Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Are the Differences Enough to Justify Upgrading?

In the event you’re taking a look at getting an Apple Watch this vacation season, you have got a troublesome alternative: Do you have to purchase the most recent Apple Watch Series 11, or discover a Series 10 that has a lot of the identical options at a decrease value? Apple made incremental modifications to its flagship smartwatch, whereas additionally introducing important enhancements to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.

There are nonetheless sufficient variations to make you look twice at shifting up (particularly in case you’re coming from an older mannequin). Let’s examine the fashions aspect by aspect and tease out the finer particulars.

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Pricing the Apple Watch Sequence 11

The Sequence 11 has stored the same price because the Sequence 10. It begins at $399 for the mannequin with an aluminum physique or $699 for one product of titanium.

Add $30 for the bigger 46mm case measurement in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Choosing a mannequin with a mobile radio that connects independently to networks provides $100. And in case you select a band product of one thing aside from rubber or textile — a stainless-steel hyperlink bracelet, for instance — the worth climbs additional. Sadly, you possibly can’t order simply the watch case; it’s important to choose a brand new band, even when it results in your drawer in favor of 1 you already personal and like.

There’s additionally a titanium Apple Watch Hermès mannequin obtainable in silver titanium in each sizes that begins at $1,249.

Apple not sells the Sequence 10, for the reason that Sequence 11 replaces it, however you possibly can nonetheless discover refurbished Sequence 10 fashions for much less from Apple, and new fashions from different retailers whereas provides final.

Watch this: Apple Watch Sequence 11 Assessment: Is It Well worth the Improve?

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Apple Watch Sequence 11 vs. Sequence 10: Outward design

The Sequence 11 and Sequence 10 share the identical case design and supplies. The bigger mannequin measures 46mm tall by 39mm large, whereas the smaller is available in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for persevering with to supply two sizes to accommodate folks with different-sized wrists.) They’re additionally each 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch fashions that got here earlier than, at 9.7mm.

Regardless of being principally the identical in dimensions, the Sequence 11 is barely heavier than the Sequence 10. For instance, the 46mm aluminum GPS Sequence 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up barely from 36.4 grams for the Sequence 10. The 42mm variations are available at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively.

For colours, the Sequence 11 provides an area grey aluminum choice to go together with rose gold, silver and jet black. Each fashions are additionally obtainable in titanium finishes of slate, gold and pure.

The bodily controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a aspect button (that Apple cleverly calls the “aspect button”). Solely the Apple Watch Extremely features a third bodily management: the Motion button.

Additionally noteworthy: The titanium Sequence 11 is product of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled materials within the titanium Sequence 10. The show glass is product of 40% recycled glass within the Sequence 11; no quantity is listed for the Sequence 10. And the battery within the Sequence 11 makes use of 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Sequence 10 lists solely 100% recycled cobalt.)

Sequence 11 vs. Sequence 10 screens

The screens on each the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED show. Meaning it is simpler to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on show refreshes as soon as per second, permitting the seconds counter to maneuver even when the watch is in inactive mode.

LTPO3 screens are additionally extra energy environment friendly. The screens attain as much as 2,000 nits for clear visibility in daylight and dim down to simply 1 nit in darkness.

The important thing distinction between the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10 screens lies within the glass masking. On the Sequence 11 aluminum fashions, Apple makes use of Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant because the glass on earlier aluminum variations. The titanium Sequence 11 makes use of a sapphire crystal show.

Apple Watch processor and chips

Usually we might spotlight how the brand new processor improves on its predecessor, however for 2025 Apple caught with the identical S10 processor discovered within the Sequence 10. That additionally means the opposite chips stay the identical, too: the W3 Apple Wi-fi chip, the second-generation Extremely Wideband chip (for exact Discover My location monitoring), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.

Battery energy: Sequence 11 vs. Sequence 10

Battery life is the place the 2 fashions get actually fascinating. Apple would not reveal how giant the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capability, however it’s claiming as much as 24 hours for the Sequence 11 in comparison with 18 hours for the Sequence 10. In Low Energy Mode, that is as much as 38 hours for the Sequence 11, up from 36 hours within the Sequence 10.

It isn’t solely clear the place Apple squeezed an additional six hours of battery life out of what seems to be principally equivalent {hardware}. Each telephones use the identical S10 processor, although there are seemingly software program optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead author Vanessa Hand Orellana discovered that, at the least initially, Apple could also be undercounting the battery efficiency, writing in her review, “With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at the least one 30- to 45-minute out of doors exercise a day, a full night time of sleep monitoring and a few gentle flashlight use, I’ve constantly managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per cost.”

As for charging the watches, each the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10 may be charged as much as 80% in about half-hour. Apple says that with a 20W energy adapter, quarter-hour of quick charging gives as much as 8 hours of standard use, whereas simply 5 minutes is sufficient for eight hours of sleep monitoring — because of the watch’s a lot decrease energy calls for when you’re asleep. Apple’s comparison information for the Sequence 10 would not checklist these final two metrics, however that appears extra attributable to it being a advertising level final 12 months versus a brand new functionality within the Sequence 11.

Evaluating the sensors of the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10

The Apple Watch’s sensors energy well being options that vary from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to express location monitoring. That mentioned…

They’re equivalent within the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10. No modifications right here.

One other change: Connectivity within the Sequence 11 and Sequence 10

One of many extra notable modifications within the mobile fashions of the Sequence 11 is help for 5G networks, particularly a power-efficient kind referred to as 5G Diminished Capability (or 5G RedCap). That permits it to hook up with each 5G and LTE networks with out having to undergo a related iPhone, and the 5G speeds must be higher. By comparability, the mobile Sequence 10 helps LTE and UMTS (3G).

A part of incorporating 5G into the Sequence 11 fashions is a redesigned mobile antenna and an algorithm that “concurrently engages the 2 system antennas when wanted, considerably growing the sign power,” in line with Apple’s Series 11 press release. That algorithm is unique to the Sequence 11 and Apple Watch Extremely 3, per Apple.

Each Apple Watch fashions help Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple’s comparability web page solely lists the speeds for the Sequence 11, however an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported for the reason that Sequence 6 watches.)

Each watches discuss to the iPhone and different peripherals utilizing Bluetooth 5.3.

WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Sequence 11 and Sequence 10

The brand new options of WatchOS 26 come to each watch fashions, together with hypertension notifications, Sleep Rating and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance within the US amid an ongoing authorized dispute). Apple’s comparability web page lists the brand new Wrist Flick gesture for the Sequence 11 however not the Sequence 10, however that have to be a typo as a result of I can affirm that it really works on my Sequence 10 watch.