Can The Apple Watch SE 2 Measure Blood Oxygen Levels?

Apr 08, 2023

The Apple Watch SE 2 brings key upgrades over the original Watch SE such as an S8 chip and Crash Detection, but can it measure blood oxygen?

The Apple Watch Series 6 was the first Apple smartwatch with support for blood oxygen monitoring, but is this feature available on the Apple Watch SE 2? The second-generation Apple Watch SE was launched in September 2022, two years after the original model was announced. The cheaper Apple Watch SE offers the key features of the more expensive Apple Watch, such as heart-rate monitoring, irregular heart rate notifications, workout modes, sleep tracking, water-resistance, and Emergency SOS, all for a starting price of $249.

Unfortunately, like the original Apple Watch SE, the second-generation model does not feature blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking. Although the Watch SE 2 brings new features such as Crash Detection and a more powerful S8 chip, Apple did not include a pulse oximeter on the smartwatch. It's a surprising omission, given that SpO2 sensors are widely available these days, both on premium smartwatches and cheaper fitness trackers.

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Pulse oximeters became common on wearables during the COVID-19 pandemic, as low blood oxygen levels were a symptom of the virus. While some wearables offer only spot checks, others, like the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra, support all-day background tracking, including during sleep. A low SpO2 reading (hypoxemia) during sleep could indicate health conditions such as sleep apnea or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

While the lack of an SpO2 sensor on the Apple Watch SE 2 is disappointing, it won't be a dealbreaker for those who don't need to monitor their blood oxygen levels. If a pulse oximeter is important, the next best option is the Apple Watch Series 8. The smartwatch features a dedicated Blood Oxygen app that can take spot readings. Users will need to keep their wrists flat with the Apple Watch facing upwards, and keep their arm steady for 15 seconds while the sensor takes the reading.

Background readings will happen through the day, and their frequency depends on how active a user is. Since the measurements require the wearer to be sitting still, they will take place when the user isn't moving. If sleep tracking is enabled, blood oxygen levels will also be measured at night. All blood oxygen readings are stored in the Health app on iPhone. At $399, the Apple Watch Series 8 costs $150 more than the Watch SE 2. For the price, the smartwatch brings other key upgrades over the Apple Watch SE 2, such as IP6X dust-resistance, an always-on display, ECG app, temperature sensor, better battery life, and fast charging.

Source: Apple

Habeeb has years of experience covering consumer technology and has written for multiple publications. As a Senior Writer at Screen Rant, he enjoys writing about wearables, smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Several of his articles include guides and comparisons that help users get the best out of their devices or choose the one that bests suits them. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows. He considers The Crown as peak drama and Castlevania as one of the best game-to-screen adaptations. And on days when there is nothing to watch (is that even possible?), he sneaks in a few hours of games on his PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.