Apple has announced a cheap smartwatch for the whole family. The Apple Watch SE 2020 has a large screen and runs on watchOS 7.
Apple announced several new products during its online keynote, including the Apple Watch 6, the iPad 2020 and the iPad Pro 2020. In addition, a cheap smartwatch called the Apple Watch SE was introduced for the first time. This smart watch is available in 40mm and 44mm model and features the same accelerometer, gyroscope and always-on altimeter as the more expensive Watch 6 Series. In combination with the new motion sensors and microphone, the Watch SE offers numerous health and safety options such as fall detection, SOS emergency notification, international emergency calls and the Sound app.
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watchOS 7 offers users several new features, such as Family Configuration – which allows children or older family members to use an Apple Watch without an iPhone. New functions have also been added for tracking your sleep pattern, an automatic hand wash detection has been built in and several new workout programs are available.
The Apple Watch SE is available in three colors and has a case made of fully recycled aluminum. The smartwatch is compatible with all Apple Watch bands, including the new solo band and braided solo band.
It is the first time that Apple has chosen to introduce a cheaper model. Until then, you always had to wait until a new model was introduced, after which the old model is sold cheaper. The Watch 3 from 2017 is still available, the same goes for the Watch 4 and Watch 5.
It seems to be a strategic move by Apple, especially now that more and more manufacturers intend to also dive into the wearables market. Think of smartphone manufacturers such as Oppo, Xiaomi, OnePlus in Vivo – all these Chinese manufacturers have introduced a smartwatch this year, or will do so in the next two months. These watches are priced quite competitively, think of the Oppo Watch which will also be sold in the Netherlands in Q4 of 2020 for around € 250.
Watch SE: Cheap watch with all essential functions
The Apple Watch SE features the same iconic design and large Retina display as the Watch Series 6. The smartwatch has thin edges and rounded corners, which is 30% larger than the Series 3. The interface offers plenty of room for easy app reading symbols and fonts, users can also effortlessly view notifications, text messages, workout data and more. In addition, several new watch faces are available that are optimized for this display.
With the S5 System in Package (SiP) and dual-core processor, Apple Watch SE delivers high performance, up to 2x faster than the Apple Watch 3. The S5 can also be found in the Watch 5 Series from last year. If you are wondering where the comparison with the Watch 3 comes from; this smartwatch is close to the Watch SE in terms of price. Because with a starting price of € 300, this smart watch is not only much cheaper than the Series 6, but also cheaper than the Watch 5 and the Watch 4.
The signature Digital Crown with tactile feedback can also be found on the SE. This Apple smartwatch is also equipped with the latest speaker and microphone, optimized for better sound quality during telephone calls, the use of Siri and Walkie-talkie. In addition, Bluetooth 5.0 is supported. The always-on display and the ECG function, which are available on the Watch 6, you will not find on the Watch SE.
Jeff Williams, COO of Apple says: Apple Watch SE combines elements of the Series 6 design with the most essential features of Apple Watch, all at a more affordable price. We are proud to offer another great new option that includes everything you need to stay connected, be more active and keep an eye on your health.
The updated always-on altimeter shows the altitude in real time throughout the day, using a more energy-efficient barometric altimeter, GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks. With this feature, small height differences above ground level can be detected, up to 30 centimeters up and down. This feature can be viewed as a new watch face complication or as a metric during workouts.
The built-in compass also provides users with better directions and compass directions, as well as grade, elevation, latitude and longitude data. Users can add one of three new Compass complications to their watch face.
Handy smartwatch features
With Emergency SOS on Apple Watch, users can call for help or turn on emergency services at the touch of a button. For added security while traveling, the 4G LTE (Cellular) model allows users to make international calls to emergency services – wherever the device was purchased and whether or not the cellular plan is activated.
Fall Detection uses a custom algorithm and the latest accelerometer and gyroscope to detect if a user has fallen. By analyzing the trajectory of the wrist and the impact acceleration, the Watch SE provides users with a warning after a hard fall, which can be ignored or used to call emergency services.
If the smart watch has not detected any movement until approximately 60 seconds after the fall, the emergency services are automatically notified, an audio message is played with the location of the user in the form of geographic coordinates and a message is sent to the SOS contacts.
To gain a better understanding of hearing health, Apple Watch SE uses a new type of microphone to measure the sound levels in a user’s environment. The smartwatch sends a notification when the decibel level has risen to a point where hearing can be affected. Obviously the sound level can also be checked with the Sound app or the Sound complication.
watchOS 7 supports Family Configuration
watchOS 7 contains several options to make your Apple Watch even more personal. You can choose from seven new watch faces, including Stripes, Chronograph Pro, GMT and Artist. You can also customize new watch faces and share them with others.
Additionally, new health and safety features have been added, including low-range VO2max, sleep tracking feature, automatic handwash detection and new types of workouts. The Maps app on your wrist now includes directions for cyclists, and Siri can help translate something for you.
watchOS 7 also includes a family configuration. Children and older members of a family can use the Watch’s connectivity, security, and fitness features, even if they don’t own an iPhone. The advantages are many: the little ones can use the internet, personalize their Watch SE, make an SOS emergency report, get moving with activity rings specially tailored to them and concentrate better with the new School Time mode – which prevents any kind of distraction when they are at school. sitting or doing homework.
For seniors, several optimized functions are also available, such as a simple login and configuration process and a redesigned XL watch face to see the time and a comprehensive complication at a glance. Seniors can also use a new Health checklist in the Health app on iPhone, which shows in one centralized view whether health features such as fall detection are enabled.
Buy Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE has an aluminum watch case with a choice of three colors: gold, silver and space gray. The new watch is available immediately in the Netherlands in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm. The suggested retail price for the smaller model is set at € 300 (GPS only), with a choice of a sports band, solo band or a woven sports band. In addition, various Nike sports band variants have been released. For the 40mm model with GPS + Cellular you pay € 350. Do you prefer the larger model? The 44mm version is suitable for a wrist of 140-220mm and costs € 30 extra compared to the 40mm model.
For an additional amount of € 50 you can also opt for a braided solo strap – regardless of which watch case and / or size you choose. Furthermore, there are numerous color variants and sizes available per watch strap – so there is something for everyone. Customers who purchase the Watch SE directly from Apple can also take advantage of a free in-person online session with an Apple Specialist who can help discover all of its features and capabilities.
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