Apple Watch 10: The best gets gloriously better [Review]

I find going to the mall for an Apple Store sales event exciting yet brutally soul-sapping, even when a preorder makes pick-up relatively easy. But it’s well worth it when it results in the excellent new Apple Watch Series 10 on my wrist. I actually couldn’t wait to write this Apple Watch Series 10 review.

Larger, thinner, lighter and more lushly curvaceous than predecessors, the 10th anniversary Apple Watch is, technically, a redesign. But it feels like a bunch of iterative improvements more than a huge overhaul. And yet those small changes simply add up to great — with only a couple of small caveats.

Apple Watch Series 10 review

I upgraded from an Apple Watch 6 — trading it in to Apple for a cool $85 — and I have zero regrets. I’m sure any tech-savvy professional or fitness enthusiast will appreciate Apple Watch Series 10, introduced at Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event and well-reviewed upon release, as the best and most highly functional smartwatch out there other than Ultra 2, even with barely improved battery life (but faster charging!) and a lawsuit-induced lack of blood oxygen sensing. That said, it’s not necessarily a must-have upgrade for those who have recent models (Series 7, 8 or 9).

Table of contents:

• Well, almost no regrets on the purchase
• Gorgeous design and high build quality
• Enlarged display: A visual feast
• Health and fitness tracking: My personal health guardian
• Battery life: Faster charging keeps it going
• Performance: Blazing fast and smooth
• Value for money: Premium price, premium experience
• Apple Watch Series 10 review: Bottom line

Well, almost no regrets on the purchase

Actually, I have one nagging regret about my GPS-only aluminum Apple Watch 10 purchase. I should have nabbed the big one, at 46mm, rather than the 42mm model. I thought 42mm would be enough of a size increase over my 40mm Apple Watch 6. A couple-few millimeters usually makes a big difference on a wrist. But I may still exchange for the larger one. Its rectangular case shape, combined with the new thinness (9.7mm) compared to previous models, keeps the bigger model from seeming gigantic. And that even-bigger OLED display will be even nicer than the one I got.

And I should note I bought the shiny new Jet Black version, as you can see in the photos. I worried that the polished aluminum case might look suspiciously like plastic. Would it look like some Casio calculator watch from 1990 brought into the modern age? Almost, but not quite. It’s actually visually striking and cool. It looks more premium than my silver aluminum Apple Watch 6. Do note, however — as the photo below shows — smudges can build up pretty quickly.

Gorgeous design and high build quality

The moment I unboxed Apple Watch 10, slipping the wearable out of its perfect little sleeve, I was struck by its exquisite craftsmanship. Apple has truly outdone itself with this model, featuring a sleek, aerospace-grade titanium case that’s both lightweight and incredibly durable. The watch feels premium to the touch, with a satisfying weight that’s noticeable yet not cumbersome.

Apple refined the digital crown, offering more precise haptic feedback that makes scrolling through apps a joy. The side button is now even more flush with the case, actually a bit hard to see on the Jet Black model, giving the watch a seamless look while maintaining the button’s functionality.

Even the charging cable got an upgrade, at least over what came with my Apple Watch 6. The Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1m) is braided and features silver-colored backing around the charging puck. And it’s quite a bit faster than my old one, of course, when it comes to the actual charging.

Enlarged display: A visual feast

Apple Watch 10 boasts a stunning Always-On Retina display with a resolution that makes text and images pop. The screen is 20% larger than its predecessor, with bezels so thin they’re practically invisible. So, while the case size is just a bit more dominant than my Apple Watch 6’s, the 10’s screen is much more so.

And not only that. While the Apple Watch 10 screen’s maximum brightness matches Apple Watch 9’s 2000 nits, the wide-angle OLED display lets pixels emit light at a wider angle. That makes it easily readable even in bright light. That’s fantastic for outdoor workouts. In my case, cloudy and drizzly New England weather closely tracked with my purchase timing, and the forecast calls for days of it. So I didn’t get to test the case’s visibility in harsh sunlight properly.

And Apple Watch 10’s wide-angle OLED screen makes seeing what’s on it from different angles easier than on previous models.

Health and fitness tracking: My personal health guardian

As a somewhat-lapsed fitness enthusiast, I found the enhanced health and fitness features of the Apple Watch 10 particularly impressive. The new advanced heart rate monitor provides more accurate readings, even during the intense workouts (that I’ve heard some people do and I dimly recall doing myself). It certainly tracks my brutally moderate walks quite well.

The watch now includes two temperature sensors, one for body temperature during sleep that informs various health metrics and one for water temperature when you swim. I haven’t had a chance to swim with the watch yet. And the body temp measured from the wrist needs seven sleep sessions to apply certain health metrics, like sleep apnea detection, so I haven’t explored that much yet, either.

Battery life: Faster charging keeps it going

While it’s disappointing that Apple Watch 10 didn’t boost overall battery life over Apple Watch 9, but instead matched it at about 18 hours depending on use (sleep and activity tracking will burn up battery life faster), the new one charges faster. The new wearable still needs a daily charge, so it’s best to work that into your schedule (it lasts longer than my Apple Watch 6, but that’s not saying much, as the 6 has been showing its age a bit). But the new fast-charging feature in Apple Watch 9 is a game-changer, providing a full day’s charge in just about 30 minutes.

As far as basic battery life goes, Apple Watch 10 performs as advertised. After a pretty quick charge brought mine from about 25% to 80% so I could get on with my day, I found battery life lasted well. After three hours, including about half an hour of activity tracking, it sank to 69%. A couple hours later with no special use, it fell to 62%.

Other smartwatches and fitness trackers have longer battery life, but no other smartwatch gives you the extensive, battery-draining features Apple Watch 10 can (other than Apple Watch Ultra 2, of course).

Performance: Blazing fast and smooth

Powered by the new S10 chip, the Apple Watch 10 is blazingly fast. Apps open instantly, animations are butter-smooth and there’s zero lag when switching between tasks. The improved GPU helps graphics-intensive apps run flawlessly.

Apple Watch 10 (with the new watchOS 11) truly shines in various scenarios:

Everyday productivity and communication

The double-tap gesture brings widgets to the screen in less than a heartbeat. The improved voice-to-text and smart replies make responding to messages a breeze.  I brought up the keyboard in Messages, tapped the mic, and dictated replies easily. If I had the cellular version of the watch instead of just the GPS one, I might be tempted to leave my iPhone behind more often.

Fitness tracking

From swimming to yoga, the watch accurately tracks a wide range of activities. The new recovery metrics have helped me optimize my training schedule and prevent overexertion (overdoing it is something that keeps getting easier to do as I age).

Health monitoring

The continuous heart rate monitoring and ECG feature provide peace of mind. The new sleep stages tracking has given me some insights into my sleep quality (it can always be better, right?). But the jury is still out on the new sleep apnea detection feature. I’ve only had the watch a few days. But I’ve been diagnosed with borderline sleep apnea in the past. I expect the watch to start bothering me about that after it gets five or more nights’ worth of sleep to work with.

It plays podcasts and music now

Recent Apple Watches had a speaker for playing tones and taking calls, but Apple Watch 10 can actually play music and podcasts (you can select it as an output source via the side button or simply launch Apple Music from apps, for example). Given that you can play music and podcasts on myriad larger and specialized devices — HomePods, AirPods, MacBooks, iPhones, Apple TV and more — you might wonder what the point is. But the speaker sounds OK, not too tiny and tinny, and could be useful at times. It’s not loud enough for many uses,  but it could hook you up with tunes or stories in quiet places, like while you take a bath, go for a nature walk or nod off to sleep.

watchOS 11 packs cool features

And of course watchOS 11 brings a host of new features, like the cool new Smart Stack, that elevate the user experience. Other Cult of Mac articles will dive deeply into new software features. I’ll note that I actually lost a major feature by moving on from Apple Watch 6: blood oxygen sensing. Apple still has that on pause in Apple Watch 9 forward after Masimo’s successful lawsuit.

Value for money: Premium price, premium experience

At $399 for the base model, the Apple Watch 10 is undeniably a premium product. However, considering the array of features, build quality and performance improvements, it offers excellent value for those deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem or serious about health and fitness tracking.

Apple Watch 10 feels somewhat bigger than an incremental upgrade. Its combination of sleek design, powerful health features, impressive fast charging and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem makes it the smartwatch to beat in 2024.

Apple Watch Series 10 review: Bottom line

For those upgrading from previous models, Apple Watch 10’s improvements in performance, charging and health tracking capabilities make it a worthwhile investment. For newcomers to the smartwatch world, Apple Watch 10 offers the most comprehensive and user-friendly experience available.

Is Apple Watch 10 perfect? Not quite. It costs a lot, starting at $399, you have to charge it daily (while some other smartwatches and activity trackers can go for days for even weeks) and it won’t measure your blood-oxygen level. However, for iPhone users looking for the ultimate smartwatch experience with amazing features, the Apple Watch 10 is as close to perfection as we’ve seen yet in a wearable.

Buy from: Apple or Amazon

Apple did not provide Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.

★★★★★