Apple Watch SE 2022 gets the Series 8’s guts and starts at RM1,199

Two years on from its debut, we now have a new Apple Watch SE. This time, Cupertino has shied away from giving the device one-generation-older hardware, instead sourcing (some of) the goodness directly from the brand new Series 8. There are a few features missing, however, as you’ll soon find out.

Apple Watch SE Malaysia pricing and availability

First, a bit of familiarity: the SE comes in the same 40 and 44mm aluminium cases as before. Prices have also been retained – despite being USD30 (RM135) cheaper in the US, at USD249 (RM1,121) – and are as follows:

• Apple Watch SE 40mm – RM1,199
• Apple Watch SE 40mm, cellular – RM1,399
• Apple Watch SE 44mm – RM1,299
• Apple Watch SE 44mm, cellular – RM1,499

This model forms the entry point of the entirely refreshed Apple Watch range and effectively kills off the ancient Series 3. The writing has been on the wall for the latter for a while now – watchOS 9 won’t support the Series 3, and you can bet your bottom dollar Apple will not be caught dead selling a new device without the latest software.

As with the Series 8, the SE is already open for pre-orders and will start selling in stores on September 16 for first wave countries such as the US, UK, Australia and Singapore. Again, we will update you on Malaysian availability once we know more.

Apple Watch SE specs and features

The SE ditches the larger screens of the Series 7 and Series 8 in favour of a design that was first introduced on the Series 4 back in 2018. This means you still get the thick-but-not-Series-1-thick bezels and an OLED Retina display. However, the watch is available in two new colours, Midnight and Starlight, in addition to the usual silver.

Underneath the same old, same old design, you’ll find the S8 chip from the Series 8, which Apple says is 20% faster than the S5 in the previous SE. The new model also gets the same battery life of up to 18 hours claimed. But there are a few drawbacks for spending RM700 less.

Most notably, you still don’t get an always-on display, even though the SE clearly now has the hardware for it. It also doesn’t have temperature sensors, meaning you can’t receive retrospective ovulation estimates.

Elsewhere, the SE continues to lack a blood oxygen sensor and an electric heart sensor, the latter for generating an electrocardiogram (ECG). However, it does get the Series 8’s more powerful accelerometer and gyroscope, so it too can detect if you’ve gotten into a car crash.

Other features the SE misses out on are fast charging and an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip. It also doesn’t get IP6X dust resistance, although it’s still water resistant up to 50 metres – a staple of the Apple Watch lineup since the Series 3.