This year, Apple Watch turned 10 years old. In honor of this, Apple decided to globally update the design of the watch and significantly redesign it.
Yes, the general outlines remain the same, but the case has become noticeably thinner. And inside this upgrade is a powerful “hardware” update.
Let’s find out what’s new in Series 10 and why this watch deserves your attention.
Design and display. Now even thinner and brighter
The Apple Watch Series 10Â introduces the first major design change since the Apple Watch Series 7. While the Series 7 introduced a 20% larger screen than the Series 6, the Apple Watch Series 10 now has a 9% larger screen than the Series 9. If you’re upgrading from a Series 6 or older, you’ll get up to 30% more screen real estate.
In fact, the Series 10 model at 46mm has 3% more screen real estate than even the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The display, which uses wide-angle OLED technology, is 40% brighter when viewed at an angle compared to the regular OLED displays used in previous models. We definitely noticed an improvement when comparing the Apple Watch 10 to the Apple Watch 9. In bright sunlight, the new watch is noticeably more visible.
The new model is also the thinnest yet, at 9.7mm, which is 10% thinner than the Series 9. Combined with the 10% weight reduction (for the aluminum versions), the Apple Watch 10 does feel different on the wrist. We didn’t expect it to be noticeable, but it felt more comfortable than perhaps any smartwatch we’ve tested before.
Apple achieved these improvements by redistributing the S10’s internal SiP architecture and the antenna integrated into the case. The speaker has been moved to the edges and is now protected by a perforated mesh — goodbye, long hole. Luckily, the interchangeable band system hasn’t changed, so you can use any Apple Watch Series 10 band.
Detecting Sleep Apnea
In addition to the health and wellness improvements in watchOS 11, the Apple Watch Series 10 offers sleep apnea detection (when you briefly stop breathing while you sleep). It has received FDA approval and is also available on Series 9 and Ultra 2. However, it is worth mentioning that this feature is not currently available in Russia. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning.
You can turn on this feature in the Health app, provided your iPhone is running iOS 18 and your Apple Watch is running watchOS 11. After using your watch for 10 nights in a month, you’ll get a notification if possible sleep apnea is detected.
If this happens, you’ll be prompted to see a doctor, and you can share your watch report with them from the Health app. Sleep apnea, if left undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to serious long-term health problems.
It’s worth noting that several other wearables also offer sleep apnea detection, including the Oura Ring Gen 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Apple notes that more than half of the world’s population doesn’t even know they have the condition.
Functionality. Everything is great, as always.
The Apple Watch Series 10 includes a decade’s worth of capabilities, meaning virtually every feature previously released for the Apple Watch is available in the Series 10. There are plenty of examples, but our favorites include Double Tap, various other gestures, the addition of a QWERTY keyboard for typing, the Noise app for alerts about high noise levels, cycle tracking, advanced metrics for running and cycling, the HomeKit app, sleep tracking, low power mode, and more. In fact, it’s easier to list what the Apple Watch can’t do than what it can.
The Apple Watch Series 10 brings the Depth app, previously exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, to track shallow dives. The Series 10 also features a new speaker and microphone system that improves call quality by isolating your voice, and lets you play music through the speaker.
Among other innovations, we also note the ability to listen to music and podcasts from the watch speaker. Works with any supported applications, including Yandex Music. However, there are doubts that anyone will use this. Nevertheless, a new additional function is included.
Autonomy. They work for a long time, and charge even faster.
The Apple Watch Series 10 has the same 18-hour battery life as every previous Apple Watch, despite the watch case being noticeably thinner.
Yes, other watches can offer higher autonomy, but their capabilities will be significantly less. Here you actually get about two days of work. This figure can be doubled if you turn on the power saving mode.
Thanks to a larger, more efficient charging coil inside the Apple Watch Series 10, the watch can charge up to 80% in just 30 minutes. Previous watches took 45 minutes. In 15 minutes, you’ll get 8 hours of normal use, which can be a big help in a variety of situations.
Still the best watch
Whatever anyone says, the Apple Watch is the best smartwatch on the market, offering a huge range of features. And with Series 10, this has become possible in the world’s thinnest case.
The Apple Watch Series 10 does a great job of everything, lasts a relatively long time, and charges very quickly. Apple knows it already has a nearly perfect watch, and it only gets better with each generation.
