It goes without saying that the latest Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch SE 3 are two of the best Apple Watches you can buy today; they are also two of the best all-around smartwatch models.
I’ve already covered the Apple Watch 11 vs. Apple Watch SE 3 in-depth, but if you’re short on time, here’s the skinny: The flagship Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399 and boasts more advanced fitness and health tracking tools, a brighter screen, and better battery life.
The entry-level Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249 and offers most of the same features you’ll find on the Series 11, minus things like hypertension alerts, ECG readings, and SpO2 measurements. Still, it has access to all the same apps and functions just as seamlessly in the greater Apple ecosystem as its pricier sibling.
When it comes to fitness tracking, the Series 11 and SE 3 provide the same array of tracking modes and post-workout data via Apple’s Workout app. While the Apple Watch 11 has a more advanced heart sensor, both models sport similar single-band GPS antennas.
Nevertheless, going into this challenge, I fully expected the pricier model to yield slightly more accurate metrics compared to the entry-level model. Read on to find out if that was the case in this sibling showdown between the Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch SE 3.
I walked 5,500 steps with the Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch SE 3
To test the basic workout tracking accuracy of the latest Apple Watch models, I tossed the SE 3 on my left wrist, the Series 11 on my right wrist, and fired up an Outdoor Workout session on both.
As a control, I manually counted my steps, noting every hundred taken with a clicky tally-counter, before starting over again at one; rinse and repeat 55 times. For distance, climb, and pace data, I additionally tracked the workout as an outdoor walk using Strava on my phone (with Bluetooth turned off to avoid data sharing with either Apple Watch).
Check out the results below.
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch SE 3: Walk test results
Apple Watch 11 |
Apple Watch SE 3 |
Control |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Step count |
5,467 steps |
5,500 steps |
5,500 steps (manual count) |
Distance |
2.97 miles |
2.95 miles |
3.15 miles (Strava) |
Elevation gain |
513 feet |
540 feet |
426 feet (Strava) |
Average pace |
17 mins 32 secs per mile |
18 mins 06 secs per mile |
16 mins 32 secs per mile (Strava) |
Average heart rate |
135 bpm |
137 bpm |
n/a |
Max heart rate |
168 bpm |
168 bpm |
n/a |
Total calories burned |
425 calories |
429 calories |
n/a |
Device battery usage |
2% |
2% |
n/a |
I finished my 5,500-step walk as the December winds picked up and the sprinkles turned to heavy droplets. Much to my surprise, the Apple Watch SE 3 nailed my step count for the challenge with total precision, exactly 5,500 steps. Meanwhile, the Series 11 was off by a mere 33 steps; Strava's step count total was 5,502 steps.
Strava noted roughly a fifth of a mile more distance covered than the Series 11 and SE 3, and considerably less elevation gain, despite this being a fairly hill-intensive walk around Seattle, WA.
The Series 11 seemingly overcounted by a substantial 87 feet, while the SE 3 appears to have overcounted by an even more massive 114 feet.
Strava also noted a quicker average elapsed pace that's roughly a minute speedier than the Apple Watch 11's tally and a minute and a half quicker than the SE 3's data.
Fortunately, this is where the data discrepancies end, as both the Apple Watch 11 and SE 3 noted roughly the same average and maximum heart rate, as well as total calories burned.
Another surprise from this comparison: both devices used the same amount of battery, 2%, to GPS track my ~52-minute walk.
Apple Watch 11 vs SE 3: And the winner is...
With a spot-on step count of 5,500, the Apple Watch SE 3 officially beats the Apple Watch Series 11 in this walk test challenge. That said, the Series 11 did provide more accurate distance, climb, and pace data, while both devices performed admirably when it comes to measuring heart rate and calories burned.
Which smartwatches should I test head-to-head next? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, got those steps in.
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