Apple Watch Series 10
- Enhanced Health Monitoring
- Improved Call Quality
- Sleek Design and Display
This is the all-new Apple Watch Series 10. After wearing it for over a month, I have to say there aren’t many significant upgrades. However, if you are an iPhone user looking to buy your first smartwatch, this is a perfectly good option. I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Apple Watch Series 10
Two of the biggest upgrades are in terms of design and display. Yes, this watch does not look any different from previous Apple Watches. It features the same squarish design and the same digital crown on the side. There is also a variety of watchbands to choose from. However, it is slightly bigger, thinner, and lighter. Apple has managed to make it 10% slimmer than the last three generations of Apple smartwatches. I was concerned that this would affect the haptics and call quality. Surprisingly, the vibration feedback feels as crisp as ever. The call quality has also improved.It now supports voice isolation, just like on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and AirPods. This feature is enabled by default. It does a fantastic job of making voice and sound clear, even in noisy environments.
In terms of durability, the Series 10 maintains the same IP6X dust resistance and 58 ATM water resistance. The base variant still comes with an aluminum case. I appreciate that you can now also get the Series 10 with a titanium case, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra. The titanium variant comes with some extra specs, including cellular connectivity and a tougher, more scratch-resistant sapphire crystal display. However, the titanium version is 60 to 70% more expensive than the aluminum version. The aluminum version should be sufficient for most users..
Like the design, the Series 10 brings significant upgrades in terms of display as well. You can choose between 42 mm and 46 mm cases instead of the usual 41 mm or 45 mm sizes. The 46 mm version of the Series 10 features the largest display of any Apple Watch. It is even bigger than the 49 mm version of the Watch Ultra 2. That’s why I opted for the 42 mm model. It has the same display size as the 45 mm Watch Series 9 from last year. Apple claims they have narrowed the bezels, made the edges more rounded, and extended the front glass further over the sides. I’m loving the extra screen space! Everything from texts in the new Translate app to UI elements in the Weather app feels more spacious on the Series 10. Typing messages also feels more spacious.
However, besides the increased screen space, the display on the Series 10 is pretty much the same as the Series 9. This applies to colors, brightness levels, and touch response. Apple did mention a wide-angle OLED display that supposedly improves readability at certain angles, but I didn’t notice any significant difference. Nonetheless, there are a couple of nice new watch faces. One is called Flux, featuring bold typography, which looks especially appealing. Another is called Reflections, which even shows ticking second hands on the always-on screen—pretty cool!
Moving on, this latest Apple smartwatch gets a chipset upgrade as well. The S9 chip in last year’s Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 already provided a massive performance leap. However, the S10 chip in the Series 10 doesn’t offer any performance upgrades; it’s mainly engineered for a cleaner profile. That said, performance and fluency have never been an issue with Apple Watches, and this one feels snappy and smooth, no matter what I throw at it.
With the new watchOS 11, we get some exciting new experiences on the Series 10. First, the Smart Stack is even smarter now, automatically suggesting different widgets based on the time of day. For example, when I wake up, it shows the Sleep widgets, and during the afternoon, it might display weather and photos. There’s also the new Translate app I mentioned earlier. I like how the double-tap function has become more intuitive across the entire UI.
The watchOS 11 also introduces some much-anticipated features for health and fitness tracking. I can finally pause my activity ring without losing my activity stack, and I can adjust my goals based on the day of the week. I’m not a fitness fanatic, but for those who are, being able to set a rest day is a significant benefit, as getting proper rest is just as crucial as hitting daily activity targets.
I can also log the level of effort I put into any workout on the Series 10. Perhaps the most useful health feature is something called Vitals. By logging at least seven sleep cycles, this watch tracks several key metrics. These include heart rate, blood oxygen level, skin temperature, and respiratory rate to detect any abnormalities. So far, everything looks good on my end. However, I’ve seen multiple users on Reddit report that the Vitals app correctly predicted when they were about to get sick, which is quite promising.
The Series 10 can also detect signs of sleep apnea, a common disorder where breathing becomes irregular during sleep. While everything is normal for me, it’s worth noting that nearly 1 billion adults aged 30 to 69 worldwide could have obstructive sleep apnea, so this feature is valuable. Beyond this, the health monitoring features remain reliable, covering heart rate, blood oxygen, and even ECG readings.
Apple has also borrowed some fitness tracking features from its Ultra watches this time, including a depth gauge and a water temperature sensor. However, it limits readings to 6 meters, compared to the 40 meters on the Watch Ultra 2. Casual swimmers should appreciate this handy upgrade. I do wish the Series 10 had dual-frequency GPS, which is available with the Ultra, but it still only supports L1 GPS. As a result, when you’re walking, running, or exercising in dense urban areas, the Series 10 may struggle to pinpoint your location accurately.
Lastly, let’s discuss battery life. Unfortunately, I still need to recharge this watch daily unless I don’t record long workouts, use GPS, connect to Wi-Fi, or receive a lot of notifications. The good news is that it can charge from 0 to 80% in just half an hour.
In conclusion, it’s clear that the Series 10 is the most iterative upgrade to an Apple Watch we’ve seen so far. Just like the iPhone 16 series, besides the bigger display, slightly faster charging, and voice isolation, it doesn’t have any standout features. There are a few new health tracking features that I find genuinely useful, but most of them will also be available on the Series 9, including those enabled by watchOS 11 and even sleep apnea detection.
This means if you’re using an Apple Watch 7, 8, or 9, there’s really no reason to upgrade this year. However, if you’ve been waiting to upgrade from an older Apple Watch, like the Series 5 or 6, this model makes perfect sense. If you’re looking to buy your first Apple Watch, this model is a great choice. Just check for deals on last year’s Series 9. You might find it at a bargain, offering about 95% of what the Series 10 provides.
That’s all for my full review of the Apple Watch Series 10. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about this device. And while you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe and hit that notifications icon.