Apple Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm) vs Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
Apple Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm) ($124) 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 9 (45mm) | Apple Apple Watch SE (1st generation) |
| Price | $124 | $51 |
| Weight | 38.7g | 36.2g |
| Chip | S9 SiP | S5, 64-bit dual-core |
| Case | 45mm aluminium, GPS | — |
| Display | 2000 nit always-on Retina | Retina OLED, not always-on |
| Water | 50m, WR50 | — |
| Sizes | 41mm and 45mm | — |
| Weight | 38.7g (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 9 (45mm)
- Double Tap works one-handed
- 2000 nit display is genuinely bright outdoors
- On-device Siri
- Same case design as the Series 7 and 8
- Battery still about 18 hours
- Blood oxygen disabled on some US units
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.