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Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 Reviews: Which is the Biggest Upgrade?

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The first set of reviews are out for the new Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3, ahead of the devices launching on Friday.

Buyers-Guide-Apple-Watch-SE-3-Series-11-or-Ultra-3-Feature.jpg

As we already noted in our buyer's guide last week, the Series 11 is a fairly minor upgrade over the Series 10. Apple says the Series 11 offers up to 24 hours of battery life, a six-hour increase over the Series 10. However, while the Series 11 does have a slightly larger battery over the Series 10, Apple also changed its testing parameters to include six hours of sleep tracking per day. So, are the battery gains that noticeable?

According to CNET's Vanessa Hand Orellana, they are:
Apple rates the Series 11 for up to 24 hours of "normal use," and after wearing it through at least three full battery cycles, I can confirm that's accurate. With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I've consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge.
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TechRadar's Jacob Krol also said Series 11 battery life was promising:
The bigger story is battery life: battery capacity is up 9% on the 42mm model and 11% on the 46mm. Apple rates both models for 24 hours of typical use and up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode. In practice, I pulled my 46mm review device off the charger at 54% one night, slept with tracking enabled, and didn't hit 1% until after 5pm the next day – so I got about 17 hours from half a charge. With light use, a full day and a half is very realistic.
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Given the 18-hour battery life figure that Apple advertised for the Series 10 and older was widely believed to be an understatement, though, more scientific and thorough testing is needed to determine any exact year-over-year increase.

What else is new? The cover glass on the Apple Watch Series 11 display is said to offer 2× more scratch resistance compared to the previous generation, but this only applies to aluminum models, as titanium Series 10 and Series 11 models already have a more durable sapphire cover. And if you have a cellular configuration, 5G is now supported.

The new Hypertension Notifications (compatible with Series 9 and newer) and Sleep Score health features (Series 6 and newer) do not require a Series 11.

And that's it — making the Series 11 one of the smallest upgrades ever.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 also gets longer 42-hour battery life, Emergency SOS via satellite directly on the wrist, a slightly larger display, and 5G on cellular models. This makes for a slightly bigger upgrade over the Ultra 2, albeit not significantly.

9to5Mac's Zac Hall offered a good overview of the new Ultra 3 capabilities, including Emergency SOS via satellite, which was previously limited to the iPhone:
In most instances, the connection demo experience works flawlessly. It can't work indoors, and in some cases, you may be able to see the sky, but nearby trees will prevent establishing a connection. This requirement will limit how useful satellite connectivity can be, but it's still impressive that an Apple Watch can even do this now without an iPhone.
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The real winner, though, is the Apple Watch SE 3. The budget-conscious model received its first update in three years, and it packs quite a few new features.

Apple Watch SE 3 features an S10 chip, an always-on display, Double Tap gesture support, wrist temperature sensing for retrospective ovulation estimates, sleep apnea detection, fast charging support, 5G support on cellular configurations, on-device Siri, and many other improvements. It is also compatible with the new Sleep Score feature. And in the U.S., the device continues to start at just $249.

The Verge's Victoria Song said the Apple Watch SE 3 is "the one to buy."

From her review:
The line between the SE 3 and Series 11? For many people, it's now nonexistent.

The skeptic in me believes that the SE 3's glow-up is partly an effort to draw more people into the Apple Watch ecosystem. It's an incredible value, and Apple happens to be coming off five consecutive quarters of declining Apple Watch shipments due to a decrease in consumer demand, fewer models, and ho-hum feature upgrades. You don’t need to be a financial whiz to see the SE 3 will likely do gangbusters in terms of sales.
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Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 can be pre-ordered now.

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Article Link: Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 Reviews: Which is the Biggest Upgrade?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/apple-watch-series-11-ultra-3-se-3/
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Seems like a big enough upgrade from my Series 5. Better battery, scratch resistance, hypertension monitor (we'll see how well it works), and sleep score. Worth it for me.
 
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Looking at my SS Series 8, no reason to upgrade here. Maybe if Series 12 introduces Satellite Connectivity and an improved SoC, but otherwise I’m good.
One thing I find interesting is Blood Ox monitoring while sleeping is not available on the S10 or S11. Assume this is due to the actual calculations being offloaded to the iPhone rather than on-device which was Apple’s workaround to avoid that Massimo nonsense. If that is the case I wonder why my Series 8 doesn’t support Sleep Apnea detection but the 10 and higher do, given that low Blood Ox levels is a key metric when diagnosing that condition.
 
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Johnny907 said:
Looking at my SS Series 8, no reason to upgrade here. Maybe if Series 12 introduces Satellite Connectivity and an improved SoC, but otherwise I’m good.
One thing I find interesting is Blood Ox monitoring while sleeping is not available on the S10 or S11. Assume this is due to the actual calculations being offloaded to the iPhone rather than on-device which was Apple’s workaround to avoid that Massimo nonsense. If that is the case I wonder why my Series 8 doesn’t support Sleep Apnea detection but the 10 and higher do, given that low Blood Ox levels is a key metric when diagnosing that condition.
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It’s a good thing I got the Series 9, then.
 
I have a Series 7 and the battery is not great. I do want to upgrade, but the S11 isn't enough of an upgrade, and the SE3 is a downgrade in most aspects. The U3 isn't going to fit my wrist, but the one I want most just for battery. Ugh!
 
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As a big Apple Watch user with three models, here are my takeaways from the reviews

Ultra 3
  • I was really looking forward to see how many Ultra users commented on the wide angle display and improved refresh rate on the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Very few reviews mentioned it, and most said the screen improvements were not a big deal in daily use. This is a disappointment for me
  • Ultra 3 reviews really focused on satellite connectivity. I work out a lot but I don't hike or go off grid. So not much use to me.
  • The black model is not as black as the Ultra 2 - important distinction for many
  • 5G got good reviews, but not sure I would need it
Ultimately - while stuff like the refresh rate, on device Siri, etc would make an improvement on my current Ultra 1, it is not an essential update, especially if your battery is in good shape. I am therefore holding off and keeping my Ultra 1 with 100% battery for now, even if I would love on device Siri

Series 11
  • Longer battery life, but that is about it
Overall, not an essential upgrade for anyone on Series 9 or above. If your older watch needs upgrading, it's a fine upgrade, but discounted Series 10 would be just as good. Especially if you are buying titanium, just get the Series 10 refurbished or hopefully on sale from Amazon/Best Buy/etc. Keeping my Series 9 SS Gold, with has all of Apple's current health features.

SE
  • Great upgrades from prior SE models
  • Adds a lot of the features that have been added to the Series and Ultra Watches
  • It's crazy that the SE has the same chip and storage as the Series 11 and the Ultra.
  • Good price
Honestly, I may pick this up and trade in my Series 7. Green to Midnight would be a refresh, I would pick up a new band and charging puck, and get the new chip, on device Siri, etc. Or I may just get a new charger, the Black Unity band and call it day for the Apple Watch for another year. It's crazy th
 
The Series 11 is just a Series 10. They just rewrote the WatchOS code. Everything is the same. This is a sleazy and courageous move.

Which in turn is a Series 9 in a new shell, which in turn is actually an S6.

The reason why it's still available since introduction.

Battery test in these reviews are the same hours since S6.
 
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tsupersonic said:
I have a Series 7 and the battery is not great. I do want to upgrade, but the S11 isn't enough of an upgrade, and the SE3 is a downgrade in most aspects. The U3 isn't going to fit my wrist, but the one I want most just for battery. Ugh!
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SE is a downgrade in screen size from Series 7, and lacks some health features, but adds others. Looking at the comparison page, you actually get an upgraded chip, storage, on device Siri. Those additions would make the watch run much better than the Series 7. I am 75% sure I am going to order one and compare it to the Series 7.
 
t0rqx said:
The Series 11 is just a Series 10. They just rewrote the WatchOS code. Everything is the same. This is a sleazy and courageous move.

Which in turn is a Series 9 in a new shell, which in turn is actually an S6.

The reason why it's still available since introduction.

Battery test in these reviews are the same hours since S6.
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Except it's not.. it has a physically larger battery, 5G connectivity updated modem, Ceramic Shield 2 on the front
 
Six (6) hours of sleep tracking per day? Doesn't even support the standard 8 hours of sleep per day?
 
In am upgrading from the Series 6 to the Series 11. I am ready for a new watch. Not many new features, but I am mainly upgrading for the screen size and the fact that the b artery on my Apple Watch isn’t what it used to be.
 
bookcase said:
Software aside, what are the key differences between the s9 and s11?
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Screen size and display technology, that's about it. Aluminum model screens are allegedly also more scratch resistant - but only on the aluminum (titanium/steel models have the sapphire crystal screen, which was already very scratch resistant).
 
What i want most is an apple watch that charges via USB C. Honestly, if the Ultra had the port hidden in one of the lugs or something I'd buy it.
 
ELman said:
Here are the 5 I came up with.

Depth gauge to 6m

Water temperature sensor

Speaker Media playback

Better Display

Faster Charging and longer battery life
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I wonder if the 6m depth gauge sensor (and to a lesser extent the water temperature sensor) actually has any real world uses…
 
I know I'm the outlier on this one, but if you want to sell more Apple Watches tap into a new market; stop with the health stuff. It's of no interest. I want them to go in a more utility direction. I still want a flash light built into the side of the housing so I can point my arm like a flashlight. Make me an Iron Man watch and I'll upgrade. But again, I guess I'm the minority on this cause they seem to only be innovating by adding health stuff.
 
"The black model is not as black as the Ultra 2"
Why do you think this is? Some were complaining of the Ultra 2 Black models color chipping. Maybe it's new process to help prevent this?
 
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