Apple Watch Series 11 Review: Small upgrades, which are important

The Apple Watch Series 11 is in stores, but are the new functions worth the switch? We tell in this review of the Apple Watch Series 11!

Apple Watch Series 11 Review

Apple has released the new generation of the Apple Watch! The Apple Watch Series 11 has a well -known design, with a number of changes under the hood. According to the company itself, the new Apple Watch itself has a longer battery life and a stronger screen. Are these improvements worth switching to the Apple Watch Series 11? We tell that in this review of the Apple Watch Series 11.

Well -known design

The design of the Apple Watch Series 11 seems familiar to us, because it looks like the design of the Apple Watch Series 10. It is not very surprising that Apple has implemented few surprises. The Apple Watch received a completely new design in 2024, which is much thinner and has a larger screen. At the Apple Watch Series 11 we see the same housing, where you can choose between a 42 millimeter or 46 millimeter format.

At the Apple Watch Series 10 we were already very enthusiastic about the thinner design and that is no different this year. The design of the Apple Watch Series 11 is very compact, which makes the smartwatch pleasant to wear. We are still very pleased with the renewed thin design of the Apple Watch, so we don’t find it a problem that Apple has made few changes in the design.

Apple has made a small adjustment for the colors of the Apple Watch Series 11. At the Apple Watch Series 11 you can choose from the colors rose gold, silver, jet black and spacegrijs. The latter is not available at the Apple Watch Series 10, but in our opinion is a nice addition to the color options. The matte finish of the spacet -free version is not very sensitive to fingerprints, which makes the Apple Watch Series 11 still look good after a few days of use.

Tidal screen

Where the housing of the Apple Watch Series 11 is virtually unchanged, this does not apply to the smartwatch display. The smartwatch has a screen with ION-X glass, which is provided with a ceramic coating. It is the first Apple Watch with this coating, which is missing at the Apple Watch Series 10, for example. This finish ensures that the Apple Watch Series 11 is much more resistant to scratches and other damage. According to Apple, the screen can even against scratch twice as the display of the Apple Watch Series 10.

It is a small upgrade at the Apple Watch Series 11, but we think it is an important change. We use the Apple Watch Series 10 for a year, where the necessary scratches can now be found on the screen. The Apple Watch Series 11 has no scratches for the time being, but is of course worn much less. In any case, it is an interesting improvement, so we are curious what the display will look like in six months or a year.

Same S10 chip

The Apple Watch Series 11 runs on the S10 chip. That is striking, because Apple has always provided the smartwatches with a new processor in recent years. This is not the case with the Apple Watches from 2025, because they run on exactly the same S10 chip that we saw earlier at the Apple Watch Series 10. In use, that is no problem, the processor of the Apple Watch has stayed almost as fast in recent years.

The Apple Watch Series 11 works smoothly and processes every task without problems. With Watchos 26, the interface of the Apple Watch has been completely renewed, but this does not cause delays in the software. The processor will only be a problem in a few years, if the new generation of Watchos no longer supports S10 chip. The Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Series 11 therefore drop out in the same year. That is why we would have liked to see an S11 chip at the Apple Watch Series 11, so that the smartwatch gets longer software updates.

Taller

Perhaps the most important improvement is reflected in the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 11. According to Apple you do up to 24 hours with the new Apple Watch, with the energy -saving mode that is no less than 38 hours. For comparison: with the Apple Watch Series 10 you do up to 18 hours with normal use, which you can extend for up to 36 hours with the energy saving mode enabled. So on paper you do much longer with the Apple Watch Series 11.

We do notice this difference in our daily use. The Apple Watch Series 10 already made it easy for the end of the day, but gets it heavier when performing intensive training sessions. The Apple Watch Series 11 distinguishes itself, because it will last longer if you use the workout app. Certainly if you regularly exercise with the Apple Watch, this improved battery is an important step forward.

Charging is also no problem, the smartwatch is charged within fifteen minutes for eight hours of normal use. This works incredibly well in practice, because of this fast loading time we only laid the Apple Watch Series 11 while showering or in the morning during breakfast. We see the longer battery life and fast loading as a big advantage, because you don’t have to worry about the battery at the Apple Watch Series 11.

Health functions

At the Apple Watch Series 11 we see a series of new health functions. The Apple Watch has a blood pressure monitor, which gives a notification with a long -term high blood pressure. Unfortunately we have not been able to test this feature yet, because the Apple Watch needs data of thirty days or more. Moreover, you cannot perform a blood pressure measurement yourself, instead the Apple Watch gives a notification if your blood pressure is too high for a longer period of time. As far as we are concerned, it is a nice addition, too high blood pressure remains unnoticed in most cases. The Apple Watch Series 11 can change that with the new function.

We have been able to test the sleep score. With the new function, your sleep quality is determined on the basis of various factors. The Apple Watch Series 11 looks at your bedtime, duration of the night’s sleep and how often you wake up. So far we have (fortunately) had a good sleep score, although we find it more pleasant not to wear the Apple Watch in the night. Are you sleeping badly? Then the sleep score can give you useful tips to improve your night’s sleep.

‘Simple’ wrist movement

Since Watchos 10.1, the Apple Watch supports the ‘Tap Double’ gesture, with which you can operate the smartwatch with a simple hand movement. The Apple Watch Series 11 also gets a gesture, because Watchos 26 introduces a new wrist gesture. With a fast wrist movement you can take out notifications and reject telephone calls. It thus forms a nice addition to tap double, which is intended to accept telephone calls.

The simple wrist gesture is a handy addition, but it needs time to get the hang of the movement. Are you not turning the wrist away quickly enough? Then the screen of the Apple Watch only goes black, the message then remains in the picture. This led – certainly in the beginning – to frustration, but after a week we had the wrist movement a little more under control. Where Apple calls it a simple wrist weighing, it is rather a handy wrist movement. The Apple Watch is in any case a bit smarter and faster to operate, provided you get handy in it.

Little innovations

We see a number of nice improvements at the Apple Watch Series 11. The Apple Watch has support for a new wrist gesture, has been expanded with the blood pressure monitor and has a sleep score for the first time. Yet these functions are not exclusively for the Apple Watch Series 11, because they are part of Watchos 26. In our opinion, this is also the biggest disadvantage of the Apple Watch Series 11, because they are no reason to choose the latest Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 11 has many new functions, which with Watchos 26 also come to the Apple Watch Series 10 and even the Apple Watch Series 9. If we strip these improvements away, the Apple Watch Series 11 only distinguishes itself with an improved battery life, shorter loading time and a stronger screen. That means that the innovations are very brief, especially because of the same S10 chip that we already saw in earlier models. We would have liked to see more improvements that the Apple Watch Series 11 had really made unique.

Apple Watch Series 11: Conclusion

The Apple Watch Series 11 has received a series of small upgrades, which do provide a number of important improvements. With the new Apple Watch, worries about the battery life are unnecessary, because the smartwatch can easily last longer than a day. That is also the case with intensive workouts, which previous Apple Watches sometimes had difficulty with. We don’t have to put the Apple Watch on the charger for long, because the device is sufficiently charged within fifteen minutes. In our opinion this is the biggest advantage, the battery of the Apple Watch Series 11 is extremely good.

The stronger screen is also a nice improvement, so that the Apple Watch Series 11 is better protected against scratches and other improvements. So far that has indeed turned out to be the case, although it is interesting to see what the display will look like in a year. The screen is at least enormously firm on paper, which in practice has also proven itself as such. We haven’t managed to find a scratch yet.

Apple also brings few exclusive functions to the Apple Watch Series 11. Parts such as the blood pressure meter, sleep score and the fast wrist gesture also come to earlier Apple Watches with Watchos 26. That means that the Apple Watch Series 11 is a small upgrade, but does have the latest functions. Do you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or older? Then the Apple Watch Series 11 is a nice switch. For newer models there is no reason to switch, especially if you have installed the update to Watchos 26.

Buy Apple Watch Series 11

The Apple Watch Series 11 has taken over the starting prices of the Apple Watch Series 10. You get the smartwatch at Apple for 449 euros, for that price you get the basic model with an aluminum housing and GPS. Do you want to take out a mobile subscription for your Apple Watch? Then you can also opt for the Cellular version, which you get at Apple for 569 euros. Do you find these prices too high? View the lowest prices of the Apple Watch Series 11 here:

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