There’s little doubt that the Apple Watch has become one of the most popular wearables. While it wasn’t the first smartwatch on the market by a long shot, Apple’s wearable seemed to find its stride more quickly than many of its rivals.
That’s not to say that the competition isn’t heating up. This year’s Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are worthy contenders thanks to improved performance and new health features. Nevertheless, the Apple Watch has had a cozy lead, erven though it sometimes feels like Apple is coasting by adding only iterative improvements each year.
A little over two years ago, I was still comfortably wearing an Apple Watch Series 5. As I wrote at the time, the Apple Watch Series 8, while interesting, wasn’t a compelling enough upgrade on its own. I did eventually make the leap, but only because I wanted to hand my Series 5 down to my Dad. However, when I strapped on the Apple Watch Series 8, I frequently had to remind myself it was a new model, as the experience was so similar.
To be clear, that’s not a bad thing. I believe a wearable like a smartwatch should feel familiar and comfortable. There’s no point in making change for its own sake. Apple has a successful formula with the Apple Watch, and it knows it. That’s why I’m often skeptical of the rumors predicting major redesigns, like we saw with the Series 7 in 2021 and, more recently, the mythic “Apple Watch X” that never materialized.
However, even though this year’s Apple Watch Series 10 wasn’t the big “anniversary edition” that some were expecting, it packed in enough new features to make me take a much closer look — and take the unusual step (for me) of upgrading from my perfectly good Apple Watch Series 8.
There are key milestones in Apple Watch updates
Apple doesn’t typically do much with the processors in the Apple Watch. Most years, they’re just repackaged versions of the prior silicon. That’s not a problem, as I’ve never considered an Apple Watch to be slow — at least not since the original model with watchOS 1.0. It’s also one less reason to upgrade to a newer model.
Specifically, Apple has only boosted the chip in the Apple Watch thrice in the past seven years. In 2018, the Apple Watch Series 4 made a massive leap to a 64-bit processor, which was repackaged in the Series 5. The next jump was in 2020 with the S6 chip in the Apple Watch Series 6, which continued to be used as the S7 and S8 in the subsequent Series 7 and Series 8 models, respectively.
The move from the S4/S5 to the S6/S7/S8 chip was such a modest performance increase that it was barely noticeable. My Series 8 didn’t feel any faster than my Series 5; it only had a discernible edge when comparing the two side by side.
I’m thrilled to report that’s not the case with the Apple Watch Series 10. Last year, Apple made another big jump with the S9 chip in the Apple Watch Series 9, which not only boosted performance ,but also added a four-core Neural Engine and an updated ultra-wideband chip.
The practical upshot of the S9 was support for features like faster on-device Siri and a new Double Tap gesture. The Siri upgrade also added the ability to query and update health information directly from the wearable. Those were all nice quality-of-life improvements that piqued my interest. I didn’t regret my upgrade to the Series 8 from the year before, but had I skipped that upgrade, the improved performance and new features on the Series 9 would have been enough to compel me to pull the trigger.
Why I upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 10
With that already on my mind, the Apple Watch Series 10 added just enough to make me seriously consider it. While the Apple Watch Series 9 was identical to its predecessor on the outside, this year’s Series 10 gets thinner and lighter while adding an even larger screen. It may not look like it due to their unique designs, but the screen on the Series 10 is slightly larger than on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
The sleek new Jet Black finish is also hard to pass up, but there’s more to the Apple Watch Series 10 than just its new look. In addition to supporting everything the Series 9 had to offer inside, Apple also added a wide-angle LTPO3 OLED display and an external speaker that combine to make the wearable even more useful.
The new display is much easier to read since it’s brighter at off-axis angles. Apple promises an increase in brightness of 40% when viewing the Apple Watch Series 10 off-center, and that difference is apparent. That may not sound like much, but just like the always-on display on the Apple Watch Series 5 (something I consider a watershed moment in Apple Watch history), it recognizes the reality that a smartwatch is only helpful when you can see it without having to contort your body to do so.
The other feature is one that I didn’t think much about until I read Digital Trends Mobile Editor Joe Maring’s insights in our review of the Apple Watch Series 10. Like Joe, I’m not a fan of walking around with my AirPods in my ears all day to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Although I have several HomePods strategically placed around my home, having my audio follow me around on my wrist is much simpler. The volume is surprisingly loud, to the point where I can hear it even when there’s water running nearby, such as when I’m doing the dishes. I’ll still be cranking up my HomePods for music, but the Apple Watch Series 10 is now my go-to for spoken word audio.
However, as great as all those features are by themselves, one more compelling feature tipped the balance for me this year.
Sleep apnea detection was a big selling point
Apple’s prominent new health feature this year is the ability to detect sleep apnea, and it’s done so very cleverly.
While there hadbeen plenty of rumors that Apple was going to add this to the Apple Watch this year (especially after Samsung introduced it on this summer’s Galaxy Watch lineup), many folks assumed that Apple would at least partially rely on the blood oxygen sensor to gather the necessary data.
However, that would have been a problem, as Apple is still fighting (and mostly losing) a patent battle over this technology. As a result, blood oxygen monitoring isn’t available on Apple Watches sold in the U.S. In the weeks leading up to the launch of this year’s Apple Watch, analysts raised concerns that this would kill the sleep apnea detection feature, giving Samsung a competitive advantage.
We may never know Apple’s original sleep apnea monitoring plans. However, considering that Apple began clinical trials long before the patent dispute came to a head, it’s likely that the company’s solution never relied on blood oxygen sensing at all. Instead, it’s based on using the same sensors that provide precise health tracking to measure your body movements as you sleep and decide if those translate to breathing disturbances that could be signs of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea detection is a watchOS 11 feature that’s also coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, but since I don’t already own one of those, I figured I might as well go with the latest model.
The ironic twist is that while I’m curious to find out if I have sleep apnea, I wasn’t initially interested in this feature for myself. I got married in August, and my wife snores up a storm. She’s well aware of it and told me about it long before we were married. Luckily, I’m a deep enough sleeper that it doesn’t bother me once I’m asleep. However, lying in bed listening to it got me thinking about getting her an Apple Watch Series 10. She’s been looking at smartwatches for a while, and with her birthday coming up, I thought it would make an ideal gift.
So, off I went and ordered a set of “his and hers” Apple Watches for us. I’m content with a basic sports band, but I ordered the Milanese loop for my wife, so my watch arrived first. It’s a testament to how similar the Apple Watch Series 8 and Series 10 look that she didn’t even notice that I was wearing a new Apple Watch until after I surprised her with her birthday gift and pointed mine out.
It takes 30 days before the Apple Watch will provide any notifications regarding sleep apnea, during which you have to wear the watch to bed for at least 10 nights. However, it’s already recording some elevated breathing disturbances, so I’m curious to see what it comes up with a few weeks from now.
There are some bonus features, too
The new design, display, speaker, and sleep apnea detection are all obvious reasons to consider the Apple Watch Series 10. However, I didn’t give much thought to some other benefits until after I had worn it for a few days.
First among these is faster charging. In 2021, Apple nearly doubled charging speeds with the Apple Watch Series 7, allowing users to reach an 80% charge in 45 minutes. The Apple Watch Series 10 lowers that to 30 minutes.
I knew about the faster charging speeds going in, but I wasn’t sure how much that would matter to me. Like all Apple Watches, the Series 10 comes with the necessary fast charger in the box, but I have several charging docks and stands around the house, none of which are designed for the newest model.
However, the good news is that, unlike the Series 7, you don’t need a new charger to take advantage of faster charging on the Series 10.
As long as you have one of the new USB-C Apple Watch charging pucks or a 5W stand or dock made for the Series 7 or later, the Apple Watch Series 10 will get maximum charging speeds. At first, I only noticed it seemed to be charging more quickly, but after some research and testing, I discovered that the charger that comes with the latest Apple Watch Series 10 is the same as the ones that have been in the box since the Series 7.
The faster charging is a nice bonus now that I’m wearing my watch to bed nearly every night to take advantage of sleep tracking and new Vitals features. The ESR 6-in-1 stand that still sits on my bedside table charges the Apple Watch Series 10 at top speed, so I spend far less time waiting for it.
The Apple Watch Series 10 also seems to be performing better in battery life so far, but that may result from another significant change I made this year: I’m no longer wearing a cellular Apple Watch. While reflecting on how often I’ve left my iPhone behind and gone out with only my Apple Watch over the past seven years, I concluded it isn’t worth paying extra for the hardware and monthly plan to support cellular connectivity. So, I’m back on a non-cellular Apple Watch for the first time since my original 2015 model.
While Apple doesn’t rate the battery life differently between the cellular and non-cellular models, it’s not hard to imagine that the cellular radio consumes some additional power. I haven’t done any tests to quantify the battery life yet, but I’m ending my days with a lot more in the tank, easily matching the 24 hours that Joe highlighted in our review.
I’m so glad that I upgraded
All in all, the Apple Watch Series 10 has been nothing but a positive upgrade for me and also a significant new step into smartwatch ownership for my wife. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one crucial thing that could have affected my decision to upgrade: the blood oxygen sensor.
I’m in Canada, where Apple faces no restrictions on the blood oxygen monitoring technology in the Apple Watch. The ongoing patent case is a U.S.-only affair, so it’s business as usual in the rest of the world. If I lived in the U.S., I’d have a more difficult decision: keep my Series 8 with a functioning blood oxygen sensor or upgrade and lose that aspect of my health monitoring. Apple is only prohibited from importing and selling Apple Watches with blood oxygen monitoring; it’s not being forced to disable it on watches already on its customers’ wrists.
I think the trade-off would still be worthwhile; new features like a larger and more viewable screen, sleep apnea detection, Double Tap, on-device Siri, and faster charging more than make up for the loss of blood oxygen sensing. Nevertheless, it feels strangely unsettling to lose a feature when upgrading to a newer model, and it’s something that potential Apple Watch customers in the U.S. will have to wrestle with based on their own needs.
While some criticize Apple’s lack of innovation in the design of the Apple Watch Series 10 — as if a new look would somehow be “innovative” — much of the Apple Watch’s charm and appeal come because of its established and unchanging design. There’s little doubt that Apple keeps packing in impressive new features under the hood, especially in more recent models. The real innovation, however, is Apple’s ability to strike the right balance in creating wearables with practical quality-of-life improvements without detracting from its delightful comfort and familiarity.
