As part of today's Far Out event, Apple has announced a model refresh of its more affordable wearable, the Apple Watch SE.
Alongside Silver, Midnight, and Starlight color options, the second-generation Apple Watch SE features a redesigned back case with nylon composite materials that will match the color you choose, and Apple has even improved manufacturing to reduce its carbon footprint by 80%
The Apple Watch SE 2 has 30% larger screen than the Apple Watch Series 3, and it includes a new S8 SiP advanced dual-core processor that is 20% faster than previous models, and yes, that is the same one found in the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra. It also features Crash Detection, international roaming, heart rate notifications, Fall Detection, Sleep Stages, Multisport Workouts, Apple Pay, Activity Tracking, and more. Oh, and it's water resistant.
The Apple Watch SE 2 serves as the new lower-cost option after Apple discontinued the Apple Watch Series 3, which was previously hinted after the company announced that its next major watchOS update would not come to the Series 3.
Starting at $249 for the GPS model and $299 for GPS + Cellular, the Apple Watch SE 2 will be released on September 16, 2022.
The Apple Watch SE 2 is one of many products announced as part of Apple's Far Out event that also saw the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, and AirPods Pro 2. Check our roundup to see everything announced during today's event.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.