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If you're reading this it's likely you...

a) Have never owned a smartwatch before and you're wondering where to start.

b) Are considering upgrading from an older Apple Watch and you're checking out all the options.

Or...

c) You're just an uber-fan of mine, you really dig my writing style and you'll read pretty much anything I publish.

Okay, option c) isn't all that likely, so let's stick with the first two.

As is often the case with Special Editions, or Fan Editions or whatever other name has been given to the more budget-friendly option, for the uninitiated it can be hard to see exactly where the cost savings have been made.

So the question is, if it's that hard to tell the difference, does it even matter?

The first compromise you'll have to make if you choose the Apple Watch SE 3 over the new Series 11 model is colour. You still get a choice; Midnight - which is kind of a bluey-black, or Starlight - which isn't really silver but isn't really gold either. Both versatile colours sure, but you get to choose from a range of seven with Watch Series 11.

Then there's the screen size - it's a complicated calculation because the Series 11 is altogether slightly larger and has a new, wide-angle display - it has a much higher peak-brightness rating too. In saying that, I've had no issues reading my SE 3 inside or out, and the Retina display is now protected by a new grade of Ion-X glass which Apple claims is 4 times more crack-resistant than the face of the Watch SE 2. 

That's good news, because I actually own an SE 2, and as much as I love it, it is pretty scratched up. It'll be interesting to see how the new generation fares over time but I certainly haven't managed to knick it yet - and I've been wearing it everywhere; working out, sleeping, gardening - you name it.

For the first time you also have the option of AOD - keeping the screen on even when your wrist is down. This gives you the opportunity to keep an eye on the time and your notifications without having to make a big song and dance about it.

In terms of sensors and health tracking, the SE 3 is a giant step up from its predecessor, and although it can't run ECG scans and isn't capable of monitoring hypertension or blood oxygen like its Series 11 stablemates can, it does now have a temperature sensor which means it'll notify you of unusual skin-temp fluctuations and can provide retrospective ovulation estimates too.

The SE 3's sleep tracking is also more advanced than ever. You'll be notified if any nocturnal breathing irregularities look like sleep apnea so you can go and get checked out right away.

Another significant compromise between the Series 11 and the SE 3 is battery life, although this is probably only going to be an issue if you're a particularly demanding user. I have had no worries getting through my long, breakfast radio day on a single charge. The best thing is, that single charge happens faster than ever - with the right charger a 15-minute top-up should be good for about another eight hours use.

Because I wear my watch for sleep tracking, I tend to stick it on to charge for half-an hour or so before I go to bed. That seems to be all I need to get it back to 100% or close to most nights.

As well as taking phone calls, the SE 3 is now capable of playing audio from any installed apps through its speaker. I don't quite know why you'd choose this method over a good set of wireless earbuds (don't miss my AirPods Pro 3 review in the next couple of weeks) but I guess if you've left them behind somewhere, it's good to have a backup.

What's impressed me most about the Watch SE 3 is how I've just never found myself frustrated by the lack of something it doesn't have. All my widgets, apps and shortcuts work, just the same way as any other Apple Watch I've ever used and when tracking my exercise, the display is bright, easy-to-read and shows all the metrics I want it to.

If my workout is one of the many excellent classes available through Apple Fitness, the SE 3 pairs with the iPad or Apple TV I'm watching my instructor on and shows all my data on-screen, along with other useful info, like how much time is left in each exercise or set.

As part of watchOS 26, my watch now asks me to rate how hard or easy my workout was, and this added into my other collated metrics in the health app, to give me a more accurate summary of exactly where I am on my health and fitness journey. watchOS 26 also means new faces and that "Liquid Glass" effect that has had Apple fans raving.

Just like other late-model Apple Watches, you can also use Double-Tap and Wrist-Flick gestures to make using the SE 3 a one-handed operation. Double-Tap (a quick repeated pinch of thumb and forefinger) let's you do a variety of things, depending on what app you're using at the time. Maybe it plays or pauses your podcast, for example.

Meanwhile, the Wrist-Flick helps you to toss away incoming notifications so you can deal with them later.

Incredibly, the SE 3 has exactly the same S10 chip as the Series 11 and Ultra 3 models - that includes a 4-core neural engine that allows you to do things like chat with Siri "on device" - no data connection required.

See? Talk about blurring the lines between the watch that starts from NZ$469.00 and the one that starts at NZ$749.00. With the latest chip, faster charging and a stronger build, the SE 3 isn't just a huge improvement on the SE 2, it out-performs many other, older Apple Watches too. That's why I recommend to give it a serious look if you've decided to upgrade, or you're starting out with a smartwatch for the very first time.