No Always-On Display

One of the marquee features of the Apple Watch Series 5 when it launched last year was the addition of an always-on display, allowing you to see basic information such as the time without the need to always flick your wrist upright to light up the display.

In the Series 5, Apple accomplished this magic by dramatically slowing the refresh rate, so that the Apple Watch display updated much less frequently, thereby preserving battery life.

However, while Apple has actually improved the always-on display in the Apple Watch Series 6 — Apple says it’s now 2.5 times brighter than the Series 5 — it hasn’t brought that technology to the new Apple Watch SE, which looks like it’s basically going to have the same display technology as the 2018 Apple Watch Series 4.

It’s a surprising omission, as we basically felt that the always-on display was the way forward — how Apple believes that all Apple Watches should now work, rather than a premium or luxury feature — and with the Apple Watch Series 5 now discontinued, it means that if you want an always-on display, you’ll ultimately be shelling out for the new Series 6.