Apple Watch 10 hands-on review: thinner, lighter and fit for sleep tracking
Apple Watch 10 hands-on review: thinner, lighter and fit for sleep tracking
The Apple Watch 10 is more comfortable to wear, and that's important as sleep tracking and sleep apnea detection get more advanced in watchOS 11
Pros
✅ ⌚ Apple’s largest watch screen with a new wide-angle OLED
✅ 🪶 Noticeably thinner and lighter (I love it for sleep tracking)
✅ 🪨 Titanium replaces stainless steel for a lighter, durable case option
✅ 💰 Starts at $399 (42mm) and $429 (46mm) in aluminum
✅ 🔈 Built-in speaker for media playback (not just calls and alarms)
✅ 😴 Sleep apnea detection could help a lot of people
✅ ⚡ Faster wireless charging
Cons
❌ 🔋 All-day battery life at 18 hours can’t match the Ultra’s 36 hours
❌ 🤔 Not the 10th anniversary Apple Watch redesign everyone was wishing for
The Apple Watch 10 marks ten years since Apple announced its entry into the brand-new product category. Fun fact: when I started at TechRadar over a decade ago, I had pitched being a “wearables editor,” and the initial reaction was, “What’s that?” We’ve come a long way from the first Fitbits, the Nike FuelBand and the rumored “iWatch.”
The new Apple Watch 10 shows just how far we’ve come. It’s Apple’s most refined smartwatch with a bigger OLED screen (its 46mm version has a bigger display than the Ultra 2), yet 10% thinner and 10% lighter than the Apple Watch 9 case. It didn’t seem like a big change from the videos during the Apple event – until I put it on.
As you’ll see in my ongoing iPhone 16 Pro review, Apple made its new Pro-level phone displays bigger, but here, it made its watch display bigger and lighter.
The weight difference is noticeable, especially if you intend to wear the Apple Watch 10 for sleep tracking at night. Switching from my Apple Watch Ultra 1, I felt as if I was getting a lot of the same specs as the Ultra without the extra weight. And the timing couldn’t be better. watchOS 11 boasts sleep apnea detection on the Apple Watch 9, 10 and Ultra 2, matching the standout feature I tested and loved in my Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review two months ago.
In addition to being able to see more data on the larger display, Apple outfitted the Watch 10 with a redesigned wide-angle OLED. It makes information easier to see on the go from any angle. From day one, Apple intended to make “Glances” a main perk of wearing an Apple Watch. This doubles down on that mission.
I’ve been testing the aluminum Apple Watch 10 in Jet Black, a throwback color for the fans of the iPhone 7 in Jet Black. It looks great on the new watch and, so far, is a lot more durable than that eight-year-old iPhone color. No scratches found here.
You won’t find a stainless steel Apple Watch 10, and for good reason. Apple replaced it with lighter and more durable titanium, just like it did when it introduced the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a titanium frame last year. You’ll find that the built-in speaker can do media playback (not just voice calls and alarms), and the display gets down to 1Hz for showing the second hand even when the always-on display is enabled.
So far, I’ve been getting all-day battery life from the Apple Watch 10, and that’s during a busy iPhone launch week where I’m running around NYC. I find the 36-hour battery life of my Apple Watch Ultra to be a luxury. I’ll have to remember to charge the Apple Watch 10 nightly, but that’s a fair trade-off for getting the Apple Watch on a diet.
This isn’t the grand 10th-anniversary Apple Watch upgrade some of you were waiting for, and I just finished my Google Pixel Watch 3 review and loved the domed circular display that exudes style. But, if you’re an iPhone user, you won’t (and can’t) switch to an Android watch without switching your phone. Not many top-of-the-line watches we review work with both iOS and Android.
You’re probably like me, deciding whether or not you should upgrade this year, or wait. It’s a harder decision than the iPhone 16 Pro or the AirPods 4 upgrades, as there’s no clear winner. I’m torn between the new Apple Watch 10 and buying last year’s Apple Watch Ultra 2 in that tempting new titanium black finish – or just waiting.
I know this: the Apple Watch Ultra 1 that I own won’t get sleep apnea tracking, and I’d like to give that a whirl long-term (among other features). So, if you too have an older watch and want to check out that forthcoming watchOS 11 perk, Apple does have a $50 to $365 trade-in offer toward a new Apple Watch 10. I’m considering it. Stay tuned for my decision and a final score in my full Apple Watch 10 review next week.