Apple Watch Series 10: What’s new?

The Apple Watch has been around for a decade now. And while each of the early models seemed to be a great leap forward over its predecessor, more recent versions have seen much smaller, more incremental improvements. While the changes aren't quite as dramatic, Apple has still consistently managed to introduce meaningful points of difference year on year. So, what's new with the Apple Watch Series 10? 

Once again, changes are - on an individual basis at least - relatively small. But cumulatively they combine to make the Series 10 quite different from any of its predecessors. Whether that's changes to the design, new health supporting features, or new apps courtesy of watchOS 11, there are plenty of changes on the Apple Watch Series 10.

Design

At first glance, the iconic Apple Watch design remains firmly intact. But closer inspection reveals several differences. The corners are more rounded, and the watch cases are larger - going from 41mm and 45mm, to 42mm and 46mm, respectively.

The wider aspect ratio means the screen gets a substantial size bump – the display on the 42mm model is 9 per cent larger than the 41mm Apple Watch Series 9. Impressively, it's 30 per cent larger than the Series 6, and a massive 75 per cent larger than the screen on the Apple Watch Series 3. It's even three percent greater than the screen on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Larger screens mean larger, easier to read text (or more text on display without scrolling), and buttons and icons are easier to tap.

Viewing angles

The Wide-angle OLED display also looks clearer and brighter when viewed from an angle, making it easier to read without needing to look directly at the watch. This could be particularly handy if you're just trying to glance at a notification while you're carrying something, for example.

Thinner, plus a metal back

Over the years, Apple Watches (and smartwatches in general) have tended to grow in size and weight, as they need to find room for all the new features and sensors they're packing in. But Apple Watch series 10 somehow manages to pull off some sort of wizardry, by offering wearers a larger display in a thinner and lighter body.

A 1mm reduction in the thickness of the body doesn't sound like much. But that's actually 10 per cent thinner than the Series 7, 8 and 9. The thinner profile means the back of the watch (now made with metal) feels flusher and more comfortable on the wrist. Titanium cases have replaced stainless steel options and weigh around 20 per cent less. Aluminium cases weigh about 10 per cent less than the equivalent Series 9 model. Thinner, lighter, and larger - while it might not sound like a lot, when you pick one up, you really can notice a difference.

Upgraded speaker

As part of the redesigned watch, the Series 10 also has a larger speaker. For the first time on an Apple Watch, audio can be played back through this, as well as phone calls. The sound quality is impressively clear for such a small unit. But it shouldn't be regarded as a replacement for a pair of the best wireless earbuds. Rather, this is more suited to scenarios such as wanting to hear the last few minutes of a song or a podcast when you step out of the car, and you don't have your earbuds handy.

Refreshed refresh rate

There's one final design point that's worth highlighting: that wide-angled OLED display uses LTPO3 technology, which is significantly more power efficient than previous versions. This means that your Apple Watch now refreshes once per second in always-on mode (as opposed to once per minute as before). And significantly, this doesn't derail battery performance – we'll cover battery life in more depth shortly.

Features

No new Apple Watch would be complete without introducing new features. And the Apple Watch Series 10 adds a few interesting tools.

Sleep apnoea detection

Arguably the most significant is the introduction of sleep apnoea notifications. Sleep apnoea (which is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep) is known to increase the risk of developing other problems, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

The watch uses its accelerometer to monitor breathing disturbances. Every 30 days the data is analysed, and if there are sufficient instances of "elevated" interruptions, you'll be notified of potential sleep apnoea. While this isn't a diagnosis, it could be a valuable alert to a potentially serious health problem, which can then be investigated by your doctor.

This feature is also available on Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

A life aquatic

The Apple Watch Series 10 has added several useful new tools for anyone who enjoys watersports. First off is the depth gauge, which can measure down to six metres (20 feet) below the water's surface. This is great for snorkelling, shallow diving, or just playing in the pool. The depth app displays useful metrics such as time, current depth, and duration underwater.

Thanks to a new sensor, it will also tell you the temperature of the water while you're in it. You'll also get this metric when you use the Pool Swim and Open Water Swim workout modes.

Voice isolation during calls

Apple's quad-core neural engine has been utilised to improve voice isolation when using the watch's microphone during phone calls. This can help suppress background noise of all kinds – whether that's the constant hum of a lawnmower, or a sudden loud noise such as an ambulance siren. Whoever you are talking with should find it easier than ever to hear your voice loud and clear.

Battery life and charging

The Apple Watch Series 10 still promises the same "all-day" 18-hour battery life of the Series 9 (dependent on how you use it). It's a little disappointing that the battery still struggles to make it through a full 24-hours. But charging is faster than ever, which helps to offset some of that disappointment.

A quick 15-minute charge gives you up to eight hours of normal use, while a 30-minute charge will give about 80 per cent battery. This makes it far easier to give your watch a quick top-up before heading to bed, so you can track your sleep. Or, if you're having a shower in the morning, a quick charge will see your watch through the rest of the day.

watchOS 11

The latest operating system for Apple Watch is watchOS 11. And there are plenty of new tools to enjoy which, as well as being optimised for Apple Watch Series 10, is – according to Apple's announcement - also available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, with iPhone Xs or later. That means Apple Watch SE 2 and Apple Watch Ultra are also compatible. As usual, there's a lot, but some of the headline features are as follows:

Tides app

This new app is useful for anyone who is planning open water activities and needs to know when the tide will be coming in or going out. Information such as tide, swell and water temperature data is all available.

Oceanic+ app

Previously reserved exclusively for Apple Watch Ultra models, the Oceanic+ app is now available for the Apple watch Series 10. Specifically, it's designed to provide a complete snorkelling experience. Information like heat maps, a fish identification tool, and GPS tracking is available, plus recording time spent underwater, maximum depth, and water temperature.

Health and fitness features

The Apple Watch has always had a solid set of features for tracking health and fitness. And these have been augmented by several new additions. There's the new Vitals app, designed to measure key health metrics as you sleep, helping identify when any measurements appear to be outside your typical range of readings.

Training load, which is common on the best Garmin watches and devices such as the Polar Vantage V3, keeps track of the intensity and duration of your workouts. This can then help you spot when you're overdoing things, for example.

In tandem with this, you can now adjust your activity ring targets. You could, for instance, reduce your goals at the weekend or if you've picked up an injury. This is great for anyone who doesn't want to break their streak, but desperately needs a rest.

Translate app

One more big new addition is the arrival of the Translate app on Apple Watch. After opening the app, you just dictate what you want to say, and the watch will display a translation. If you can't read the translation, the watch can play the translation aloud. This is a game changer for any of us who like to travel but aren't blessed with fluency in different languages.

How significant are these changes?

While the changes are - in their own terms - relatively small, there is still enough that's new in the Apple Watch Series 10 to make it notably different to earlier generations of Apple Watch. But notable changes don't necessarily mean that the Apple Watch Series 10 is a 'must-have' for everyone. If you aren't a fan of watersports, for example, then several of these new features will be of little value. Others, such as the larger display and wide viewing angle, will undoubtedly make the Series 10 a bit more user friendly. The reduction in weight, despite the larger display, is also impressive.

For those with a Series 9, or possibly even a Series 8, it's hard to see that being enough of a game changer to justify an immediate upgrade. But, for anyone with an older Apple Watch who may be considering updating it, there may well be enough to make the Apple Watch Series 10 worth the investment.