The Apple Watch SE 2 is rumored to be one of Apple's many hardware releases this fall, and if a new rumor turns out to be true, the Watch SE 2 could come with a few exciting upgrades over the current model. The Apple Watch lineup today is in an interesting place. At the head of the pack is the Apple Watch Series 7. It has the sleekest design, newest specs, best features — and the highest starting price at $399. At the bottom of the lineup is the Apple Watch Series 3. The $199 price tag is appealing, but with huge bezels, an aging processor, and limited memory, it's hardly worth recommending these days.
In between the Series 7 and Series 3 is the Apple Watch SE. Launched in September 2020, the Apple Watch SE is a great option for folks who can't justify the Series 7's high price. It has the slimmer bezels of the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple's S5 chipset, all-day activity tracking, a heart-rate monitor, and optional cellular connectivity. It's a solid package for $279, but perfect it is not. The Apple Watch SE doesn't have an always-on display, an ECG sensor, blood oxygen tracking, or improved performance of newer Apple Watch chips.
Thankfully, it looks like Apple might address most of those missing features with the Apple Watch SE 2. While the possibility of a new Apple Watch SE has been rumored for months, a new report from iDropNews offers the first big spec/feature leak for the smartwatch. First and foremost, iDropNews suggests that the Apple Watch SE 2 will look "exactly like the 2020 edition." If you were hoping for the slimmer display bezels and slightly larger body of the Apple Watch Series 7, it seems that those hardware changes aren't happening this year
Apple Watch SE 2 To Get New Chipset & Features
But it's not all bad news. While the Apple Watch SE 2's design is said to stay the same, the current S5 processor is reportedly being ditched for the newer S7 chip (the same one in the Apple Watch Series 7). That should make the SE 2 up to 20 percent faster than the current model. And that's not even the most exciting part. The S7 chip is also rumored to enable ECG tracking and an always-on display on the Apple Watch SE 2 — two of the biggest missing features from the current SE. Battery life is rumored to stay at the same 18 hours of use per charge, and it's unlikely that blood oxygen tracking will be available. Regardless, the possibility of faster performance, always-on functionality, and ECG support are plenty exciting.
Of course, all of that extra functionality will come at a cost. iDropNews claims that the Apple Watch SE 2's starting price will jump to $299. A $20 increase over the current $279 price isn't ideal, but if all of the new features turn out to be true, that seems like a fair trade-off. We aren't expecting the Apple Watch SE 2 until September or October, so expect plenty more leaks between now and then.
Source: iDropNews