Apple Watch Series 10 review: Slimmer, bigger and better than ever

Recently, Apple introduced the new Watch Series 10 in India. Though it retains the core design language of its predecessors, the new Watch comes with a lot of improvements in several aspects.

I have been using the Watch Series 10 for a little over a week. Here are my thoughts on Apple's most advanced smart wearable.

Design and build quality

When looked at from a distance, the Watch Series 10 looks the same as the previous two iterations, but only upon closer inspection, you will be able to see, finer and notable changes to the design.

The Watch Series 10 has the biggest display for any Apple Watch to date. It is available in 46mm and 42mm sizes. The predecessor comes in 45mm and 41mm sizes.

And, when looked from the sides, there are more noticeable changes, the Watch Series 10 is super slim. Also, the speaker has a mesh design, which is more beautiful than the Watch Series 9.

. It's not just visually appealing, it delivers good audio quality. There is less loss of quality even when the volume is put to the max. It comes in handy to answer urgent phone calls while jogging in the park. Also, Apple has incorporated a 4-core Neural Engine with S10 chipset to power the new voice isolation neural network algorithm to ensure the microphone picks up the owner's voice clearly and is heard on the other side of the call with less distortion, even if the background environment is noisy.

. As you can see in the photo above, the size of the digital crown and side button, have been neatly crafted to match the sleek enclosure. It is 10 per cent slimmer than the previous three versions.

Apple Watch Series 10

46mm model

Dimension: 46 mm x 39 mm x 9.7 mm (46 mm)

Weight: 36.4 g (aluminium, GPS); 35.3 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular); 41.7 g (titanium)

42mm model

Dimension: 42 mm x 36 mm x 9.7 mm

Weight: 30 g (aluminium, GPS); 29.3 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular); 34.4 g (titanium)

. Apple Watch Series 9

45mm model

Dimensions: 45 mm x 38 mm x 10.7 mm (45 mm)

Weight: 38.7 g (aluminium, GPS); 39.0 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular); 51.5 g (stainless steel)

41mm model

Dimensions: 41 mm x 35 mm x 10.7 mm (41 mm)

Weight: 31.9 g (aluminium, GPS); 32.1 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular); 42.3 g (stainless steel)

Though it is slim and lightweight, there is no compromise on build quality. Apple has used high-grade aluminium for the standard Watch Series 10. And, for the premium model, Apple has used aerospace-grade polished titanium. The latter replaces stainless steel which was used in the previous iteration. With this new change, it is almost 20 per cent lighter than the Apple Watch Series 9 in stainless steel.

A distinct aspect of the Watch Series 10 is that it comes with a polished metallic finish.

. To offer a glossy finish, the aluminium case is smoothened by using nano-particles and then it undergoes a 30-step anodisation process. Our review unit is Jet Black. It is the best among the available colour options. It is smooth and glossy. Any Apple device enthusiast would instantly know this is the latest Apple Watch model of 2024.

Apple also offers aluminium models in three other colours-- Rose Gold and Silver.

Similarly, the premium Watch Series 10 model with grade 5 titanium cases, comes in a reflective, jewellery-like finish. The new titanium variant comes in three colours-- Slate, Gold and Natural.

. Underneath, the Watch Series 10 boasts an innovative metal back. The company has integrated the antenna into the housing of the device itself, combining the two layers into one. The rear module underneath matches in material, finish, and colour of the rest of the case, making it appear like the device is made from a single piece of metal.

Also, it comes with an IP6X dust-resistant rating. The Watch Series 10 can survive water pressure up to the depth of 50 metres.

The display is protected by Sapphire crystal glass, which is capable of surviving scratches and daily wear and tear.

Display

The latest Watch Series 10's 1.96-inch display is said to be nine per cent bigger than the Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Series 9. And, has 30 per cent more active screen area than Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6.

It has a 3rd gen LPTO OLED-based wide-angle display, where each pixel is optimised to emit more light at wider angles. As a result, the display is up to 40 per cent brighter than Series 9 when viewed from an angle, making it easier to read at a glance.

It supports peak brightness of 2,000 nits and has 496x416p resolution with a pixel density of 330 ppi (pixels per inch).

. Like its predecessor, it has a squarish lozenge design with rounded corners. But, it has much thinner bezels and a wider aspect ratio. The Watch Series 10's screen is super bright and colourful watch faces come off as vibrant.

The newly introduced Flux watch face makes good use of the big screen. Flux's watch face combines typography with colour and movement to show the passing of time. The colour fills the screen from the bottom as the seconds count up and the numerals change into new forms when the minute changes.

. Thanks to the big screen, the notifications are more clearly visible even when looked from far (from waist height). Also, there is more room for fingers to type. Most people avoid texting on the compact screen of a Watch, but it does come in handy when stuck in crowded mass transit vehicles such as the metro or a bus to instantly reply to important messages. FYI, there is also a dictate option, you can speak words to send messages as well.

Eco-friendly Apple Watch

It should be noted that in 2023, Apple offered the Watch Series 9 with a carbon-neutral option, wherein components within the device and accessories like watch bands were made of recycled materials.

This year too, Apple is offering Watch Series 10 with eco-friendly options while purchasing on the official website.

Apple has taken the initiative to reduce emissions from the three biggest sources of greenhouse gases — materials, electricity used for manufacturing and transportation of the device to the store.

. The device features 100-per cent recycled aluminium and cobalt, a major ingredient of the battery is a 100-per cent repurposed material. Further, the package is made of 100-per cent fibre-based material. Even the sports loop strap that comes with the Watch is recycled too.

User interface and performance

Setting up the Watch with an iPhone is as simple as it gets. Apple's closely integrated ecosystem ensures the pairing process is completed in a few minutes. Even linking the Watch with e-SIM is easy. I used Jio SIM and it hardly took a couple of minutes to complete the process.

Navigating through Watch Series 10 is a walk in the park. It supports simple press and tap, swipe gestures to move around within the settings.

If you press the digital crown it will take you to the home screen. And, if you press the side button, it will show the control centre; there, you can enable silent/ring/vibration modes for the calls and notifications, or turn on/off flight mode. Get access to the walkie-talkie feature, change font size, and also there is a 'Find My Phone' button to locate your misplaced iPhone.

. The most notable upgrade we see in the Watch Series 10 is the Apple S10 SiP (System-in-Package) processor, which comes with a built-in 4-core Neural Engine. It runs intelligent features users rely on every day, including the double tap gesture, on-device Siri, dictation, Translate app, and automatic workout detection.

The new S10 SiP comes integrated with a new W3 Apple wireless chip and a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UW) chip. These silicons come in handy in delivering stable wireless connectivity with Apple devices. The UW chip will help in tracking devices more accurately with a turn-by-turn guide via the Find My Device app.

. Further, the Watch Series 10 comes with a new depth gauge and water temperature sensor. It can work in combination with the new Tides app for surfers and swimmers.

The temperature details will be displayed in workout metrics during Pool Swim and Open Water Swim workouts.

And, with the Depth app, users while snorkelling in shallow sea or river, can easily view critical details such as time, current depth, water temperature, duration underwater, and maximum depth details. There is an option to automatically turn on the Depth app. Once the watch enters a water body, the sensors trigger the depth app.

There is also a new Tides app, which offers information related to tides at coastlines and surf spots around the globe for surfers. It forecasts high and low tides, rising and falling tides, tide height and direction, and sunrise and sunset, all plotted against a timeline. With this information, surfers can plan their trip to a particular beach.

. And, there is a paid app Oceanic+ app with new features for snorkelling. It is developed in partnership with Huish Outdoors. It helps users easily find popular snorkelling locations nearby.

With the latest watchOS 11, Apple Watches gets a new Vitals feature. It offers a quick view of key health metrics such as sleep, heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen. With this, users will gain a better understanding of their fitness and health.

. If it notices two or more metrics are out of their typical range, it will notify to user along with a message detailing how the changes in these specific metrics may be linked to other aspects of their life, such as elevation changes, alcohol consumption, or even illness.

However, it needs close to one week of tracking including the sleep pattern to offer the health metrics.

Another new feature coming with the watchOS 11 is the Training load. It offers a new way to measure how the intensity and duration of workouts impact a user’s body over time. This information can help the users make changes to their routines to give their bodies enough rest after heavy workouts.

. Also, this ensures the user can take a rest and be fully prepared before a marathon or a bike race.

My favourite Activity Rings feature now offers more customisation options. Now, I get the option to mark a day or a week as a rest day/week to recover from illness or injuries.

Also, users can pick and choose to see exactly what they want to see, including new metrics for workouts like running, hiking, swimming, and mindfulness.

. This native feature is the most intelligent activity-tracking app I have seen on a smart wearable. It is very intuitive, as the app automatically starts recording long walks if it senses I have been walking over 500-700 metres. Also, if I am falling short of completing any of the three rings-- move, exercise and stand, it will offer me tips on finishing those targets. The message delivery is very subtle and never once comes off as nagging.

Also, Health app on iPhone offers insightful health trends of the user related to average heart rate, respiratory rate and other vitals during the sleep. It also offers information how steadily I walk on the streets.

Also, it supports SOS feature, which comes in handy during emergency to instantly notify loved ones and seek medical help in quick time.

For the first time, Apple is introducing the Sleep Apnea detection feature with the Watch Series 10. To detect sleep apnea, Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, tracked by a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances.

. Sleep Apnea is a serious health issue where breathing repeatedly stops and starts. People diagnosed with Sleep Apnea are vulnerable to coronary artery diseases, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

And, the older the person, the higher the risk of sudden death.

Sleep Apnea is not enabled on Watch Series 10 yet. However, it should be noted that Apple recently got approval from Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to roll out this feature not just to the Watch Series 10, but also to Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.

Apple is expected to receive an official nod from local regulatory authorities to offer the feature in India too.

Besides the state-of-the-art heart rate tracking technologies (ECG for AFib detection, Irregular rhythm ) and blood-oxygen saturation (SpO2) reader, the new Watch Series 10 boasts potential life-saving features-- Crash Detection and Fall Detection. I did not face any life-threatening accidents or falls during the review period, but I trust the technology based on thousands of cases reported worldwide.

. With a full charge, the Apple Watch Series 10 can last a whole day including overnight sleep with ease. I am pleasantly surprised that despite the big display and new capabilities, it consistently delivered a full day of battery life.

With the Watch Series 9, if I had worked out in the morning, it used to alert me around 8:30-9:30 pm time to charge the Watch to record my sleep pattern. But, with the Watch Series 10, it had more than 30 per cent. And, I used to put it to charge soon after getting up in the morning.

And, thanks to fast charging, it can get juiced up to 50 per cent in just 15-20 minutes. I could use it to track my yoga session and again charge it until 100 per cent before heading out to the office. This worked out perfectly in my everyday routine.

With just 30 minutes of charging, it can reach from zero to 80 per cent capacity. With low-power mode and turning off the always-on mode, it can last up to 36 hours.

Final thoughts

Like the latest iPhone 16 series, the new Apple Watch Series 10 comes with incremental and meaningful upgrades that offer enhanced user experiences and trust-worthy health tracking capabilities. The lightweight design makes it easy to wear for long hours without any discomfort, even in tropical climates with high humidity during rains in India.

Also, the big wide-angle OLED display (3rd Gen LPTO) is one of the best I have seen on a smart wearable in a long time. It makes reading messages effortless.

The new S10 silicon delivers good in terms of efficient distribution of power between health tracking apps and sensors. Even with new features and a big display, it lasts a full day easily. Add to that, the super-fast charging capability is another compelling reason to get the Watch Series 10.

. Who should buy the Watch Series 10?

Those who already own Watch Series 9 stay put with it for another couple of years, as you won't miss any new features of Series 10.

Apple is bringing the Sleep Apnea detection feature to the Watch Series 9 through a software update. As noted above, the FDA has already approved Apple to launch a new health tracking feature.

The company is likely to seek a nod from local regulatory agencies to make the Sleep Apnea feature available in India.

And, those who own Watch Series 8 and older devices, will find the Watch Series 10 a worthy upgrade.

The new Watch Series 10 (GPS-only) model price starts at Rs 46,900 and the cellular variant starts at Rs 56,900. The titanium model is priced at 79,900.

.Apple iPhone 16 review: Pretty amazing mobile with meaningful upgrades. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech .

Apple Watch Series 10 review: Slimmer, bigger and better than ever

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