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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, the top-selling rectangular wearable that can be seen on the wrists of millions of iPhone owners. As befits a landmark anniversary, this year’s flagship Apple Watch 10 has gotten an updated design that is much thinner and lighter than the previous Watch Series 9, along with a new, jet black finish. (Everyone says they want a pink watch, but I love black!)
Every year, Apple adds new health features to the watch. This year, that feature is sleep apnea detection. (We first reported that the company was working on machine-learning algorithms for sleep apnea detection in 2017.) The most highly anticipated health feature was tracking for hypertension, or high blood pressure, and that has not shown up on the Apple Watch yet—probably because earlier this year, Apple was ordered to stop selling watches with blood oxygen sensing because of a patent dispute with Masimo Corp.
The Watch Ultra 2 didn't get a big update, but instead gets some new styling. It now also comes in a new black finish, along with a new black Milanese loop that is designed specifically for water sports. On the screen, users will get a whole new slew of water-sports-related features. It's worth noting here, though, that even though this watch looks amazing, you might not want to lose blood oxygen sensing if you have an older model, which arrived with the Watch Series 6. Most of the exciting new updates, like Apple Intelligence and new comprehensive health algorithms, arrive on the watch via the phone app and WatchOS 11 anyway.
The Series 10 is available for preorder today for $399 and will ship on September 20. The redesigned Watch Ultra 2 is also available for preorder today at $799 and is available on September 20.
Black Is Back
The Watch Series 10 is markedly thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the Series 9. Apple says it has the biggest wearable display Apple has ever built, even bigger than the already huge Watch Ultra, and it has the company's first-ever wide-angle OLED display that is 40 percent brighter than its predecessor, designed to be read at any time and from any angle. Despite its increase, Apple says it's almost 10 percent lighter than the Series 9.
It has new rounded corners that make it look much softer, along with a brand-new jet-black aluminum finish that has been polished with silicon nanoparticles to make it reflective. (Don't worry, it still comes in the popular rose gold and silver.) It also features new hardware upgrades to make it thinner and lighter. Most notable are a new metal backing that integrates the antenna into the housing, and new thin speakers that can actually play music and podcasts.
There's also a larger, more efficient charging coil that can take the battery up to 80 percent in 30 minutes and a new S10 SIP designed for power efficiency. (No word if the battery life itself is actually getting better, though.) A new watch face called Flux takes advantage of the large, sparkly display. The Watch Ultra 2 also has a few upgrades, including a new black finish with matching new titanium hardware, including a black Milanese band that is designed specifically for underwater sports. This year, any Apple Watch in any finish can be carbon neutral, according to Apple.
Get Sleep and Splashes
Apple really wants the Apple Watch to be seen as a comprehensive health device, and it takes another step in that direction with sleep apnea detection. Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop and start breathing as you sleep, which reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood. It is commonly undiagnosed and can lead to life-threatening events like a stroke or heart attack. The company uses the watch's accelerometer and machine intelligence to monitor your sleep disturbances over the course of 30 days and warn you (and/or your partner) that you might have sleep apnea.
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Although Apple Intelligence is technically available on the watch, most of the health upgrades come in the form of updated algorithms in the Health app on your phone as we saw in WatchOS 11.
There are more water-related fitness features coming this year as well. The Watch Series 10 has improved water resistance up to 50 meters, which means you can swim and surf with it. You can now also see the water temperature in the Depth app, and there's a new Tides app in WatchOS 11 that shows the flow of the tides. There's also a new Maritime watch face, so you can record when you and all your friends decide to spontaneously hop on your Hobie Cat down at the yacht club.
Hold Up
While this is one of the most noteworthy updates that we've seen—and I can hardly wait to get my hands on that new jet-black finish to go swim and surf—Apple's quest to become the most comprehensive all-around smart health wearable has hit some snags. We may have to wait until 2025 to get those hotly anticipated features like hypertension detection and the return of blood oxygen sensing.
Increasingly, hardware updates to the watch seem designed to cater to a smaller target audience—how many of us were demanding a smartwatch that we could wear on a Jet-Ski? And if you have an older model that still has blood oxygen sensing, you might be reluctant to give it up for one of these new models.
