Apple’s Glowtime event has concluded and many interesting and important announcements were made including iPhone 16. Two new Apple Watches were also released and one of them is Watch Series 10. Instead of calling it Watch X like with iPhone X, Apple has decided to go with Watch 10 only. Here’s a look at how Watch 10 compares against last year’s Watch 9 and whether you should upgrade.
Table of Contents
Design and Display – Thinner, Bigger, Larger
Apple Watch 10’s display is slightly bigger than the Ultra but thinner than the Watch 9 by 10% which is quite impressive. People with smaller hands and thinner wrists may not be too thrilled to hear that but overall, I see a trend towards bigger displays in smartwatches sadly. That also means a larger display and more information on the screen. It is possible that the Watch SE, coming next year, will have the 41mm casing allowing Apple to pack more features (sensors probably) in the affordable series.
Here is a table comparing the Apple Watch Series 9 and the rumored Apple Watch Series 10:
| Feature | Apple Watch Series 9 | Apple Watch Series 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Casing Size Options | 41mm, 45mm | 42mm, 46mm |
| Display Size Options | 1.69-inch, 1.9-inch | 1.89-inch, 2-inch (+11.8%, +7.4%) |
| Wide-angle OLED display | 10.7mm | 9.7mm |
| Materials | Standard casing | Ion-X glass |
| Display Technology | OLED | Wide angle OLED display |
| Brightness | 2000 nits at peak | 2800 nits (40% brighter) |
| Waterproof | Upto 50 meters | Upto 50 meters |
The design remains more or less the same except for the dimensions. Why break something that is already working so well? Also, users don’t always respond to drastic design changes positively. Apple follows the tried and tested design philosophy.
There is a new speaker that will help play songs and podcasts. However, I feel they are better for listening to podcast, news, or quick calls rather than listening to songs. Leave music to the headphones and TWS, please.
Performance and Battery – With Some AI Magic
As expected, Watch 10 comes with the S10 chip, an upgrade over Watch 9’s S9 chip. Expect better performance thanks to the 4-core neural engine. However, that’s not what important. What’s more important to the end user is that the S10 chip has been designed with AI or Apple Intelligence in mind. If you own an AI-compatible iPhone, some of that AI magic will trickle down into your Watch 10. More on that below.
Apple says Watch 10 is the fastest-charging Apple Watch charging up to 80% in 30 minutes compared to Watch 9 which charges 0-80% in 45 minutes. It will have a battery life of around 18 hours. We will test it no doubt so follow us. However, the keynote didn’t reveal details about battery capacity.
Health and Sensors – Old Dog, New Tricks
Apple Watch can already detect fall detection and crash detection automatically. For better audibility and clarity while on calls, Apple has added a new neural network to reduce background noise like streets or windy days.
Smartwatches, and wearable devices in general, are best for two things – tracking health metrics and viewing notifications from your iPhone. Apple Watch 10 comes with some new sensors meaning new health metrics at your fingertips. One will help you sleep better.
Here’s a look at the sensors Apple Watch Series 10 packs and what they do:
| Sensor Type | Function/Use |
|---|---|
| Heart Rate Sensor | Measures heart rate continuously during workouts and daily use |
| Blood Oxygen Sensor | Monitors blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels |
| ECG Sensor | Generates an electrocardiogram for heart health analysis (not available everywhere) |
| Accelerometer | Tracks movement, detects falls, detect sleep apnea |
| Gyroscope | Monitors motion and orientation |
| Altimeter | Measures altitude changes and tracks elevation |
| Compass | Helps with navigation and orientation |
| Temperature Sensor | Tracks body temperature changes, useful for sleep and health monitoring |
| Ambient Light Sensor | Adjusts display brightness based on external lighting |
| UWB (Ultra-Wideband) | Precise location tracking for devices |
| Depth guage | Measure water’s depth up to 6 meters or 20 feet |
| Water temperature | Measure temperature of the water before diving in |
Apple Watch 10 comes with one new but important health metric – sleep apnea (pending FDA approval). Note that sleep apnea will also come to Series 9 and Ultra 2 later.
Watch 10 can detect sleep apnea using a new metric called breathing disturbance. It will use the accelerometer sensor to measure breathing disturbances. This data will be collected every night but will be analyzed every 30 days to look for anomalies and if found, you will be notified.
A detailed report will be created and saved to the Health app that you can share with your doctor automatically should you so wish. We will see all of this in our in-depth test.
Three New Apps
Apple has added three new apps to the Apple Watch Series 10. They are Tides, Depth, and Paddle Logger apps. Here is what they do:
- Tides app – displays 7-days of data on high/low tides, sunrise/sunsets, with data for coastlines from around the world. You can now plan boating trips, kayaking, or surfing days accordingly.
- Depth app – will detect how deep in the water you are swimming, scuba diving, or snorkeling. Not just that. It will also detect water temperature so you know when it is too hot or cold.
- Paddle Logger app – will create a float plan so you can stay the course while in the middle of the ocean.
Software and AI
Apple Watch 10 will come with watchOS 10 preinstalled. And since no software announcement is complete without AI, yes, Apple Watch 10 will come with some smart AI tricks.
Apple Watch can now summarize notifications that you receive via your iPhone. It can also summarize any text on your screen which can be used while reading long messages for example. Apple demoed a speech recognition and translation features in the event.
Price, Availability, and Colors – No Change
Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 and goes up to $499. Watch 10 follows suit and pricing remains unchanged. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along now.
They are available in jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum. A new grade 5 titanium finish line is also available in gold, natural, and grey. Apple Watch 10 will be available from 20th September.
Who Should Get Watch 10
Good question and I have an answer. Watch 10 offers good advancements in terms of battery life and features over both Watch 9 and 8. You should upgrade. First-timers should go for it without looking at previous models.
