Apple Watch Series 10 Announced with Larger Screen and Thinner Design

The tenth version of the Apple Watch was announced at Apple’s conference on Monday. It features a 40 percent brighter, wide-angle OLED screen that is larger than the display on the Apple Watch Ultra.

The new Apple Watch Series 10 is just 9.7 millimeters thin, making it 10 percent thinner and 10 percent lighter than the Apple Watch Series 9. Apple says its larger OLED screen, the largest ever featured in an Apple Watch, allows for an extra line of text to appear on the screen, making it easier for users to check emails and messages at a glance.

Powered by Apple’s new S10 chip with a quad-core Neural Engine, the Series 10 features a polished aluminum finish and a new metal back that integrates the smartwatch’s various antennas. It’s still waterproof to a depth of 50 meters and includes a larger charging coil for faster charging. The Series 10 battery can charge to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes, and it has a battery life of 18 hours.

The Series 10 will be the first Apple Watch with sleep apnea detection (FDA approval pending), using the smartwatch’s accelerometer to monitor the user’s breathing when it’s regularly worn during sleep. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes people to suddenly stop breathing during sleep and is typically detected using equipment that monitors the patient’s heart, breathing patterns, brain activity, and even limb movements. If the Series 10 detects signs of sleep apnea, it will alert the user and provide a detailed report that can be shared with a doctor who can make an official diagnosis.

The speakers in the Series 10 are smaller to improve the smartwatch’s battery life, but Apple says the change doesn’t affect sound quality. For the first time, the speakers in the Series 10 can also be used for audio playback, including music and podcasts, rather than just being used as a speaker for calls.

Apple Watch Series 10 will be available in three finishes: natural, gold, and dark gray, as well as a Grade 5 titanium version that is 20 percent lighter than the Series 9. It will be available on September 20, and will start at $399 for the GPS-only version or $499 for the cellular version.

Apple Watch Series 10 will also be available with watchOS 11, which introduces several new fitness-focused features, including the Vitals app, a training load metric that lets you know if you’re above or below your usual activity and training levels, and the option to pause Activity rings so a rest day doesn’t interrupt a long streak.

The tenth Apple Watch arrives after nearly a decade of iterative updates to the company’s smartwatch. Apple initially focused on marketing it as a fashion accessory and iPhone companion, but the Apple Watch has since become an important health and fitness tool thanks to hardware improvements and new features added to watchOS.

The Series 10 is a follow-up to last year’s Apple Watch Series 9, which introduced features like a “double tap” gesture for answering calls with one hand, a brighter screen, and the new S9 SiP (System in Package) for faster on-device processing of Siri requests.

Previously, the Apple Watch Series 8 added temperature sensors to better monitor health, as well as accident detection. The watch debuted alongside the Apple Watch Ultra and featured a larger screen, additional buttons, and a more durable and long-lasting design that allowed it to compete with outdoor-focused products from companies like Garmin and Suunto.

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