Apple Watch Series 10 review roundup: A strong annual upgrade

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited September 17

Reviewers are saying the Apple Watch Series 10 is thinner and better than ever, but Apple could've pushed harder to rejuvenate the popular smartwatch line.

Black smartwatch with a sleek design, radial striped watch face, and minimalist hands.
Apple Watch Series 10



The initial reviews of Apple's latest wearable device have started to surface. The initial wave appears to agree that the redesign is a success, thanks to its thinner body and bigger screen.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is available to preorder now, starting from $399 for the aluminum 42mm model, $429 for the 46mm. The titanium version, replacing the stainless steel variant, starts from $699.

Apple will start shipping the Apple Watch Series 10 to consumers from September 20.

MKBHD



The major YouTube personality opens his review of the Apple Watch Series by covering the hype of the redesign. But he immediately opens by calling out the relatively muted changes.

"Remember the iPhone X, that sort of reset the design language of the whole iPhone line," he reminisces. "We just kind of figured that maybe the Apple Watch would do the same."



Deeming the latest model as "another incremental upgrade" that makes it "pretty simple" to review," MKBHD offers that it's more comfortable on the wrist. "It actually just feels like someone took last year's Apple Watch and just squashed it down a little bit. And there you go, that's the new design."

There are four reasons to upgrade, he offers, with a better speaker, the updated LTPO3 display, the water temperature sensor, and faster charging being a few reasons to do so. He adds that, with Apple making the design change a huge deal, this is what you can expect from its appearance for another five years.

MKBHD recommends it as an upgrade for Series 4 to Series 7 owners, as a "no-brainer conclusion."

Engadget



Cherlynn Low for Engadget says the Apple Watch Series 10 launched "to very little fanfare," with Apple seemingly deciding to "gloss over the product's birthday."

Discussing the refined product list, it "may sound underwhelming compared to the seemingly futuristic features we were seeing in the Apple Watch's early days," but it is "following in the footsteps of the iPhone" as a mature product.

The thin design is celebrated, at least against its competitors. "Apple cutting the Series 10 down to just 9.7mm thin is certainly a feat, considering the Pixel Watch 3 is still a pretty chunky 12mm thick."

The wide-angle OLED is easier to read "even if your wrist is simply resting on the table, not held up in front of your eyes." However, while battery life is better, it barely outlasts the Series 9.

In summing it, it's hard for Lee to really go over the changes. There's a lot of similar features arriving in this model, but those looking for a huge leap forward "should be prepared to be underwhelmed."

TechCrunch



Apple's reference to it being a "refined" design is "an accurate word for the device overall," begins Brian Heater for TechCrunch. "Whereas early rumors pointed to a potentially fundamental rethink for the device's 10th edition on-par with the iPhone X, the new smartwatch prioritizes refining over redesigning."

The wide-angle display gets some praise early on, thanks to its viewing angle limits. "That's a nice upgrade for a wrist-worn system that you can find yourself attempting to read from all sorts of angles."

On the sleep apnea function, the Series 10 isn't "a diagnostic tool" but it should convince more people to try for a proper diagnosis. " I guarantee once this feature is approved out in the world, we're going to hear all sorts of stories to that effect," he adds.

"The truth," he concludes, "is that the Series 10 isn't the major refresh some were anticipating. Again, it's a refinement." For Series 7 and 8 owners, it's not something to rush out and buy, in Heater's opinion.

CNET



"The Apple Watch Series 10 is the same Apple Watch you know, but it's sleeker and more practical than ever," starts Lexy Savvides for the CNET review. While internals have shrunk down, the screen is "bigger than ever."

"Aesthetics aside, all this makes the Series 10 more comfortable than earlier Apple Watches for sleep tracking. Which is important, considering the new sleep apnea notifications on board."

There's praise for voice isolation, which is "mind-blowingly good" here. "It's reassuring to know that even if you do find yourself using the watch to call from a really loud place, like at a concert or a festival, that the caller on the other end will be able to hear you no problem."

In summary, the review concludes "The Series 10 isn't the big, flashy new redesign many were hoping for to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch being revealed. But I don't think that matters." Though more battery life would also be great to have.

The Verge



The bet on a bigger display and a wearable design is a "savvy choice" by Apple, writes Victoria Song for The Verge. However, it's still "another steady, incremental refinement in a long line of steady, incremental refinements."

There's the argument that it's a "more wearable Ultra," since the author had previously chosen the Apple Watch Ultra 2 over the Apple Watch Series 9 due to having a larger display. However, after using the "mini brick on my arm" and switching to the Series 10's lighter frame, it's a big improvement in daily use.

"It fits easily under jacket cuffs, doesn't catch on the straps at my Pilates class, and doesn't slide up and down my arm when I run. Plus, the onscreen buttons are slightly larger," offers Song.

While the Series 10 "is not revolutionary like the Series 3 or 4," wearability is "actually the most important thing for a smartwatch to get right," the review concludes.

"By that measure, the Series 10 is the most wearable, readable Apple Watch in years."



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    Can someone clarify for me?

    I have an ultra.  Is the screen on this any bigger?  I keep reading that it’s “apple’s biggest ever watch screen” but the specs list suggest the ultra is bigger.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 11
    I was really looking forward to upgrading from my S8 but there’s just no reason. There’s no new sensor that that would warrant it. And the extremely low trade-in prices in S8 only make the decision easier. They offer $130 for my 45mm LTE watch that I just got replaced by Apple 2 weeks ago.

    The sleep apnea feature is probably the best reason for the upgrade, but I worn my series 8 day and night for about a year which completely killed the battery making it just crappy enough to be super annoying and not bad enough to get it replaced by Apple with AppleCare plus. Not doing that again.
    grandact73
  • Reply 3 of 11
    m4m40 said:
    I was really looking forward to upgrading from my S8 but there’s just no reason. There’s no new sensor that that would warrant it. And the extremely low trade-in prices in S8 only make the decision easier. They offer $130 for my 45mm LTE watch that I just got replaced by Apple 2 weeks ago.

    The sleep apnea feature is probably the best reason for the upgrade, but I worn my series 8 day and night for about a year which completely killed the battery making it just crappy enough to be super annoying and not bad enough to get it replaced by Apple with AppleCare plus. Not doing that again.
    My series 6 is at 82%, which I charge after waking up and before I go to bed so I can use it overnight and during the day. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 11
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,081member
    Can someone clarify for me?

    I have an ultra.  Is the screen on this any bigger?  I keep reading that it’s “apple’s biggest ever watch screen” but the specs list suggest the ultra is bigger.
    Yes, the actual size of the display is a couple of square millimeters larger than the Ultra--it's not an increase you'd even notice but it's enough for bragging rights to "largest" screen. The "Ultra" name only applies to battery life now. FWIW, the "new" S10 chip's only difference from S9 is that it's thinner to fit the new thinner W10 case. It offers no performance boost in any parameter over the S9--which itself didn't offer much advantage over the S8. What Apple seems to be doing is locking certain new capabilities to the newest chips, even though I suspect these capabilities could work on older chips if allowed. For example: the "double tap" feature required an S9 chip, while the new sleep apnea feature will only work on S9 or S10. More than its other products, I think Apple is intentionally trying to push the upgrade cycle with Apple Watch by blocking capabilities from older chips that could probably run them just fine. We see how easy it was for Apple to turn off oxygen sensing on watches that still retain the hardware capability for that function. 
    edited September 17 muthuk_vanalingamnotwichred
  • Reply 5 of 11
    No where on the Apple.com site do I see it says the existing apple watch bands fit the X. Anyone can confirm or clarify?
    edited September 17 watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,979member
    Can someone clarify for me?

    I have an ultra.  Is the screen on this any bigger?  I keep reading that it’s “apple’s biggest ever watch screen” but the specs list suggest the ultra is bigger.
    Yes it is confusing because so many confuse Screen Size with Case Size. The CASE on the Ultra is bigger than the case on the 10. The SCREEN on the 46mm 10 is larger than the screen on the Ultra.

    eightzero said:
    No where on the Apple.com site do I see it says the existing apple watch bands fit the X. Anyone can confirm or clarify?
    Apparently yes they will. https://9to5mac.com/2024/09/09/apple-watch-series-10-bands-compatibility/
    Also check the Apple Store. It lists bands that fit the new and old watch sizes. 
    edited September 17 eightzeroronnwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 11
    XedXed Posts: 2,823member
    charlesn said:
    Can someone clarify for me?

    I have an ultra.  Is the screen on this any bigger?  I keep reading that it’s “apple’s biggest ever watch screen” but the specs list suggest the ultra is bigger.
    Yes, the actual size of the display is a couple of square millimeters larger than the Ultra--it's not an increase you'd even notice but it's enough for bragging rights to "largest" screen. The "Ultra" name only applies to battery life now. FWIW, the "new" S10 chip's only difference from S9 is that it's thinner to fit the new thinner W10 case. It offers no performance boost in any parameter over the S9--which itself didn't offer much advantage over the S8. What Apple seems to be doing is locking certain new capabilities to the newest chips, even though I suspect these capabilities could work on older chips if allowed. For example: the "double tap" feature required an S9 chip, while the new sleep apnea feature will only work on S9 or S10. More than its other products, I think Apple is intentionally trying to push the upgrade cycle with Apple Watch by blocking capabilities from older chips that could probably run them just fine. We see how easy it was for Apple to turn off oxygen sensing on watches that still retain the hardware capability for that function. 
    That's not correct. The Ultra still has features that the standard line doesn't have.

    Ultra benefits:
    • 50% more nits (3000 v 2000)
    • Action Button
    • Sapphire crystal display (default)
    • GPS (default)
    • Night Mode using Modular Ultra or Wayfinder watch face (nice for those that purchased the watch for its targeted benefits)
    • Diving as an exercise option
    • L1+L5 Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou) (twice as much as Series 10)
    • Operating altitude of –1600 feet to 29,500 feet (–500m to 9000m) (Series 10 only has 0 to 10k feet)
    • Three-microphone array with beamforming and wind noise mitigation
    • Dual speakers
    • Siren
    • Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint
    • Water resistance 100m under ISO standard 22810:201011 (twice as much as Series 10)
    • EN13319 recreational scuba diving to 40m (±1m accuracy)
    • Tested to MIL-STD 810H against subsections for altitude, high temperature, low temperature, temperature shock, immersion, freeze with thaw, ice and freezing rain, and shock and vibration
    Of course, none of these benefits may be things one wants and the Series 10 certain has some benefits over Ultra 2, but it still is a lot more than just battery life.
    edited September 17 ronndewmewatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Remember, none of these Watches will come with the Blood Oxygen sensor, so I will keep my 9 and Ultra 2 (Sep 3023) even though I really like the black U2.  Plus, the Ultra has great battery life.
    grandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Apple insider readers come up trumps again!  Thanks so much for the clarification!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 11
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,419member
    MKBHD is one of my very favorite reviewers. I don't always agree with him but I like is presentations. His point about this Watch signaling that we're in for incremental sameness down a long road is disappointing because he's probably right.

    The S10 would be a second Apple Watch for me so the SpO2 function isn't a consideration. The difference in display size is so small it's measure in pixels not mm. To that end they're the same to me. Having the ability to read the S10 display at a shallower angle is a plus, maybe not a big one. My oldest Watch is an S8 so the S10 might be a bit of a performance upgrade but again not much in practical terms.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 11
    XedXed Posts: 2,823member
    macgui said:
    MKBHD is one of my very favorite reviewers. I don't always agree with him but I like is presentations. His point about this Watch signaling that we're in for incremental sameness down a long road is disappointing because he's probably right.

    The S10 would be a second Apple Watch for me so the SpO2 function isn't a consideration. The difference in display size is so small it's measure in pixels not mm. To that end they're the same to me. Having the ability to read the S10 display at a shallower angle is a plus, maybe not a big one. My oldest Watch is an S8 so the S10 might be a bit of a performance upgrade but again not much in practical terms.
    It's obvious that it will be incremental. It's been around for a decade now. I neither expect or want radical changes. There will, however, be advancements that are less than incremental as the technology allows, like when the ECG was added to Series 4 or when diving was added to Ultra Series 1. One thing I'd like to get is Satellite SOS on Watch.
    ronnwatto_cobra
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