Apple has cut plenty of corners to achieve the Apple Watch SE 2’s $249 starting price but has it got a blood oxygen level monitoring sensor?
The Apple Watch Series 6 was the first Apple smartwatch with support for blood oxygen level monitoring, but is it a feature available on the Apple Watch SE 2? The Apple Watch SE 2nd generation is expected to be popular among buyers thanks to its lower price tag in comparison to that of the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra, but some tradeoffs may push buyers towards its more expensive siblings or even other brands.
Like a heart rate sensor, a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen level monitoring has become a standard feature on wearables. Several fitness trackers like the Fitbit Inspire 3, Garmin Vivosmart 5, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 and Amazfit Band 7 have this feature. It is also present on watches such as the new Garmin Venu Sq 2 and Fitbit’s Versa 4 and Sense 6 smartwatches.
The first generation Apple Watch SE doesn’t have a blood oxygen sensor. Although its successor brings new health and safety features such as crash detection, unfortunately, it also lacks support for blood oxygen level monitoring. The absence of such a critical health feature may have been overlooked when the first generation Apple Watch SE was announced in 2020. However, its omission on the successor two years afterward is unacceptable.
An Unnecessary Omission
Support for Blood oxygen level monitoring on smartwatches became common following the COVID-19 pandemic, as blood oxygen level was one of the metrics used to identify people with the virus. Manufacturers added a SpO2 sensor not only to their smartwatches but also to fitness trackers. Furthermore, some wearables supported only on-demand checks, while others were capable of all-day tracking, including during sleep. Among the latter are those that will notify users if their SpO2 reading is low. A low SpO2 reading (hypoxemia) during sleep could indicate health conditions such as sleep apnea or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
For anyone who wants an Apple Watch with blood oxygen level monitoring, the Apple Watch Series SE 2 isn’t for them. Instead, they can pick up the new Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra or even the older Series 7 or Series 6. However, if the lack of this feature isn’t a dealbreaker, then the Apple Watch SE 2 still makes for a great budget smartwatch. It has a heart rate sensor with notifications for high and low heart rates, irregular rhythm notification, sleep tracking, cycle tracking, fall detection, crash detection, built-in GPS and optional cellular connectivity.
Source: Apple
