When the Apple Watch SE first came out, we were happy to finally see a great smartwatch from Apple at a budget price, at least relative to its usual pricing. While the second generation of the Watch SE has been released, the original is still a great option for those who want to save some money. There’s even a great deal from Walmart for the 4th of July that lowers the 1st gen Watch SE to $149 rather than $279, which is a substantial discount.
Why you should buy the Apple Watch SE (1st Gen, 40mm)
For Software, it’s pretty much a tie, as both generations run the same WatchOS 9, so you aren’t missing out on any software-based features such as medication tracking. On the other hand, the Watch SE 2 does get a new chip, the S8 SiP, although it doesn’t have as big an impact as it would if this was a smartphone, so the upgrade is minimal. As for battery life, both the Watch SE and Watch SE 2 are neck and neck, managing over a day and a half of use each, although it’s important to note that neither has fast charging, so you’ll need about two hours to charge, which isn’t a big deal.
All in all, the 1st-gen Watch SE is still an excellent watch, and if you’re on the fence, be sure to look at our breakdown between the Apple Watch SE 2 vs. Apple Watch SE for more information. If you do spring up springing for the 1st-gen Watch SE, don’t forget to grab this deal from Walmart that brings it from $279 to $149 and check out some of these other great Apple watch deals.
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