The Apple Watch SE 2 makes Apple’s cheap smartwatch better than ever

Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch SE 2 at its “Far Out” event in Cupertino, California. The company revealed the new watch alongside the Apple Watch Series 8. The Apple Watch SE 2 is packed with the same features as the Series 8 that make it the perfect first Apple Watch for more than 80% of users on a budget. It comes with the latest WatchOS 9 and a new S8 processor, which works 20% faster than the previous SE. It tracks your workouts and activity, and it’s waterproof for up to 50 meters in depth when swimming. It also has the ability to detect falls, notify you of high and low heart rates, and it lets you call 911 with emergency SOS. To keep users even safer, the Apple Watch SE 2 is programmed with the same motion sensors for crash detection as the Series 8, regardless of the severity of the crash — all shown on a display that is 30% larger than that of the Series 3. For families, the Apple Watch SE 2 comes with Family Setup, which allows people to set up and manage the Apple Watch for kids who don’t have their own iPhones yet, such as tracking their location and allowing them to contact people they prefer through call or text messaging. It will have more features coming soon that will give kids more independence and their parents some peace of mind. The Apple Watch SE 2 costs $249 for GPS and $299 for both GPS and cellular versions. You can pre-order it now, and it will be available on September 16. Apple Wallet has seen several improvements recently, but the most recent update changes Subscriptions & Payments to Preauthorized Payments. This naming scheme is more straightforward and clear about what it does, and it also gives you an idea of any upcoming payments. This feature is only present in the most recent version of the iOS 18.4 beta, though. If you go looking for it on your own device (and you aren’t participating in the beta), you won’t be able to find it. Currently, you can see upcoming payments by opening Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. You can view active and inactive subscriptions here and the amount and date of the next payment. Apple isn’t very quick to update its lower cost products, but there’s one model which badly needs its attention: the Apple Watch SE. The company’s willingness to let the SE languish for several years is now affecting its bottom line, and when the Apple Watch Series 11 arrives later this year, an Apple Watch SE 3 needs to be there alongside it.
Hitting where it hurts In 2024 shipments of Apple Watch models declined by 19% compared to 2023, according to Counterpoint Research, and a quote in the report stated, “The slowdown of the existing Apple Watch SE lineup and the lack of new SE models contributed to the decline.” While the entire smartwatch industry slowed over the same period, Apple saw the largest fall in shipments, which points to something being awry with its current product range. The Apple Watch Series 10 has a bit of a speaker problem. A quick look at the Apple Support Community or the Apple Watch subreddit will show a lot of posts from users, some as far back as four months ago, stating that the speaker is too quiet. Affected users can hear neither phone calls nor music from the speaker after repeated use. Apple hasn’t given an official statement regarding the problem, and it’s not clear how many people are affected. There are dozens of posts on forums about the problem, however, so it clearly isn’t limited to just a handful of people. Several posters reported buying a new Apple Watch 10, only for the same staticky, muffled sound to return within a week.