Apple Watch Singapore Price Guide — SE vs Series 6 vs Series 3

Checking your blood oxygen level and even notifying if you have an irregular heart rate — is there anything the Apple Watch Series 6 can’t do?

But at $600 to $800 a pop, the Series 6 doesn’t come cheap. So if it’s out of your budget, there’s the more affordable Apple Watch SE and the earlier Apple Watch Series 3 still available.

Here’s a look at the Apple Watch options out there and how they stack up.

Apple Watch Singapore price guide: Series 6, SE & Series 3 

Here are the official retail prices for the most basic Apple Watches, from cheapest to most expensive:

Apple Watch	Connectivity	Size	Price
Apple Watch Series 3	GPS	38mm	$299
Apple Watch Series 3	GPS	42mm	$349
Apple Watch SE	GPS	40mm	$419
Apple Watch SE	GPS	44mm	$469
Apple Watch SE	GPS + Cellular	40mm	$499
Apple Watch SE	GPS + Cellular	44mm	$549
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS	40mm	$599
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS	44mm	$649
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS + Cellular	40mm	$749
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS + Cellular	44mm	$799

Right now, Apple has two main Apple Watch models: Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE.

Meanwhile, Apple has stopped selling the Cellular version of Apple Watch Series 3, so it looks to be on its way out. FYI, both Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5 have been discontinued and replaced by the Series 6.

But before we decide on which watch to buy, the question is: Why would you even consider buying an Apple Watch in the first place?

What does the Apple Watch do, anyway?

The Apple Watch is basically a glorified FitBit — its primary purpose is as a wearable fitness tracker. 

To that end, the Apple Watch has this snazzy “3 rings” setup which lets you visualise your activity in 3 main areas. The goal is to “close the rings” by making sure you hit your targets in all 3 areas, which you can set yourself.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that there are cheaper fitness trackers out there that do pretty much the same thing, albeit with a less sexy interface and watch design. 

So why would you pay $299 or more for an Apple Watch? Well, because the Apple Watch can be used as an extension of your iPhone. It can perform some basic functions, such as:

• Making contactless payments via Apple Pay
• Getting reminders, alarms and checking your calendar
• Listening to Apple Music, Spotify or podcasts (if you pair with bluetooth earphones)
• Reading and possibly replying SMSes or iMessages (no Whatsapp though)
• Answering emergency phone calls 
• Using the Calculator app (okay, you can do this with a $30 Casio watch too, but it’s not as cool)

Using the Apple Watch obviously won’t be as easy or full-featured as using a phone — for example, the call quality is severely limited by the crappy inbuilt microphone and speaker — but it’s probably really nice to have when you’re out on a run.

What’s special about the Apple Watch Series 6?

So that’s what you can get with the even most basic $299 Apple Watch Series 3. What about the Series 6, which is at least twice the price?

Apple Watch	Connectivity	Size	Price
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS	40mm	$599
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS	44mm	$649
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS + Cellular	40mm	$749
Apple Watch Series 6	GPS + Cellular	44mm	$799

The Series 6 comes with extra features for fitness/health nerds. These include: 

• A blood oxygen sensor and app that measures your oxygen saturation
• Reminding you when to wash your hands and how long
• Tracking your sleep 
• Customising your watch face and share them with friends
• Tracking new types of workouts (e.g. dance, core training)
• Cycling directions with maps that show elevation, road traffic
• Warning if you’re exposed to loud sounds
• Detects falls or abnormal heart rates (good for “spying” on your elderly parents/grandparents)

What about the Apple Watch SE?

Unless you’re super into the technicalities of your health, you probably don’t need that full list of features in the Apple Watch Series 6.

Apple Watch	Connectivity	Size	Price
Apple Watch SE	GPS	40mm	$419
Apple Watch SE	GPS	44mm	$469
Apple Watch SE	GPS + Cellular	40mm	$499
Apple Watch SE	GPS + Cellular	44mm	$549

 

Starting from $419, the Apple Watch SE is not much more expensive than the Apple Watch 3, yet it comes with the same larger display as Series 6, fall detection, compass and an always-on altimeter.

You can even snag an Apple Watch SE for free if you sign up for a Citibank credit card via MoneySmart. More details on that below.

Should you get a GPS or GPS + Cellular Apple Watch?

Apart from deciding on which model to get, you also need to decide on whether you want GPS only, or GPS + Cellular.

All Apple Watches have GPS built in. It’s there so that your Apple Watch can track your location and speed independently, instead of constantly tapping on your iPhone to do so.

But if your Apple Watch is GPS only, it needs to be physically near your iPhone for phone calls, messages and apps to work. The 2 paired devices are connected by Bluetooth + Wifi (think AirDrop) so they have to be within range. 

As for the more expensive GPS + Cellular Apple Watch, it’s able to function as a mini iPhone, even if its paired iPhone is not nearby. This means you can leave your iPhone at home and still be able to use those phone-type functions like calling, texting and accessing apps.

So it all depends on how you plan to use your Apple Watch. If you’re just using it as a day-to-day extension of your iPhone because you’re lazy to dig it out of your backpack, then the cheaper GPS-only version would suffice. 

But if you’re prone to leaving your phone at home, then you might want to shell out that extra $80 or $150 for Cellular.

Hidden costs of getting a GPS + Cellular Apple Watch

If you’re tempted to spring for the GPS + Cellular of the Apple Watch, it’s important to note that there are extra costs on top of the Apple Watch itself.

First, you can’t just purchase a SIM card off the shelf for your Apple Watch. Your iPhone has to be on a Singtel, Starhub or M1 plan, and then you have to activate NumberShare. This allows you to “share” your data, talktime, etc. with your second device, i.e., your Apple Watch, for a monthly fee.

Telco	NumberShare subscription fee	Other costs
Starhub	$6/month (additional 1GB)	—
Singtel	First 3 months free, then $6.90/month	$10.70 for eSIM
M1	First 6 months free, then $6.90/month	$37.45 for eSIM

$6 to $7 a month is not really that expensive, but this will add on to your costs — as if the Apple Watch isn’t expensive enough already.

If you’re on Circles.Life, Giga, Gomo or the other new telcos? Tough luck. Even though Giga and Gomo belong to Starhub and Singtel, there’s no way (as far as I know) to activate NumberShare.

One more reason to get the Apple Watch: HPB’s LumiHealth

Still on the fence about paying a few hundred bucks for a watch? What if I told you your watch can let you earn up to $380 in vouchers?

Apple has partnered the Health Promotion Board to launch the LumiHealth programme, which is for Apple Watch users only.

Basically the app will be able to give you reminders, lets you customise workout activities and can even remind you to go for health screenings and immunisations based on your age and profile. 

The most important part is that this 2-year programme offers participants the chance to earn HPB vouchers of up to $380 by participating in fitness and wellness challenges and hit various goals, with a cute little intergalactic explorer. 

Read more: HPB x Fitbit Live Healthy SG: Is It Worth Signing Up for a “Free” Fitbit?

Ready to get a free Apple Watch SE? Here’s the game plan

Here’s how to get an Apple Watch SE for free through MoneySmart.

Step 1: Make sure you’re a new Citi cardmember. That means you don’t have any existing Citibank cards and you haven’t cancelled any in the last 12 months. (Don’t qualify? Share the deal with your friends and family instead.)

Step 2: Pick one of these eligible credit cards and apply through MoneySmart by 28 Feb 2021.

Step 3: Complete the MoneySmart and Survey Form (which we’ll send you) by 28 Feb 2021.

Step 4: Spend at least $200 on the card within 30 days of card approval.

That’s it! Easy as pie. Then sit back and wait for instructions on how to collect your free Apple Watch SE.

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