Key Takeaways
- The cheapest Apple Watch model is the safest purchase for your kids.
- The budget Apple Watch SE is compact and lightweight, making it perfect for your kid’s wrists.
- The Apple Watch SE lacks advanced sensors but doesn’t skimp on essentials like heart-rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, Fall Detection, and Crash Detection.
Apple sells various Apple Watch models at different price points, but not all of them are suitable for your kids. Since kids don’t generally handle wearables with care, make sure you’re being wise with your hard-earned money. We’re here to help.
The Apple Watch SE Is the Best Option for Your Kids
You might be tempted to buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2 we reviewed in 2023 since that’s the most rugged Apple Watch you can buy. However, that’s way too much money to spend on a wearable that your kid might not handle with care.
Instead, I highly recommend the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), which officially starts at $249, though you can find it for under $200 on Amazon.
Sure, you’ll miss out on the more scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass, but if you think your kid would use the Apple Watch roughly, I suggest buying a hard case with a tempered glass screen protector for cheap on Amazon.
Why the Apple Watch SE Is Perfect for Kids
Besides the fact that it’s the cheapest Apple Watch you can buy, making it perfect for a birthday gift, it’s also the smallest wearable Apple sells. The Apple Watch Ultra may be rugged, but its 49mm case size is likely too big for your kid’s wrist. In comparison, the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) is available in 40mm and 44mm case sizes.
The Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) is also the lightest Apple Watch you can buy, weighing just 26.4 grams and 32.9 grams for the 40mm and 44mm GPS models, respectively. The Apple Watch Ultra weighs twice as much, whereas the 41mm Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS) weighs 31.9 grams. Hence, the Apple Watch SE would be more comfortable for your kid to wear for long durations.
Lastly, unlike the Apple Watch Ultra, you can buy the Apple Watch SE without cellular connectivity. Assuming your kids don’t have their own phones, they don’t need cellular connectivity in the first place. But if you buy the cellular variant, you can use Family Setup to let your kids use an Apple Watch without an iPhone. Remember that you get to save money by opting for a GPS-only Apple Watch.
Although the Apple Watch SE lacks advanced sensors compared to the Series 9, like the blood oxygen sensor and electrical heart rate sensor to take ECG, it still has all the essentials your kids need. You don’t lose the key Apple Watch safety features like Fall Detection, Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS when you buy a budget Apple Watch.
