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Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10 — biggest likely upgrades explained
New Apple Watches are nearly here, including the Apple Watch Series 11 and possibly the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3. With under a week to go until the Apple September 9th event, there is no shortage of leaks and rumors to get the smartwatch faithful hyped up.
I’ve already covered how the Apple Watch 11 versus Apple Watch Ultra 3 might play out, but what about the Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Series 11? While a new Ultra and SE are less than certain, Apple has released a new flagship model every year since the first Apple Watch’s debut over a decade ago.
So, you can bet your britches on an Apple Watch Series 11 coming September 9th, but will it be worth the upgrade over the current Series 10? Based on everything we’ve learned so far from insider peeps and murmurs, here’s how the Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10 could compare.
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: price
Apple tends to be consistent year-over-year with pricing, but with all sorts of economic uncertainty afoot, there’s a chance we’ll see some sort of price hike. After all, Samsung increased pricing by $50 across the latest Galaxy Watch 8 lineup, while Google kept its price the same for the new Pixel Watch 4 compared to the Pixel Watch 3.
Assuming Apple follows Google’s example, the smaller non-LTE model of the Series 11 will start at $399, just like the Series 10.
Winner: draw
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Design
The Series 10 ushered in a refined case design for Apple’s flagship smartwatch with a thinner profile, a slight increase in height and width to accommodate a larger display, and a lighter overall footprint. And, all signs point to the Series 11 featuring the same exact case design.
The only exception is the outside possibility of an onboard camera making its way into the Series 11 case (though it would be hidden within the screen). However, that’s based on a single rumor, so I don’t put much faith in it.
Winner: draw
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Display
Like the Series 10, the Apple Watch Series 11 is likely to arrive in 42mm and 46mm, sporting the same screen dimensions, respectively. While a slight increase in pixel density is possible, the most likely display-related update will likely come in the form of increased brightness.
The display on the Series 10 maxes out at a respectable 2,000 nits, which is plenty for viewing in direct sunlight. However, both the latest Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 8 boast 3,000 nits of max brightness, suggesting that Apple will likely do the same. That would put it on par with the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Some rumors hint at a Micro-LED screen on the Series 11, but I doubt it. After all, the Series 10 introduced Apple’s latest wide-angle OLED technology, which offers fantastic readability at the oddest of angles. Moreover, if any device were to get a Micro-LED screen, my money would be on the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Health and fitness features
Every major smartwatch maker is doubling down on personalized workout features, and Apple is no exception. Similar to Samsung’s Running Coach and Google’s forthcoming Fitbit AI Fitness Coach (which is paywalled), Apple has Workout Buddy.
Free for all users, it’s designed to analyze your abilities and help you train with custom workout plans. Already available on the Apple Watch 10 — my colleague Jane ran 15 miles with Workout Buddy — I expect a more feature-rich final version to debut alongside the Apple Watch Series 11. The question is, will any features be exclusive to the latest models? I’d guess no, but I could be wrong.
With fitness tech likely to be pretty similar between the Series 10 and Series 11, what about wellness tech? Here’s where things get interesting. Rumors strongly hint that the latest Apple Watches could be the first full-featured smartwatches with high blood pressure monitoring.
Similar to sleep apnea detection, which takes some time to calibrate, this wellness feature would alert users if early signs of hypertension were detected. That alert will almost certainly come with a recommendation to seek further medical attention from an actual human doctor.
If high blood pressure alerts are actually ready for the big time, and that’s a big if, I bet that only the new Apple Watches, namely the Series 11 and Ultra 3, will offer it (sorry, SE 3).
A potential lifesaver, hypertension frequently goes unnoticed despite causing roughly 13% of deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. That alone could make the Series 11 worth the upgrade.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: AI features
Apple’s onboard AI features are fairly limited compared to the best smartwatches for Android. For example, the Galaxy Watch 8 and Pixel Watch 3 ship with Google’s genuinely useful Gemini AI voice assistant built in. Siri on the Apple Watch, meanwhile, is still awaiting its AI overhaul.
That said, with an expected increase in processing power, any additional Apple Intelligence features for the Apple Watch Series 11 — beyond those introduced with watchOS 26 beta — will surely run smoother on the newer device compared to the older one (assuming last year’s model gets them at all).
Workout Buddy, Apple’s new AI-powered fitness coach, is already available in beta form for the Series 10 (and other eligible devices); however, to use it, you need to have one of the latest-gen Apple iPhones. Perhaps the Series 11 will support Workout Buddy natively without that barrier?
Winner: draw
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Battery life
The Apple Watch Series 10 debuted, offering the same 18 hours of battery life as the original model that came a decade before it. While you can bump that up to 36 hours using low-power mode, Apple’s flagship smartwatch line is still way behind the competition. The new Pixel Watch 3 in 45mm is rated at 40 hours per charge, not in low-power mode, for example.
I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll see actual longevity improvements this time around, perhaps thanks to a combination of slightly larger capacity batteries and improved processing efficiency. Still, even if that happens, the difference in run time likely won’t be enormous. Then again, every extra hour counts.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Should you upgrade?
It rarely makes sense to upgrade to the latest flagship Apple Watch model every single year. Will 2025 be any different? That all comes down to three things: Hypertension alerts, AI features, and battery life enhancements.
While the Series 11 will surely be zippier under the hood and offer a slightly nicer display, that’s not enough in my mind to justify trading in the Series 10. On the flip side, if it’s the first smartwatch with high blood pressure alerts, it might be. This is especially true if the Series 11 also offers exclusive Apple Intelligence features (that are useful) and/or breaks the 18-hour battery life barrier.
We’ll know more soon. Stay tuned for our full coverage of the September 9 Apple Watch event, including day-of hands-on with the latest Apple Watch models.
