Apple Watch SE 3: New Model Not Expected to Launch Until Next Year

Apple has no plans to release a third-generation Apple Watch SE this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the Apple Watch SE will remain on a two-year upgrade cycle, so the third-generation model can be expected to be released in September 2024.

apple watch se 2022
This means that the second-generation Apple Watch SE should remain a safe buy for customers considering purchasing one, as the device is not expected to be upgraded for over a year still and has plenty of time remaining in its lifecycle.

Previous generations of the Apple Watch SE launched in September 2020 and September 2022, as outlined in the MacRumors Buyer's Guide.

Priced starting at $249, the Apple Watch SE is the most affordable Apple Watch, but it lacks some features available on higher-end Apple Watch models, including the ECG app, Blood Oxygen app, an always-on display, and wrist temperature tracking. It also has thicker bezels and smaller case size options compared to the Apple Watch Series 7 and newer.

New models launching this year will include the Apple Watch Series 9 in two sizes, and a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, according to Gurman.

Gurman also revealed that Apple tested a dark titanium color option for the Apple Watch Ultra last year, but decided against releasing it.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch SE
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...

Top Rated Comments

doboy Avatar
19 months ago
Not every model needs to be updated yearly.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
19 months ago

"will remain on a two-year upgrade cycle" it was never on a two-year upgrade cycle. Apple Watch SE were released in 2019 and 2022.
The first-generation Apple Watch SE was released in 2020, not 2019.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
19 months ago
Honestly considering the price and limitations, and the fact that the Series 8 regularly goes on sale for $279, kind of hard to justify getting an SE, especially once it’s over a year old. $30 more gets you such a better device. I know it’s not the regular retail price but for two years now that’s been the price on Prime Day and it’s regularly on sale for not much more than that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
name99 Avatar
19 months ago

I am guessing the main difference for the regular one will be finally updating the chip that has been in use since Series 6 if I am not mistaken? no new sensors?

Sounds like next year will be a great year to finally update Series 6 and iPhone 12 PM.
Saying that "the chip" has been unchanged is somewhat misleading.
The only thing that's known for certain in this respect is that the logical design of the *CPU CORE* is unchanged.
Other things in the watch have definitely changed:WiFi, BT, sensors, presence of U1, screen, amount of RAM, ...

It's possible, for example, that even as the CPU stayed the same, the GPU was upgraded? Or the implementation was improved (ie using say N5 rather than N7)? We honestly don't know.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Fan 2008 Avatar
19 months ago
This makes since considering the last update took two years
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Fan 2008 Avatar
19 months ago

Not every model needs to be updated yearly.
Especially budget models
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)