We didn’t know much about the Apple Watch Series 10 going into Apple’s latest hardware event. Other than a handful of small leaks here and there, this year’s Apple Watch was a surprisingly well-kept secret. Now that it’s official and I’ve had a chance to use it, was it worth that tight-lipped secrecy? It may not seem so on the surface, but I think it was.
At first glance, the Apple Watch Series 10 doesn’t look very different from the Apple Watch Series 9. You still have a squircle display, the Digital Crown, the same watch band system, etc. Some rumors suggested we’d get a complete makeover of the Apple Watch in honor of the wearable’s tenth anniversary, but that didn’t exactly happen. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking the Apple Watch Series 10 is a simple rehash of the Series 9. There are some pretty significant hardware changes here, even if they aren’t immediately apparent.
The first big hardware change is the watch’s body. The Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch ever made — measuring 10 percent thinner than the Series 7, 8, and 9. The Series 10 is lighter, too. The aluminum case is up to 10 percent lighter than the Series 9, while the new brushed titanium case is nearly 20 percent lighter than the stainless steel Series 9.
Initially, as I was using the Series 10 by itself, these hardware changes didn’t immediately jump out at me. I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for the majority of the year, and almost everything is lighter and thinner than it. However, when I held the Series 10 side-by-side with a Series 9, it was unmistakable how much sleeker this year’s Apple Watch really is. It doesn’t look like that big of a change in photos, but you absolutely will notice it when you try the watch for yourself.
Along with making the Series 10 slimmer and lighter, Apple also made the display larger. The Apple Watch Series 10 now has the largest display ever on an Apple Watch — even bigger than the one on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. You get about nine percent more display area compared to the Series 9, and while that doesn’t sound like much, it is enough to fit more on the screen at once. If you’re reading a long text or email, for example, you can see an extra line of text on the display versus the Series 9. It’s a small gain, but it’s still greatly appreciated.
What I find even more impressive than the larger screen size is Apple’s new wide-angle OLED panel. This essentially lets the Series 10 emit more light at wider angles than before, greatly increasing off-angle viewing. I saw a demo of the Series 10 next to the Series 9, and looking at the displays from various angles, the Series 10 screen is remarkably brighter and clearer.
So much of the time I spend looking at my Apple Watch is from an angle rather than head-on, so putting such a strong emphasis on this just makes sense. This new OLED panel also enables select watch faces to display a ticking second hand/counter on the always-on display, which is a really nice touch
The other new hardware change is the speaker grille. It has a new design compared to the last few Apple Watch generations, and for the first time ever, it can play music and podcasts. It sounds surprisingly loud, and although it won’t replace your AirPods anytime soon, I can’t wait to use this to listen to podcasts while I’m doing chores around the house and don’t want to wear earbuds.
Admittedly, these are all fairly small things on their own, but added together, I think they make the Apple Watch Series 10 a pretty exciting upgrade. The lighter and thinner body is darn impressive, the improved display is fantastic, and the upgraded speaker is such a great addition. Combined with other upgrades like faster charging, sleep apnea tracking, and a depth gauge for water activities, there’s actually a lot to like.
The Apple Watch Series 10 may not be the game-changing Apple Watch some people believed it would be, but I also don’t think it’s fair to write it off as an insignificant spec bump. This is an impressive Apple Watch, and I can’t wait to spend more time with it.
Preorders for the Apple Watch Series 10 are live now, and regular sales will begin on September 20.