Apple Watch Series 10 review: Now you don’t need Ultra anymore

The Apple Watch Series 10 is – literally – a big step forward. Is the latest Apple Watch also Apple’s best smartwatch? You can read it in this Apple Watch Series 10 review.

Apple Watch Series 10

Apple is celebrating an anniversary this year, as it is exactly ten years since the Apple Watch was introduced. Expectations were therefore high, because a complete redesign was expected for the Apple Watch Series 10. The completely new design ultimately did not materialize, but the design of the new Apple Watch is certainly not the same compared to the Apple Watch Series 9.

The Apple Watch Series 10 has also taken over a number of functions from the Apple Watch Ultra and runs on the new S10 chip. Does the larger screen mean that you no longer need an Apple Watch Ultra? Or is the Apple Watch still missing important features? We have tested the Apple Watch Series 10 for you in this review.

Design: larger, but much thinner

Apple has overhauled the design of the Apple Watch for the first time in years. The Apple Watch Series 10 has a much thinner casing. The smartwatch has a thickness of only 9.7 millimeters, compared to 10.7 millimeters with the Apple Watch Series 9. That may seem like a small difference, but it is certainly noticeable when wearing. We especially experienced this with clothing with long sleeves, because the Apple Watch Series 10 fits under the sleeve without any problems. A big advantage as far as we are concerned. Unfortunately, the action button is still missing, which remains exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra.

The aluminum casing of the Apple Watch Series 10 has a glossy finish for the first time. We think this looks much nicer, as the shiny display and aluminum form one whole. The only disadvantage is that you see fingerprints a little faster. In addition, the stainless steel version has made way for titanium, which we already saw on the Apple Watch Ultra (2). An improvement if you ask us, because titanium is extremely strong and resistant to damage. In addition, titanium is much lighter, which makes the Apple Watch Series 10 feel more comfortable to wear.

Not only the thickness of the smartwatch has been adjusted, the screen size has also changed. You can choose from 42 or 46 millimeters, with the Apple Watch Series 9 it is 41 or 45 millimeters and with the Apple Watch Ultra (2) it is 49 millimeters. In practice, you quickly forget that you are wearing a larger Apple Watch, it is only a millimeter. That does not alter the fact that we think the large screen is an important advantage of the Apple Watch Series 10.

Largest Apple Watch display ever

Due to the more spacious housing, the Apple Watch Series 10 has the largest screen we have ever seen on an Apple Watch. The largest version of the smartwatch has a display area of ​​1220 square millimeters, while the Apple Watch Ultra (2) has 1185 square millimeters. We are very pleased with this larger screen, on which we can view more information at the same time. It is a huge advantage that you no longer have to rely on the bulky (and expensive) Apple Watch Ultra for a larger display.

What positively surprised us is the wide viewing angle of the new screen. Apple has opted for a new LTPO3 Retina display, which is up to 40 percent brighter when you look at the screen from an angle. In practice that is certainly true, because we never had any problems reading the display. Even at an oblique angle, the time is visible, even if your arm hangs at your side. Very handy, because you don’t always have to lift your wrist.

In addition, Apple has improved the always-on screen of the Apple Watch. The display now has a refresh rate of once per second, compared to once per minute on the Apple Watch Series 9. We mainly saw this difference on the latest watch faces, which are set to this refresh rate. It’s a nice addition that you now see the second hand moving, even when the screen is in always-on mode. It doesn’t really make a difference to us.

S10 chip and faster fast charging

The Apple Watch Series 10 runs on the new S10 chip. According to Apple, the processor is again faster and more powerful, but in practice we notice little difference with the Apple Watch Series 9. That is not a problem, because the S9 chip already worked excellently. We also see this with the S10 chip, the tenth generation of the Apple Watch is extremely fast and does not falter at any time.

A major advantage of the Apple Watch Series 10 is that the smartwatch is charged to eighty percent within thirty minutes. Fast charging is now really fast and this is also evident in practice. We only needed half an hour to charge the Apple Watch. We think that is an important advantage, especially because we also wore the smartwatch at night. With the new fast charging function, we were able to charge the Apple Watch Series 10 in the morning, and the smartwatch then lasted all day without any problems.

Improved microphone and speaker

Apple has greatly improved the microphone on the Apple Watch Series 10. According to Apple, the smartwatch uses a new neural network for voice isolation. We noticed this immediately when calling via the Apple Watch. Your voice remains clearly audible, even with wind or other disturbing background noise. This is different with previous Apple Watches, because you quickly become barely audible. The microphone of the Apple Watch Series 10 has received a major update.

You can also play audio through the speakers of the Apple Watch Series 10. This is the first time that this was not possible with the Apple Watch Series 9 (and earlier). In practice this works very well, the smartwatch has excellent speakers. Still, we wonder when you use these speakers. Especially if you often wear AirPods, you won’t notice much of this function. In any case, a nice addition, especially in combination with the improved microphone. Calling is a lot easier now.

(Lack of) new health features

The Apple Watch Series 10 has a new feature that can detect sleep apnea. For this purpose, the smartwatch collects data for at least thirty days, so we have not yet been able to test the function. This is not an exclusive feature for the Apple Watch Series 10, because sleep apnea detection is also coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 11.

The Apple Watch Series 10 has few really new (health) functions. Apple has added a new depth gauge that measures up to six meters below the water’s surface. The Apple Watch is also water resistant up to fifty meters. With the new water temperature sensor, the Apple Watch indicates the temperature of the water. These are useful features, but you probably won’t use them much. In any case, we have not needed them yet and that probably applies to the majority of users.

In our opinion, the lack of new health functions with the Apple Watch Series 10 is a loss. There were long rumors about a blood pressure monitor and a blood glucose meter with the Apple Watch. In the end, neither came to fruition, even though many users were waiting for this. These are also functions that really make a difference for people, unlike, for example, the new depth gauge. We therefore hope that we will see the features again in a later generation of the smartwatch.

Apple Watch Series 10 review: conclusion

The Apple Watch Series 10 is – literally – the biggest change that Apple has made to the smartwatch in recent years. We are very pleased with the slimmer design, which makes the Apple Watch more comfortable to wear. The Apple Watch Series 10 has the largest screen of all Watches, which is a huge plus. You no longer need Ultra for a large display. More information fits on the screen and the ultra-wide-angle screen is almost always easy to read. With the glossy aluminum finish, the housing and screen form one beautiful whole.

Thanks to the faster S10 chip, the Apple Watch Series 10 works smoothly and the device never falters. In addition, the smartwatch has voice isolation, which ensures that your voice is clearly audible when calling. This is a big improvement compared to previous Apple Watches. Playing sound is now also possible via the speakers of the smartwatch, although the question is how often you actually do this.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is a beautiful device and comes close to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 due to its large screen and all the features. However, it lacks important new health functions that many users are looking forward to. Because sleep apnea is also available with the Apple Watch Series 9, you do not have to immediately switch to the latest generation of the smartwatch. The Apple Watch Series 10 is a nice transition, especially for users with an Apple Watch Series 6 or older.

Buy Apple Watch Series 10

Does your Apple Watch need to be replaced? And are you excited about the Apple Watch Series 10? The aluminum version of the smartwatch is available in the colors Jet Black, Rose Gold and Silver. The high-gloss titanium version is available in the colors Natural, Gold and Slate. Right now, the best price of the Apple Watch Series 10 is €448.95. View all offers here, so you never pay too much!

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