Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10 — biggest upgrades explained

The Apple Watch Series 11 has arrived, and it looks, well, just like the Apple Watch Series 10. However, under the hood, there are all sorts of meaningful improvements.

How does the Apple Watch Series 11 compare to the Apple Watch Series 10, and is the new model worth the upgrade? I've broken down the differences between the two across seven categories, including price, design, display, durability, health features, AI features, and battery life.

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: specs compared

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Price

The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, the same starting cost as the Series 10. That's for the smaller 42mm non-cellular model. Meanwhile, the 46mm Series 11 starts at $429, which is also a match with last year's 46mm non-cellular Series 10; add $100 to either for the 5G-capable model.

Of course, while the Series 11 and Series 10 are priced the same, the latter will surely be easier to find at a discount.

Winner: Apple Watch Series 10

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 compared to the Series 9, a slight increase in height and width to accommodate a larger display, and a lighter overall footprint.

Aside from some slight differences in weight, the Series 11 sports the exact same design, including dimensions, as the Series 10.

Winner: draw

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Display

The Apple Watch Series 11 also sports the same display as the Series 10, a wide-angle OLED panel with 326 pixels per inch and 2,000 nits of max brightness.

Winner: draw

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Durability

Durability-wise, both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Series 10 are rated for 50 meters of water resistance. Each also comes in your choice of aluminum or titanium. However, the newer model boasts more scratch and impact-resistant screen protection.

A new manufacturing process that incorporates a ceramic coating should make the latest model front glass twice as resilient to scratches as the Series 10 glass.

Winner: Apple Watch Series 11

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Health and fitness features

The marquee health feature of the new Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 is hypertension detection. However, the Apple Watch Series 10 also supports the feature with the latest watchOS 26 software.

Similar to sleep apnea detection, it takes an extended period of wearing to calibrate (30 days). During that time, the watch is using running data from the optical heart rate sensor through an algorithm to scan for signs of hypertension.

If anything troubling is detected, users will receive an alert recommending they seek further medical assessment. While this new health tool won't catch every single instance of hypertension, Apple expects that it could tip off as many as one million users in its first year alone.

This is important because hypertension frequently goes unnoticed despite causing roughly 10.8 million preventable deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization.

The Series 11 also offers users a numeric sleep score out of 100, something Apple Watch owners have been requesting for a long time. Like hypertension alerts, the Series 10 also supports sleep scores. In fact, all watchOS 26-eligible models do.

These two wellness upgrades aside, the Series 11 holistic toolkit and tech are the same as last year's model.

Winner: Draw

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.

Ultimately, AI features on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10 are the same. The most noteworthy new one is Workout Buddy.

Every major smartwatch maker is doubling down on personalized workout features, and Apple is no exception. Workout Buddy is similar to Samsung's Running Coach and Google's forthcoming Fitbit AI Fitness Coach (which is paywalled).

Free for all users, it's designed to analyze your abilities and help you train with custom workout plans, real-time encouragement, stats, and more. My colleague Jane ran 15 miles with Workout Buddy and found both positives and negatives, though that was a beta version of the feature.

Winner: draw

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Battery life

The Apple Watch Series 10 offers 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, the Series 10 lags behind the competition. The new Pixel Watch 4 in 45mm is rated at 40 hours per charge, not in low-power mode, for example.

Much to my delight, the new Apple Watch Series 11 finally breaks the 18-hour mark, offering a full 24 hours of battery life per charge or 38 hours in low-power mode.

Winner: Apple Watch Series 11

Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch 10: Should you upgrade?

Sporting essentially the same design, including the display, there is no reason to upgrade from the Series 10 to the Series 11 aesthetically, that is, unless you really want the new Space Grey case.

That said, those craving better battery life, 5G connectivity, or tougher screen protection might want to consider the Series 11 over the Series 10. The newer model offers 24 hours of battery instead of 18, a 5G antenna instead of LTE, and a screen that's twice as durable as before.

What do you think of the new Apple Watch Series 11? Will you be upgrading, and if so, from which model? Let me know in the comments below.

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