Earlier this fall, Apple released the Series 10 version of their Apple Watch during their annual release event. This upgraded wearable adds several critical health features, a new wide-angle Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, a 10% thinner build, and a 20% weight reduction in the titanium edition compared to previous models.
The Series 10 joins the “Ultra series” of watches by featuring an exclusive titanium construction edition; thus, replacing the old stainless steel variants. The starting prices for the Series 10 are $399 for the aluminum case and $699 for the titanium version.
I picked up my 46mm edition of the Series 10 in a Jet Black polished aluminum finish on the second release day. After unboxing the device, I could immediately feel the difference from my older Series 6 Apple Watch, which felt thicker and heavier and had a smaller screen. These changes made the Series 10 much more comfortable to use daily.
The improved screen really caught my attention from the start. Apple’s new display technology, a wide-angle Low-Temperature Polysilicone Oxide 3 (LTPO3) screen, allows for greater power efficiency, improved viewing angles, and higher refresh rates.
The improved display especially helps when running outside inthe sun, where the movement and light typically make it hard to read a watch. I was also able to install the Strava app for the Apple Watch, which allows users to sync their workouts online to track metrics and share routes.
The new health features are also notable for the upgraded device. In combination with the WatchOS 11 software update, the new vitals app and sleep apnea detection ensure that users are informed about their health.
Due to the faster wireless charging, the watch can reach 80% in just half an hour, according to Apple. This is useful for wearing the watch while sleeping, as most users tend to leave their watch charging overnight for the next day. I tracked my sleep across a week and saw that my best sleep occurred during the weekends, with an average of 9 hours and 30 minutes per night.
With all of these benefits in mind, the new Apple watch also has a few negatives. Other devices on the market feature blood oxygen sensing, which is useful to understand your overall health. The lack of the sensors is due to an ongoing legal case between health technology company Masimo and Apple for alleged patent infringement of the blood oxygen sensors on the Apple Watch.
Additionally, the Apple Watch requires someone in your family to have an iPhone to set the device up. This causes some difficulty for certain users who do not have easy access to a family or friend’s iPhone. Also, Android phones do not support the Apple Health app and therefore cannot sync the health metrics from the Apple watch to their device. Text message functionality is also limited, as the Apple watch only syncs iMessages to the device so Android users also are out of luck when it comes to compatibility.
All in all, the Apple Watch Series 10 truly is the “ultimate device for a healthy life”, according to Apple, and I would highly recommend students check it out as Black Friday and the holiday season approaches.