Apple Watch SE 2 (2022): Everything you need to know

The Apple Watch SE has been a real success, bringing a powerful and affordable version of the company’s popular wearable within reach of most people. Now, with several months having passed since its arrival, we look forward to the inevitable successor that is likely to appear some time this year.

Here’s everything we know so far – plus all the leaks and rumours worth printing – related to the second-gen version of the Apple Watch SE.

When will the Apple Watch SE 2 be released?

We expect the new Apple Watch SE to be announced in September 2022.

Note that there’s been no official confirmation from Apple that we’ll ever see a successor to the Apple Watch SE. But this isn’t unusual, as the company tends not to announce devices ahead of schedule.

It seems that unlike the main iPhone range, which receives annual updates, the Apple Watch SE has been placed in the category occupied by the likes of its namesake the iPhone SE (2020), where Apple spreads out refreshes across multiple years. The original Apple Watch SE (2020) made its debut in September 2020, but we saw nothing in 2021, so it seems very likely that the new model will arrive some time this year.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman agrees, with the tech reporter stating that he expects the new SE to be launched alongside the Apple Watch Series 8 at some point in 2022, most likely in the autumn/fall slot when we see the new iPhones announced. So we could be looking at the Apple Watch SE 2 (2022) being available around September 2022.

How much will the Apple Watch SE 2 cost?

With only the Apple Watch SE (2020) to use as our guide, we would expect Apple to swap like-for-like, so as not to disturb the various price tiers it currently has in place for the Apple Watch range. This means that you should expect something along the lines of what we saw with the original model, which is available at these prices:

• Apple Watch SE (GPS): £249 / US$279 / AU$429
• Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular): £299 / US$329 / AU$499

If you don’t want to wait for the new version to arrive, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Apple Watch SE (2020) deals to see if you can grab a bargain.

Tech specs and new features

There’s been little in the way of substantiated leaks when it comes to the Apple Watch SE 2 (2022). Apple seems to be playing its cards close to its chest, so we remain very much in the realm of speculation when it comes to what might appear in the new model.

Sensor upgrades

The Apple Watch SE (2020) already boasts an impressive array of onboard sensors that track your heart rate, activity and sleep, as well as detecting falls and potentially damaging levels of noise in your environment. It’s unlikely that the new version would be able to move up to the ECG and Blood Oxygen features that come with the Apple Watch Series 7 without a hike in price, but Apple has surprised us in the past.

One rumour that has been floating around is that we may see the inclusion of a temperature sensor in the next iteration. This would be a good early warning sign for any potential infections in the body and could also be used to track ovulation for those hoping to conceive a child.

We’ve already seen the feature in the likes of the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Charge 5, so its introduction in the Apple Watch SE 2 (2022) would be another way of tracking your health via the smartwatch.

New processor

One of the standard upgrades Apple usually employs with new models is to move to a new processor for a bump in speed and performance. The Apple Watch SE (2020) comes with the same S5 SiP as the Apple Watch Series 5, so it would make sense to see the next version move to the S6 SiP that previously came in the Apple Watch Series 6.

Upgraded display

When the Apple Watch SE (2020) was introduced it offered two options for display size – 44mm and 40mm – which meant it had around 30% more acreage than the Apple Watch Series 3 that came in 38mm or 42mm varieties. This is great, but also meant that it lagged behind the Series 7 which sported 45mm or 41mm panels, an increase of 20% over the SE.

A simple upgrade would be for Apple to raid its parts bin and bestow the same display sizes on the new Apple Watch SE 2 (2022). This could be enhanced further by the addition of the always-on feature that previously debuted on the Apple Watch Series 5. There’s been no confirmation about whether this will be a reality, though, so be prepared to stick with the 44mm or 40mm when the new model finally arrives.

Further reading

If you don’t fancy hanging on until then, our roundup of the best Apple Watch deals could help you pick up one of the flagship devices for prices closer to the existing Apple Watch SE.