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That's actually a pretty big upgrade: 6 more hours of battery life and more resistant glass.
While the increased battery life could be verified by some independent reviews, I'm a bit skeptical about statements such as "2x more resistant". How could that be measured?
 
One additional difference that I don't think has been noted so far between the S11 and the S10: the new, S11 watch supports both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11.n), whereas the older, S10 watch supports only 2.4 GHz.

I can't imagine this will make a meaningful difference to most people, but since the point of this article is comprehensively listing the differences, well this is one.

(related: the Ultra 3 vs. Ultra 2 also now supports 5 GHz)
 
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Controversial take.

The se3 is the one to get. If you can stand the bezels.

Pro tip! Use the ‘floating’ watch faces, instead of the saturated ones that apple uses all the time in their product marketing, to draw attention to the bezels.

It’s a little asinine of apple not to use the chassis & screen size of the s6-9.

I guess if they did, there would be even less of a reason to get the s11.
 
There are no technologies that require an annual upgrade, however I was at least expecting to be tempted by the Ultra 3, which I am not. (I sport the OG Ultra) I may finally pick up the titanium loop and content myself with that for a few years…
 
As a steel s4 owner I tend to keep my device as long as possible (especially considering the premium steel price)

I was interested by high blood pressure detection so I skipped series 10 which was my initial new watch target (because of change of design and s4 not compatible with latest watchOS - it seemed future proof enough)

So now high blood pressure detection is not linked to a new sensor (which was my expectation) and improvements between 10 & 11 are underwhelming. If I had known I would have bought a s10 last year (with HBP being a software update)

So I have 2 options : wait one more year (expected : new sip with new efficient cores and maybe a new sensor array, which improves future proofing by a good margin) or buy a s10 with a good discount - we’ll see what happens next
 
Saying the series 5 upgrade was the smallest generstional upgrade before this is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. The always on display was one of the biggest upgrades the watch ever received… you want to talk about small upgrades how about the 5 to 6… or the 7-8-9…. If you have a 7 right now there’s still no great reason to upgrade.
 
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This is the part that sucks - these devices do degrade annually, but you never really know when you should replace them because the next year's upgrade may be major, or it may be nothing. I never bought into the "Apple should upgrade x device only every two or three years," but it can make sense when thinking about this kind of stuff
Yeah, and this one looks like I made the worst choice as this is the most minor year over year upgrade in Apple's history. I could have just been using an AW10 for the last year and then skipped the 11. Oh well. I'm probably not going to try to drag out my AW9 for another full year (battery will definitely degrade noticeably during that year). So it will be $429 to Apple and AW9 will get sold for $120 on Craigslist to some frugal person (if I can even get that much).
 
When it takes 2x the amount of effort/time to cause similar damage in testing?
It’s still a bit unclear, isn’t it? When we use numbers, we need to be specific about what we’re measuring and all the conditions involved.

For instance, let’s say we’re using a specific tool (made of a particular material and with a particular impact shape) to try and scratch the surface. We’ll need to apply twice the pressure to get a scratch. Or, if we’re using a hammer, we’ll need to apply twice the momentum to get a crack.

These might even be scientifically rigorous tests, but they don’t always translate clearly to day-to-day usage scenarios.
 
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News like this make me pretty confident it will happen this time: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/19/new-apple-watch-with-touch-id-and-more-uncovered/

And the very minor upgrade of this year seems to corroborate that resources are being spent in future changes. But you never know, of course…
I'm still holding my breath. Remember, MicroLED was supposed to come to the S6, then the S7, then the S8...and was finally apparently dropped this year finally. Rumors have been hopeful for the watch rather than accurate lately.
 
Why not? I’d rather get the little changes every year and get whatever’s the latest every 3-4 years rather than timing my purchase with longer release cycles.
Also, when you think about it, it’s not like they would drop the price in Year 2, if they were on a two-year upgrade cycle… so either they keep selling the Series 10, and introduce that negative psychological factor that you’re buying in the 2nd year of the cycle; or they make a few minor upgrades, call it Series 11, and keep selling at the same price… (seems better to me).

Anyone who wants a refurbished older model can always get one!
 
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you can’t think like this!! ;)

IMO, the best approach is “buy a watch when you need it”… if you weren’t ready to buy a year ago, you probably would’ve regretted spending the $$
Yeah, I'm fine. I was ready for the AW9 at the time I bought it. I've had the AW since it first came out, so I've gone through several upgrades at this point. But the one thing about the AW I haven't liked from a design perspective is that it is a bit chunky. It is a bit of a lump under a dress shirt. And the AW 10 was slimmer and solved this one issue (which again has been a decade of this one thing that bothered me a bit). But of course I'm not upgrading just from one year to another, I'm going to prudently wait at least two years. This is just the funniest lowest amount of upgrade ever. LOL.
 
“To boost reception in areas with weak coverage, Apple Watch Series 11 also features a redesigned cellular antenna to cover more bands, and simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength.”

Is this new or also present on series 10? Kids use Apple Watch SE cellular which has very spotty coverage (AT&T, Bay Area), thinking of upgrading.
definitely new on the 11's
 
I have a series 6, and was considering upgrading, but I’m waiting for next year’s rumored big redesign. I don’t want to buy a new watch every few years, even if marketing tries to convince me otherwise.

The expected redesign will make it worth for me. Meanwhile, I’m thinking of changing the battery.

Don’t take me wrong -it’s not a money issue. I just don’t want to enter a spiral of consumption just because something looks cool. And next year I will regret it if I upgraded this year instead of waiting.
I hope the redesign doesn't impact the band placement. I'd hate for all the bands you previously bought become irrelevant once the new watch drops if we as consumer decide to upgrade.
 
Happy i got a good deal on my S10 when i did. Seems like i was right not to wait. Even bringing over the advertised features to the S9 and up.
Same here. My husband had a series 4, which is losing support now. My watch was a series 7. I enjoy getting new tech, but he doesn’t care so much. A few months back, Best Buy had a 4 hour flash sale of $100 off on AW Series 10. I also had $55 in BB rewards. So, I was able to get a new series 10 for a good price, and pass my series 7 onto my husband.

Watching the event on Tuesday, I did not regret my choice to go with the series 10 so close to the 11 release one bit.
 
As a steel s4 owner I tend to keep my device as long as possible (especially considering the premium steel price)

I was interested by high blood pressure detection so I skipped series 10 which was my initial new watch target (because of change of design and s4 not compatible with latest watchOS - it seemed future proof enough)

So now high blood pressure detection is not linked to a new sensor (which was my expectation) and improvements between 10 & 11 are underwhelming. If I had known I would have bought a s10 last year (with HBP being a software update)

So I have 2 options : wait one more year (expected : new sip with new efficient cores and maybe a new sensor array, which improves future proofing by a good margin) or buy a s10 with a good discount - we’ll see what happens next
If you hang on to the watches that long & you also happen to use the cellular, you'd be much better served by getting an 11 (either now or in the future, once you can find a deal). The 5G coverage will undoubtedly be significantly better than the LTE coverage from here on out. If you don't use cellular, then I Think your plan makes sense.
 
I love the Apple Watch and weigh the decision to upgrade or not every year. It’s often a difficult decision. This year was the easiest decision ever… obvious no. Didn’t have to even think about it. A few more hours battery (I’m always at 50% at the end of the day anyway) and better scratch resistance (my Apple Watch S10 base model is absolutely pristine… I’m careful with it). No reason whatsoever to upgrade.
 
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