Apple Watch Series 10 hands-on

The Apple Watch Series 10 is here with a design that I think will appeal to more people and some of the fun additions we’ve seen added to the Apple Watch Ultra over the last two years.

The first, and most important update, though, is the new screen. It’s larger, brighter, can get dimmer and can drop its refresh rate down to 1Hz which allows the device to look and feel more like a watch and less like a computer on your wrist, which slyly adds a lot of aesthetic to the new watches.

This means when you’re using a traditional analog watch face and the device turns on its always-on display, the second hand is visible and will refresh every second. Previous watches would only refresh the screen every minute, which meant the second hand would disappear in this mode.

The OLED screen has also been refined at the pixel level to allow the light from each pixel to shine wider. It’s hard to explain, but basically, Apple has reduced and widened the walls between the pixels, making it easier to see the screen at off angles. This makes it easier to glance down and see info on your device without having to tilt it towards your face. It’s a small thing, but in practice, it does help make it feel more like an analog watch, which is a petty cool effect.

The larger watch also has a new metal backplate with integrated cellular antenna lines, which Apple says has allowed for more space inside for a larger charging coil. That means the new watches can charge much faster than previous models, and for people who do sleep tracking, Apple says you can place the watch on the charger for eight minutes to get eight hours of sleep tracking. This doesn’t translate to eight hours of daytime use since sleep tracking uses a lot less battery than daytime use, but since the watches charge so quickly now, it shouldn’t be a problem. Apple says they are rated to charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes and the newer Apple Watch charging pucks with braided cables from the last few years will all support this feature. This also means most third-party Apple Watch docks from the last few years should also support the new fast charging.

While there are a lot of exciting improvements with the larger screens, it does mean that Apple has had to change the lugs on the bands this year to be slightly larger. The old bands will still connect and clasp securely to the new watches, but depending on the size of the lug and watch, you might have a few millimetres of overhang or it might be slightly smaller. Still, they should all still work and it will be millimetres of difference, so it should go unnoticed by most.

One of the highlights this year is the ability to track sleep apnea. It’s not coming to Canada at launch, but Apple is working to bring the feature to 150 countries (hopefully by the end of the year) so ideally, Canada will be included sometime soon. This feature will also be available on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Series 9 from last year. When/if it does become available, you’ll need to wear the watch for 30 days and sleep track for at least 10 days to establish a baseline that can then help determine if you suffer from this sleeping disorder.

The new watches ship with watchOS 11, which has a new Vitals feature, and you’ll also need to sleep with the watch for at least seven days to build a baseline for that feature. once you do it can help you quickly and easily see if you’re body is working as expected or if something like a crazy night out requires a rest day the day after.

The Ultra for everyone?

If you wanted to you could now do some email on your watch.

While the Series 10 didn’t get the great battery life like the Ultra, it did get the larger screen, a built-in speaker and depth/water temperature sensors.

The large screen brings obvious improvements, but I think the thing Canadians will enjoy is the new water sensors. Not to speak for all of us, but I think we do a lot of swimming in lakes, which are great for shallow diving and never have controlled temperatures. I’ve been able to tell my buddies how warm or cool the water is the last few years with my Ultra when we’ve been swimming and it’s handy.

I was able to test the built-in speaker on the Series 10 in a quiet room and it was surprisingly robust. It’s nowhere near an iPhone speaker, but if you want to listen to a podcast or some music in a pinch, it’s a handy addition.

New materials and finishes

The last feature that’s made its way from the Ultra watch series is the titanium chassis. Apple has decided to move away from stainless steel to the much lighter titanium for the higher-end Apple Watches.

These are the three main Apple Watch Series 10 Titanium colours.

There are three titanium shades you can get normally – Natural, Gold and Slate, which is like a darker silver. The Hermes Apple Watch Series 10 comes in the more traditional silver shade that was used on older Stainless steel watches. This is to make sure it can still match older Hermes watch bands.

I’ll also mention that there are new metal bands to match the new watch colours, but these straps are stainless steel, so they won’t offer the same weight reduction as the watch itself. That said, in person they’re quite nice and don’t feel overly weighty on my wrist.

If you get the aluminum model, it still comes in silver and a really subtle rose gold, but there’s a new glossy Jet Black option that’s reminiscent of the iPhone 7 series and looks nice with its high-gloss shine and inky deep black screen and body making it appear almost as one continuous piece of metal.

There is also a new black Apple Watch Ultra 2, but it’s more matte instead of glossy like the new Jet Black Series 10. If you get a black Ultra you can also get new Ultra watch bands with black titanium accents and lugs. There’s also a new chainmail-esque band that feels really stunning in person and has been weaved together and then ground down to have a flat feeling. It gives the impression of water flowing the way it catches the light as you move it around in your hands.

Pricing and availability

The watches are all up for pre-orders now and will be on store shelves on September 20.

The aluminum option starts at $549 for the 42mm, and the 46mm starts at $589. You can add $130 to those prices if you’d rather get one with a cellular connection.

The titanium models start at $999 for the 42mm and the 46mm version is $1,069. These models have cellular hardware by default and also sapphire crystal displays, which are stronger than the aluminum watch displays.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $1,099.