Apple Watch 10 is a better deal than the Ultra – but it's missing one big perk
The Apple Watch 10 is a tempting upgrade for many, and may even sway some Ultra Watch 2 owners
⌚️ The new Apple Watch 10 is a big improvement over last year’s model
🤩 It borrows many features from the Ultra 2, including a gorgeous, bigger display
🤦♂️ However, it falls short in the one area that we’ve grown used to
🔋 The Apple Watch 10 battery life still tops out at around 18 hours
The Apple Watch 10 has undergone a substantial revamp this year, making it a closer match to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and arguably the better deal with prices starting at $399 instead of $799.
With its thinner, lighter design and the largest-ever display on an Apple Watch, the Apple Watch 10 also includes new features such as speaker playback, sleep apnea detection, a water temperature and depth app, and faster charging.
It all culminates in a major overhaul of Apple’s popular smartwatch that will make Ultra 2 owners more than a little envious of the significantly cheaper model. However, there’s one area where the Apple Watch 10 falls flat: the battery life.
Apple has clearly improved upon last year’s model in several ways, but you’ll still have to charge it sooner than you’d like. The Apple Watch 10 still delivers around 18 hours of battery life, which pales in comparison to the Ultra 2’s 36 hours of battery per charge.
Having to charge the Apple Watch every day is easily the biggest downside of what is generally considered an excellent smartwatch, so it’s a shame that Apple still hasn’t found a way to make it last longer. The Apple Watch’s battery life has remained unchanged since it was first released in 2015, which makes the issue even more frustrating.
Competitors have shown it’s possible to deliver longer battery life, too. Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatches often give users more than two days of use before needing to be charged, and even the Google Pixel Watch 3 lasts longer.
Still, those weighing up the differences between the Apple Watch 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will have a harder time deciding, as the two watches are more aligned than before. But there’s only one winner over which watch has the best battery life – the Ultra Watch 2.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.