Skip to main content

Apple announces the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE

Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 6 and a cheaper Apple Watch SE during its event on Tuesday.

The Apple Watch Series 6 will cost $399 while the Apple Watch SE will start at $279. Both are available starting Friday, September 18.

Recommended Videos

The Apple Watch Series 6 includes new features like measuring blood oxygen levels directly through the watch. Rumors have been swirling around for a while about what Apple had planned for the new Apple Watch.

The key features of the Apple Watch Series 6 include a major focus on health. Some of these include a blood oxygen level sensor that uses red infrared light to measure your blood oxygen in 15 seconds. The sensor will even record your oxygen levels while you sleep. There is also altimeter to measure elevation change for those who hike.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other features include new watch faces like an Animoji watch face, and a screen that is 2.5 times brighter outside when your wrist is down.

Apple Watch Series 6 also includes family setup where kids can get their own numbers for their Apple Watch. Parents can specify which contacts kids can communicate with when using messages and more and set up automatic location notifications.

The watch comes in blue, gold, graphite, and a new red color. There is also a new “stretchable loop” band. There is no more USB power adapter in the Apple Watch Series 6, which Apple says will eliminate the carbon equivalent of over 50,000 cars on the road per year.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Apple Watch SE is essentially the Apple Watch Series 3 replacement with features like fall detection, compass and always-on altimeter, a swimproof chassis, and sleep tracking. The watch uses the S5 chip, which Apple says allows for up to two times better performance than the Series 3 model.

Looking for more? Head over to our Deals hub for the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals, Samsung Galaxy Watch deals, and smartwatch deals.

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
Future Apple Watches could tell you if you’re at risk for diabetes
Someone wearing an original Apple Watch Ultra showing the weather app.

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but an Apple device on your wrist could replace them altogether. Well, sort of. The Apple Watch is already chock-full of health-focused applications, but according to a recent report from Mark Gurman, an app for testing blood sugar levels is in development.

Apple has always been good at keeping a lid on its projects, but that approach has reached the next level with this app. Multiple layers of non-disclosure agreements and vetting were required before anyone could participate in the employee-only trial, so details regarding the progress of this app are limited. However, it's another step toward needle-free measurements of your blood sugar levels.

Read more
This Apple Watch tech might make your iPhone better
The screens on the titanium and aluminum Apple Watch Series 10 cases.

According to Korea's The Elec (via MacRumors), LTPO3 display technology, which was first utilized in the Apple Watch Series 10, may also be adapted for future iPhones. This new technology improves both power efficiency and display performance.

On the flagship Apple Watch Series 10, LTPO3 enables Apple to optimize each pixel to emit more light at wider angles and improve battery efficiency.  As a result, the display is 40% brighter than on the previous model, the Apple Watch Series 9, which employed LTPO2. The newer technology also allows for a faster refresh rate when the watch is in always-on mode.

Read more
Telsa may be making an official app for the Apple Watch
A person checking the fitness data on an Apple Watch Series 9.

Whether you're a Tesla fan or not, we can all agree that the cars have some seriously cool features. Your iPhone can function as a car key and you can use it to unlock your doors. That's been a feature for years, but there hasn't been an official Apple Watch app (although third-party solutions do exist and work well.)

According to MacRumors, that might be about to change. The Tesla iPhone app was updated recently for iOS 18, but one person spotted references to an upcoming Apple Watch version of the app. The code makes it look like you'll be able to use your Apple Watch as a digital key to unlock your Tesla, assuming it's compatible.

Read more