Review: Two Months With the Apple Watch Series 10

[MacRumors]

It's been two months since Apple released the Apple Watch Series 10, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using the Series 10 alongside an Apple Watch Ultra 2 to provide a longer term review and comparison.

The larger version of the Series 10 has the biggest display of any Apple Watch, including the Ultra 2, but it's only a little bit bigger than the Ultra 2 so you're not missing out on much if you have Apple's more rugged watch. The Series 10 is lighter and thinner, though, so it can be more comfortable.

In addition to having the largest display, the Series 10 has better visibility at an angle, so you can better see the time regardless of what you're doing. There's a 1Hz minimum refresh rate too so you get an always-on second hand with some watch faces.

Apple added sleep apnea detection to the Series 10, but the Apple Watch Ultra got it too, so there's no real distinguishing health feature to set it apart. It basically has all the same features as the Ultra 2, including the Dive app and a Tides app, but it can't be used for deep water diving because it doesn't have the same depth resistance. Also unique to the Ultra 2 is the siren sound.

Given the near feature parity, if you have an Ultra 2, there's probably no reason to get the Series 10 at this point, unless you want a watch that's slimmer and lighter. If you're trying to decide between the Ultra 2 and the Series 10, it's between weight and battery life. The Series 10 is lighter and more comfortable, but the Ultra 2 has much longer battery life.

What are your Apple Watch Series 10 thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: Review: Two Months With the Apple Watch Series 10

 

[Thisismattwade]

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?

 

[Entilzha]

The larger battery life of the Ultra 2 outweighs any other benefit I’d get from the 10, honestly.

My local Apple Store gave me an Ultra 2 (tho I paid an extra $50 for the upgrade bump) due to the AppleCare repair folks refusing service on my clearly-having-battery-issues SS series 7 back in February, and the extra battery was truly amazing for me. No daily recharge was a huge thing.

I love the look of the series 10, but I’ll live with the extra weight and G-Shockiness of my Ultra 2 for the time being!

But dang, that titanium 10 sure does look nice…

 

[Entilzha]

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?

Go for the 10. There should be some good deals next week, and it’ll last for a good long while!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?

My series 6 went from all day, plus a 1+ hour gps-recorded run, to being dead by 3pm when I updated to watchOS 11. Photo syncing was the culprit; turned it off and all is back to normal. I was ready to ditch it for the 10, too.

Watch/Photos/Photo Syncing/off.

 

[morphineseason]

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?

I'd go for one of the main series watches. Even a used series 8 or 9 will get you a lot more bang for your buck (and really aren't much different than the Series 10). Bigger screens, more sensors, fast charging, better performance, always on display, etc. The bigger screens alone make a big difference for ease-of-use and input.

 

[dbc34]

I love my Series 10. I went back and forth with the Ultra 2 and Series 10. Couldn’t The siren on the Ultra was neat. The roll to red night vision was cool. I like the Ultra Modular face and the flat face of the Ultra, but the the weight was huge, I wear my watch to sleep every night. I decided on the 10 after wearing each for about a week. I’ve been extremely happy with my choice. And now with it getting colder I’ve noticed my sweater cuffs, jackets, half zip running jackets, etc…all seem to agree with the thinness of the 10 vs the bulky Ultra. The battery was a concern too, but I’ll tell you the charging is super fast on the 10. I put it on the puck when I shower after workouts and don’t have to charge it anymore during the day.

 

[ralphdaily]

My series 10 is by far the nicest Apple Watch I’ve had and I’ve had most of them including the 9. it’s noticeably thinner, display is easier to read and the gold Milanese loop is beautiful on my 42mm gold titanium watch. I have no interest in the Ultra. P.S. I really like the gold Reflections face.

 

[Asthmatic Kitty]

The sound quality on this video is pretty echoey and distracting imo, maybe get a lav mic or something in future? 🥴

 

[SYCAMOREGRAD]

I absolutely LOVE my Series 10 gold titanium with Starlight Spirt band, (except for one tiny thing: The metal pin on the sport band is silver, but I hardly noticed it.) Came from a crappy Series 6 aluminum that’s screen was scratched beyond belief. The sapphire glass is so gorgeous and durable! Will never get another Ion-X glass Watch! Battery on 10 is leaps and bounds ahead, also!

 

[MrGimper]

AWU2 master race .... not charging for days, despite Timmy stealing 8% of my battery health with the current watchOS beta.

 

[nkgmd]

I have an Ultra 2 from last year, missed the low profile of the original watch for dressing in cuffed shirts, so I got the 10 when it came out. I kind of felt like the 10 missed the mark. Thinness and larger screen are barely perceptible changes over prior models, and you do lose some of the watch faces that let you pack on the most complications on the Ultra, so I had to choose what functions I wanted to give up and it just wasn't as interesting to look at. I went with the black aluminum for the glossy finish which I really loved, but there aren't any bands that match, so it is really just a casual wear watch. Once the titanium Milanese strap was available for the ultra 2 I started wearing that again every day and realized how much I missed it. The new band gives it a lot more character. I sold the 10 to a friend. I'd consider the titanium version just for the more dressy bands if not for the expense, but still the watch faces are no comparison to the Ultra.

 

[BarrettF77]

I like the 10, but no blood oxygen is a major Disappointment. Apple being cheap.

 

[anthogag]

"2 months with the black Watch Ultra"

 

[ab2c4]

"The larger version of the Series 10 has the biggest display of any Apple Watch, including the Ultra 2, but it's only a little bit bigger than the Ultra 2 so you're not missing out on much if you have Apple's more rugged watch. The Series 10 is lighter and thinner, though, so it can be more comfortable."

Ok what am I missing: the larger series 10 at 46mm is a bigger display than the Ultra2 at 49mm?

 

[jib2]

I really like my black titanium series 10 with the black titanium Milanese band. It is much faster than my series 6 titanium, and with the band is very light and comfortable on my wrist. I don't miss the oxygen sensor at all.

 

[Pedro_UKinternational]

It's interesting the differences. Due to finances myself and my wife agree to upgrade as little as possible, but due to battery life and OS upgrades find ourselves confined to certain upgrades. I have an iPhone 15 Pro and intewnd to have it until 18 or 19, battery permitting. I have an Apple Watch SE (yes the old one), and it's still going strong. Yes I need to charge it every night - but the 10 needs that too. From this update I ned dan Ultra, but this was not the year to buy an ultra for future proofing. I like to buy a quality apple product and make it last - that's why I buy Apple.

 

[Thisismattwade]

My series 6 went from all day, plus a 1+ hour gps-recorded run, to being dead by 3pm when I updated to watchOS 11. Photo syncing was the culprit; turned it off and all is back to normal. I was ready to ditch it for the 10, too.

Watch/Photos/Photo Syncing/off.

Thanks for the tip! I checked my settings and indeed that setting was turned on, so I switched it to off. I went through my Settings a while back, but I missed that piece. I'll see how that helps because I don't use Photos on my Watch at all!

(I always need help checking my desire to buy a new Apple device. )

 

[Jaspers dog]

Having been using Macs since the 90's, having had the first generation of every product, from iPod to iPad (Not Vision Pro) the watch is 10 generations in and I'm still not tempted to switch from my Garmin because of battery life and form factor (although the Apple style pricing on the Fenix 8 maybe the final shove I need).

 

[NVDA]

Still see no reason to upgrade from my Series 4. I'm not sleeping with my watch on, so uncomfortable. I'll get the Gen 4 Oura Ring for that.

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

I like the 10, but no blood oxygen is a major Disappointment. Apple being cheap.

The hardware is still there, so I have hope that it will be re-enabled after the legal disupte is dead.

 

[nonns]

I love my Series 10. I went back and forth with the Ultra 2 and Series 10. Couldn’t The siren on the Ultra was neat. The roll to red night vision was cool. I like the Ultra Modular face and the flat face of the Ultra, but the the weight was huge, I wear my watch to sleep every night. I decided on the 10 after wearing each for about a week. I’ve been extremely happy with my choice. And now with it getting colder I’ve noticed my sweater cuffs, jackets, half zip running jackets, etc…all seem to agree with the thinness of the 10 vs the bulky Ultra. The battery was a concern too, but I’ll tell you the charging is super fast on the 10. I put it on the puck when I shower after workouts and don’t have to charge it anymore during the day.

I wear my ultra 2 24/7. Have been for a year now. I can honestly say I don’t notice it at all. I’m struggling with the concept that the weight is huge. I mean it weighs 61 grammes vs 36g. Neither is exactly a vast tonnage! The much better battery life is a huge plus.

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

I wear my ultra 2 24/7. Have been for a year now. I can honestly say I don’t notice it at all. I’m struggling with the concept that the weight is huge. I mean it weighs 61 grammes vs 36g. Neither is exactly a vast tonnage! The much better battery life is a huge plus.

It's nearly double the weight.... not a huge mental leap to imagine someone disliking that.

 

[djinn]

Traded in my Ultra 1 for the S10. Only reason I went with the Ultra was the larger display because I'm old and blind. So far the watch has been nice. Battery isn't as good but doesn't impact my daily routines. And I like the slick design.
No regrets.

 

[ab2c4]

My series 6 went from all day, plus a 1+ hour gps-recorded run, to being dead by 3pm when I updated to watchOS 11. Photo syncing was the culprit; turned it off and all is back to normal. I was ready to ditch it for the 10, too.

Watch/Photos/Photo Syncing/off.

I am going to try this on my SE2 watch. I used to get two day battery life. Once I updated to watchOS 11 my battery life went down drastically so I'm hoping this helps.