 8 hours of sleep tracking |
5 minutes of charging for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking |
| Midnight and Starlight aluminum finishes |
Dark bronze, light gold, black and space gray aluminum finishes |
|
Radiant Gold and Natural Titanium finishes |
|
Pearl White and Midnight Blue ceramic finishes |
|
Hermès models in titanium Silver and Radiant Gold |
40mm: $249 GPS or $299 GPS + Cellular
44mm: $279 GPS or $329 GPS + Cellular |
Aluminum 42mm: $399 GPS or $499 GPS + Cellular
Aluminum 46mm: $449 GPS or $549 GPS + Cellular |
|
Titanium models start at $699; ceramic models start at $899 |
If you primarily want a smartwatch for notifications, standard workout and sleep tracking, and an always-on display, the Apple Watch SE 3 is still the best value. Although it’s now a year old, it’s still excellent value at $249, offering most of the basic Apple Watch features for $150 less than the entry-level Series 12.
The Apple Watch Series 12 makes a much stronger case for anyone using their device to track health and recovery trends. Its new health sensing system provides frequent readings of heart rate, recovery HRV and a readiness score that draws on recent activity, training load, vital signs and sleep. ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, and hypertension notifications add additional features not available on the Apple Watch SE 3.
Battery life can be a deciding factor. Apple Watch Series 12 is designed for six additional hours of normal use and three additional hours of outdoor workout tracking. It also charges faster, which is especially useful if you wear your watch overnight to track your sleep.
The 12 Series also offers a larger, brighter screen, which makes a noticeable difference in everyday use, as well as 5GHz Wi-Fi, precision finding for a misplaced iPhone, and premium titanium and ceramic case options. Its Audio Intelligence features include Siri Recap, Sound Recognition, and always-on Shazam.
If you prefer the Series 12’s broader health tracking capabilities, longer battery life, display benefits, or luxury case options, the extra cost is justified. While these features are unlikely to change the way you use or enjoy your watch, the Apple Watch SE 3 is the more economical choice.
