Apple Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm) vs Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
Apple Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm) ($91) vs Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation) ($51) — side-by-side specs, weight, pros and cons to help you pick the right smartwatch.
Spec-by-spec
| Spec | Apple Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm) | Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation) |
| Price | $91 | $51 |
| Weight | 38.8g | 36.2g |
| Chip | S7 SiP | S5, 64-bit dual-core |
| Case | 45mm aluminium, GPS | — |
| Display | Always-on Retina, larger than Series 6 | Retina OLED, not always-on |
| Water | 50m, WR50 | — |
| Durability | IP6X dust resistant | — |
| Weight | 38.8g (Apple published) | 36.2g (Apple published, 44mm GPS) |
| Sensors | — | Optical heart rate, no ECG/SpO2 |
| Safety | — | Fall detection, emergency calling |
| WR | — | 50m |
Pros & Cons
Apple Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm)
- Bigger display than the Series 6 in a similar footprint
- IP6X dust resistance
- The cheapest always-on Apple Watch worth buying
- No temperature sensor
- Older S7 chip feels slower on modern watchOS
- Will drop off watchOS support before the others here
Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
- Series 5-class performance at a genuine discount over Series 5/6
- Fall detection and emergency calling carried over from flagship models
- Same 44mm case size as the numbered Series watches that generation
- Lighter than most Series models it's priced against
- No always-on display
- No ECG or blood oxygen sensor
- No compass
- watchOS support window is closing like every watch in this group
Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation) is the better value at $51. Both are part of our curated smartwatch index — tap through to check current pricing.