If you are buying a child their first Apple device, buy Apple Watch SE 3 at $249 with cellular rather than any iPhone. It is the cheapest thing Apple sells that does the job a parent actually wants done, which is calls, messages and location, and watchOS 27 lists setup for a child without an iPhone of their own.
The second purchase, when school demands one, is a Mac rather than a phone: Apple introduced MacBook Neo in March at $599, which it calls its most affordable laptop ever. A new iPhone is the most expensive route into this and it got $100 more expensive on September 9.
Key facts for a parent
| Item | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Verdict | Apple Watch SE 3 from $249, then MacBook Neo from $599 if a computer is needed |
| SE 3 hardware | 40mm or 44mm, S10 chip, 64GB, 1000-nit Always-On display, 50 m water resistance |
| SE 3 battery | 18 hours normal use, 32 hours in Low Power Mode, 80 percent in about 45 minutes |
| Child setup | watchOS 27 lists child accounts and Apple Watch For Your Kids setup without an iPhone |
| Cheapest iPhone | iPhone 17e at $699 on Apple’s Store page, 6.1-inch, A19, 48MP Fusion camera, 256GB |
| Headphones | AirPods 5 at $129, IP57, with Headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations |
| Age limit to know | Apple’s footnote: Siri AI is not available to users under 13 |
Why the $249 watch is the first thing to buy
A cellular Apple Watch gives a child a phone number without giving them a phone, and Apple’s own feature list for Series 12 and SE 3 includes Apple Watch For Your Kids alongside Apple Pay and international roaming. In watchOS 27, which is free on Monday, September 14, Apple lists child accounts with built-in protections and setup of a kid’s watch without an iPhone.
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Name the catch before you buy: Apple publishes only the $249 starting price. The cellular version, which is the only version that makes sense for a child who is out of the house, has no published price at all, and that is true across the whole Apple Watch line this year.
What the SE 3 leaves out, and when to spend more
| Option | Apple’s price | Why a parent would pick it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch SE 3 | from $249 | Calls, messages, location, 50 m water resistance, kid setup | Cellular price unpublished, 18-hour battery |
| Apple Watch Series 12 | from $399 | ECG, Blood Oxygen, 24-hour battery, Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum | $150 more for sensors a child rarely needs |
| AirPods 5 | $129 or $149 | Headphone levels, Headphone Accommodations, IP57 | The $129 case has no wireless charging or speaker |
| MacBook Neo | from $599 | 13-inch Liquid Retina, fanless, up to 16 hours of battery | Apple names only Apple silicon, not the chip |
| iPhone 17e | $699 | Cheapest new iPhone Apple sells, 256GB, Ceramic Shield 2 | It launched in March at $599 |
The sensor gap is the honest reason to stay at $249. Apple’s SE 3 tech specs list no electrical heart sensor and no Blood Oxygen sensor, both of which the Series 12 has along with its new Health Sensing System, hypertension notifications and a Readiness score. Those are adult features on an adult budget.
The iPhone question, and the $100 that moved
Apple’s current entry prices are iPhone 17e at $699, iPhone 16 at $799 and iPhone 17 at $899, and each of those is $100 higher than it was on September 8. Apple did not announce the increase, so treat the old figures as what its store listed before the event rather than as something Apple published.
The cheaper move is the one already in the house. iOS 27 arrives free on Monday, September 14 and runs on iPhone 11 and later plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), so a hand-me-down iPhone gets the same Child Account, Ask to Browse, Ask to Buy and Time Allowances controls as a new one. Apple states those arrive after the Screen Time update in iOS 27 installs.
The age limits Apple actually publishes
- Siri AI is not available to users under 13, stated in an Apple footnote rather than on the marketing page.
- Time Allowances cover Entertainment, Games and Social Media, and Apple says an app’s social features that are disabled for under-13s do not count toward the Social Media category.
- Under Apple’s EU rules taking effect October 1, apps in the Kids category cannot include website links for transactions, under-18s need parental gates for web transactions, and users under 13 cannot access web transaction links at all.
- Some of the new Health app features require users to be 18 or over, and AirPods 5 Live Translation needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone.
What has not been confirmed
Apple has published no cellular, titanium or ceramic Apple Watch prices, no band prices, and no per-device AppleCare+ price for anything launched in September 2026. It names no chip for MacBook Neo in the announcement, publishes no per-model trade-in table against the old family iPhone, and has not said whether Apple Watch SE will be updated. Our event recap lists everything that was and was not announced.
Apple Watch Series 12, Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 reach stores on Friday, September 18, and pre-orders are open now. iOS 27 and watchOS 27 arrive free on Monday, September 14, which is the day to sit down with the Screen Time settings on whichever device you choose.
