When Apple launched its newest smartwatches late final yr, I used to be satisfied that the Apple Watch SE 3 was the higher purchase for many customers as a result of it supplied wonderful worth. I nonetheless stand by that, however hear me out: when the Sequence 11 is closely discounted, I might suggest it over the SE 3, even when the latter was additionally on sale.
Like proper now. The Apple Watch SE 3 is right down to AU$347 for the smaller 40mm case on Amazon, which is a 13% low cost, whereas the Apple Watch 11 at the moment has a beginning worth of AU$497 on Amazon, making it a 27% worth drop.
My greatest concern with the Apple Watch 11 at launch was that I could not get hypertension notifications on my wrist, however the TGA authorised this function in December 2025 and a subsequent January 2026 watchOS replace rolled out the function for Aussies to make use of.
The opposite well being options you may get with the Sequence 11 that the SE 3 misses out on are blood oxygen monitoring, sleep apnoea detection and irregular coronary heart rhythm notifications (aka the ECG function).
One other minor addition the Sequence 11 will get you is 5G connectivity for those who go for the LTE model (which can also be discounted by as much as 21% off). This actually should not be that large a deal although as smartwatches do not want super-fast connectivity and, in any case, 5G help on smartwatches is one thing telcos nonetheless do not provide in Australia, however Apple is working in direction of that.
My Apple Watch 11 taking a blood oxygen studying (Picture credit score: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Alongside all that, it affords all the pieces you should encourage you to train extra, monitoring all kinds of actions that, I admit, even the SE 3 will do, however the battery life on the Sequence 11 exceeds the SE 3’s by 25%, which you’ll be able to stretch even additional by utilizing the Low Energy mode.
Our Apple Watch Sequence 11 overview gave it a really respectable 4 stars out of 5, calling it “a mainline Apple Watch that may go the gap.” Whereas it affords “no main efficiency features yr over yr,” it gives a “larger battery” and a “extra sturdy show that’s nonetheless vibrant and wealthy.” This larger show now makes it rather a lot simpler to make use of the Messages app on the Apple Watch. I personally put on the 46mm model and handwriting a message on the display screen is a lot simpler now.
Furthermore, watchOS 26 provides it a contemporary really feel that really highlights its well being options, particularly the brand new Sleep Rating performance. All this makes it one of the best smartwatch for iPhone and fairly unbeatable at this worth.
If you haven’t any coronary heart well being points, then the SE 3 will swimsuit you simply wonderful, however for those who want a dependable well being monitor, I feel the Apple Watch 11 is the significantly better possibility.
