Apple Watch SE: Affordable alternative packs attractive features and is now on Amazon

At the "Time Flies" event last week, the Apple Watch Series 6 drew the most attention among consumers and journalists alike. The addition of SpO2 monitoring expands the wearable's repertoire of health-tracking features, which is lauded by users and health experts alike. However, the introduction of the Apple Watch SE is likewise viewed by analysts as a brilliant marketing move that adds affordability to the catalogue akin to the 2020 iPhone SE. interested buyers can purchase it directly from the brand's online store and now on Amazon.

While the function to scan blood oxygen saturation expands the versatility of the smartwatch, some are probably willing to spend $399 for the Apple Watch Series 6. Meanwhile, those who are eager to experience the WatchOS ecosystem for the first time might be encouraged to do so by the $279 price tag of the device. Its debut finally confirmed what insiders have been hinting about earlier this year. It basically packs everything that makes its flagship cousin great with a few caveats.

The Apple Watch SE is compatible with Family Setup, which allows owners to tweak settings remotely for registered devices. This is a helpful feature that should benefit kids and older adults who might find it difficult to toggle certain options on the smartwatch. A report from People, notes that it likewise comes with noise monitoring and fall detection, but is missing SpO2 tracking and the electrocardiogram of the more expensive model.

On the other hand, it supports Apple Pay, heart rate monitoring, GPS, sending/receiving (calls/messages), and sleep tracking among others. Apple is offering it in two sizes: 40 mm and 44 mm. Colours available include space gray, silver, and gold, with a GPS-only or cellular variant. Although the Apple Watch SE is equipped with the same display technology as the Apple Watch Series 5/6, it does not have an always-on capability.

While the release of the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE has been met with favourable reviews, Apple's recent decision to remove Force Touch has evidently irked some users. The culprit appears to be the WatchOS 7 update, which disabled the gesture even on older models. It is currently unknown if the company will enable it again in a future update.