Apple Watch SE smartwatch

Let’s take a look at my Apple Watch SE.

Description

This is the first edition of the Apple Watch SE, their less expensive version, introduced in 2020. Specifically, I have model A2352, which comes with GPS.

Narrative

I’ve had this since … wow … November of 2021. That’s a long time for me and watches. I’ve worn it pretty much every day since then. It still feels relatively new to me. Perhaps that’s because they keep changing improving the software. More on that later.

I have a long history with high-tech watches. I’ve had a Casio calculator watch, solar-powered radio-synchronized watch, Citizen Promaster chronograph watch, minute repeater watch, Pebble Time Steel smartwatch, and PineTime smartwatch, to name (more than) a few. The Apple Watch is the one I now wear. Primarily because it’s the best of the bunch, and also because it’s the only one I have left.

Functionality

I have a bone to pick about the latest software update. They totally changed what all the things do. The button, the crown, swiping up from the bottom of the screen, they’re all different now. What about my muscle memory?! Come one, Apple, at least give me the option of using the old way. Not a good UX in this case. It’s un-Apple.

Anyway, it has almost every function you could possibly want in a smartwatch. It acts as an extension of your iPhone. It tracks heart rate, sleep, activity, has apps to make things oh-so-convenient (see: OurGroceries for one), and, oh yeah, it tells time, too. You never have to set it. I just love it once a year when I get up in the morning and my watch has already skipped an hour of sleep for me!¹

The battery lasts about a day. I take it off to charge it an hour or so before I go to sleep and it also gets a few minutes of charge in the morning when I shower. Other than that it is on my wrist all the time.

Newer and more expensive models have always-on displays or other fancy doodads. I don’t miss them. The core functionality of the watches are the same. The only thing I might appreciate is an always-on display for those times when I can’t flick my wrist up in exactly the right way to get the display to turn on and I can’t use my other hand to wake it up (e.g., when riding a scooter).

Quality

Top-notch. I am generally a fan of their products. There is a subtle curvature of the glass face as it approaches the bezel, it’s a nice touch. They make a big deal about the ease of frequently changing watch bands, but I never do. But it was really easy to install my one watch band.

Reliability

Very rarely do I encounter a bug or a glitch with the watch, and when I do, it’s usually attributable to 3rd party applications. Worst case scenario is I have to restart the watch to fix the problem, but I have only had to do that a handful of times. Other than that, it has near 24/7 uptime with the exception of software updates.

Durability

It’s survived more than 2 years of everyday use. I’ve always had this OtterBox case on it (a review for another day), so that may have contributed to its longevity. I like that it’s waterproof and I have taken it swimming many times. Just remember to turn on the water mode first.

The battery still lasts about a day. It may be gradually degrading but what is more noticeable is when Apple releases a new software version and the battery life goes to sh*t for a while while they work out the bugs or something. This happens infrequently but even once is too much.

Conclusion

If you have an iPhone and are considering a smart watch, the Apple Watch is your choice. You can’t go wrong with any model, which is why I got the least expensive one I could find. If you don’t have an iPhone, don’t buy this, it won’t work with it. To be perfectly honest, the Apple Watch is one of the reasons I moved back to iPhone from Android.