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Highly anticipated: The new Apple Watches are just around the corner, with pre-orders starting today. In its keynote, Cupertino showcased the Apple Watch Series 10 and SE, but the Apple Watch Ultra was conspicuously absent. Although the standard Series 10 isn't as robust or as water resistant, it took over some of the Ultra's abilities – so long as your phone can run iOS 18.
Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 10 during its Monday "Glowtime" event. The new wearable features a thinner design and a larger screen. The Series 10 is about 10 percent thinner than last year's model, while the display is 30 percent bigger than Series 4 through 6 and nine percent larger than Series 7 through 9. An upgraded screen is appreciated if you have ever fumbled to enter your password with fat fingers like mine.
Apple's new S10 SiP has a thinner profile while adding better performance and power efficiency. It also has a 4-core Neural Enigine to make everyday tasks like screen navigation, Siri integration, and workout detection more reliable and efficient. It still has the Series 9's crash and fall detection but adds a Translate app via watchOS 11, aided by the Neural Engine.
The Series 10's sleek design also means it's lighter. It weighs 10 percent less than the standard Series 9 and 20 percent less than the Series 9 with the stainless steel casing. This weight reduction is thanks to Apple's switch to a titanium housing, although stainless is still an option.
Meanwhile, the screen real estate has a slightly wider aspect ratio in both the 42mm and 46mm options. The size increase improves readability and usability, especially in the Messages, Mail, and News apps. Constructing short messages and email replies (or your passcode) is significantly easier. The screen is also 40 percent brighter than the Series 9, with pixels visible from wider angles.
Apple redesigned the charging mechanism in the Watch Series 10 to allow ultra-fast charging. It only takes about 30 minutes to charge the Series 10 to 80 percent. For those who can't wait half an hour, Apple claims that 15 minutes on the charger gets users about eight hours of average daily use, and an eight-minute charge can get them through the night with sleep tracking activated.
The Series 10 debuts a health and living feature new to the Apple Watch – Sleep Apnea notifications. Built into the existing Health app, the new function uses the Apple Watch's accelerometers to monitor breathing rhythms while users sleep.
The Health app will chart your nighttime breathing for one month, six months, or one year. The app automatically notifies users if their "breathing disturbances" are elevated. It also graphs disturbances for users to share with their doctor if they think a problem exists.
The Apple Watch Ultra, which would have entered its third generation this year, was absent from the show. Manufacturing costs were likely too high, and the retail price was more than fans could swallow. However, some of the same features marketed in the Ultra have trickled down to the Series 10.
This year's Apple Watch is water resistant to 50 meters, which is way deeper than most recreational divers ever go but less than the Ultra's 100-meter resistance. It also sports a depth gauge and water temperature sensor. The depth gauge is accurate up to six meters. It's not as suitable for use as a dive computer as the Ultra was, but it is just fine for snorkeling or shallow beach dives. It hosts plenty of information, including the time, depth, water temperature, dive duration, and maximum depth.
Coming to watchOS 11 are a native Tides app and a new Workout category. The Tides app allows users to plan dives or other water recreation using seven days of forecasting information. The native Workout app also gets a Swimming category, which has automatic stroke detection and lap counting.
As mentioned, the Apple Watch Series 10 has 42mm and 46mm options. Customers have color choices, including jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum cases. The titanium versions come in natural, gold, or slate colors.
Customers can pre-order starting today, with units shipping on September 20. The Series 10 starts at $399, and the budget SE version sells for $249.
Meanwhile, watchOS 11 arrives for Series 6 watches or later on September 16. However, the newest Apple Watch operating system is only compatible with iPhone Xs or later and requires iOS18 for full functionality.