Better than Black Friday: the Apple Watch SE 3 at its lowest Aussie price of just AU$337 is fantastic value for a smartwatch

Apple Watch SE in various colours on an orange background, with "Lowest Price" text in white.
(Image credit: Future / Apple)

If you've been waiting for an attractive Apple Watch SE 3 discount to kick off 2026, then you’re in luck as we've finally found a major saving worth shouting about. And it’s cheaper than what we saw during Black Friday 2025!

A decent 16% saving on Apple’s most affordable smartwatch, with prices starting at AU$337 for the smaller 40mm variant (down from AU$399), means you’re getting even better value than ever before as the SE 3 offers more than what its predecessor did at the same retail price. The larger 44mm model also gets a decent price drop, dipping from AU$449 to AU$387.

We called the SE 3 the best Apple Watch for most people in our review, and with these discounts on the table, it becomes a no-brainer for iPhone owners who have been itching to slap Apple’s wearable on their wrist.

Apple Watch SE 3 40mm (GPS)
Save 16% (AU$62)
Apple Watch SE 3 40mm (GPS): was AU$399 now AU$337 at Amazon

Ushering in a wealth of upgrades over its SE 2 predecessor and matching the higher-end Series 11 and Ultra 3 on some specs, the Apple Watch SE 3 is a remarkable wearable that’s a worthwhile addition to any Apple fan’s arsenal. The deal price here beats its Black Friday price by a significant AU$40.

Apple Watch SE 3 44mm (GPS)
Save 14% (AU$62)
Apple Watch SE 3 44mm (GPS): was AU$449 now AU$387 at Amazon

If you’d value having a slightly larger display, the 44mm variant has dipped below AU$400 for the first time. Internal specs are the same as its smaller sibling, but the extra screen real estate here allows for improved readability when viewing notifications or writing out messages. It also suits those with larger wrists a bit better than the 40mm.

The Apple Watch SE 3 might not have received any changes to its design when it was unveiled in September 2025, but it did get a host of internal upgrades that make it one worth serious consideration for any wearable wannabes.

Perhaps most importantly, it benefits from the same S10 chip that powers the Series 11 and Ultra 3, which means navigating through and using watchOS 26 is smooth as butter.

It’s also the first Watch SE model to get an always-on display. Previously, this was a big factor in the standard Apple Watch being recommended over the SE, as the always-on display makes glancing at the time and notifications a breeze. Now the SE 3 gets the same treatment, and it starts to become clearer why we reckon it’s the best Watch model for most people.

Another worthwhile upgrade is support for fast charging – so while battery life is still rated at up to 18 hours, recharging is less of a chore. Apple says you can go from 0% to 80% in about 45 minutes. You’ll still likely need to recharge every night, but if you forget, you should be able to get it fully juiced before you leave the house in the morning.

Apple Watch SE 3 Review

The Watch SE 3 also gets a new Wrist Flick feature, which lets you flick your wrist back to return to the home screen. (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

Notable feature omissions include an ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, hypertension notifications and sleep apnoea tracking – you’ll want to move up to the Watch 11 if you want those – but not everyone will need such in-depth health tracking. Perhaps you just want an Apple Watch for fitness tracking and to be an extension of your iPhone, in which case it’s easy to recommend the SE 3. Indeed, my colleague and long time Apple Watch wearer, Sharm, admits that while she loves her Watch 11, she admits the Watch SE 3 is the better choice for most people.

I’m not sure how long these Apple Watch SE 3 discounts will last, but given the fact Apple discounts of this size are rare and stocks run out real quick when it happens, I don’t expect them to last long. So get a wriggle on.

Note that I’ve called out the GPS model specifically. If you’d like the option to add cellular connectivity, you can get it from AU$427 for the 40mm size. Alternatively, the Apple Watch Series 11 is also discounted by up to 27%, depending on size.

Max Langridge
Senior Editor, Home Entertainment & Broadband (APAC)

Max is a senior staff writer for TechRadar who covers home entertainment and audio first, NBN second and virtually anything else that falls under the consumer electronics umbrella third. He's also a bit of an ecommerce fiend, particularly when it comes to finding the latest coupon codes for a variety of publications. He has written for TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as well as Pocket-lint, and he's also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. Max also dabbled in the men's lifestyle publication space, but is now firmly rooted in his first passion of technology.

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