Sleep apnea detection meets accelerated charging. What makes the new Apple Watch Series 10 special and who needs the latest model of the popular smartwatch? Our review reveals it.
For several years now, Apple's smartwatches have been a small health monitor on the wrist. Among other things, they record the heart rate or the oxygen content in the blood, can be used as a functional ECG and, if necessary, also monitor women's menstrual cycles. In the current Apple Watch 10 in conjunction with the update to watchOS 11, the manufacturer has now implemented another function: “Night vital signs”. The app of the same name aims to combat so-called sleep apnea. According to Apple, around a billion people worldwide suffer from breathing disorders and pauses in breathing during sleep – and a large percentage of them are unaware of it.
With the help of the new Apple Watch function, this can now be at least partially recognized and, if there is a suspicion, further diagnostic procedures can be considered with the treating doctor. The new app brings the data from heart and breathing rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen and the general duration of sleep into a relationship. After a longer period of monitoring, the smartwatch then reports any abnormalities – and sends the owner to the doctor. A gimmick that makes sense, but the Apple Watch 10 does not offer a unique selling point. On the one hand, this is also possible on older Apple Watches with the software update to watchOS 11, and Samsung also announced a similar function for the Galaxy Watch 7 in the second quarter of 2025.
This is the new Apple Watch 10
The Apple Watch 10 has been available since September 20, 2024, and the news agency spot on news has since tested the latest model extensively in everyday life. In its latest smartwatch version, the manufacturer is primarily relying on significantly improved charging capability – useful in combination with sleep monitoring, as the watch no longer needs to be charged overnight. In around 30 minutes, an empty battery is back to around 80 percent, and after just under 20 minutes in the test it is already at 50 percent – significantly better values than with the Series 9. However, if a generally larger battery capacity is important to you and if you don't use your watch every day If you want to take it off, you can hardly avoid the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which can also monitor sleep with the software update: Only after 36 hours of moderate use does the Ultra 2's battery fail, both the Series 9 and 10 do exhausted after around 18 hours.
The design of the Apple Watch 10 has only changed marginally, but this year it is even more high-quality and modern. The manufacturer managed to make the transition from display to housing much more delicate. In terms of dimensions, the screen size was increased slightly, but the height of both the 46mm and 42mm versions was reduced slightly and created a visibly thinner smartwatch. The new sizes: 46x39x9.7mm instead of 45x38x10.7mm and 42x36x9.7mm instead of 41x35x10.7mm. It is also becoming significantly lighter: the former stainless steel model gave way to a titanium version, which has an extreme impact on the weight. Instead of 51.5g in the large version it is now 41.7g, in the small 42mm version the weight shrinks from stainless steel to titanium from 42.3g to 34.4g. All aluminum variants have also become slightly lighter.
Conclusion:
The new Apple Watch 10 starts at a price of 449 euros for the small model with an aluminum housing without its own mobile phone connection. The large titanium version with cellular option costs 849 euros. For comparison: The chunkier, high-end version of the Apple Watch, the Ultra 2, which was introduced last year, only costs 50 euros more at 899 euros. Of course, with the Apple Watch 10, Apple has once again created a high-quality and functional smart watch with which there is nothing technically wrong. However, it is questionable whether you, as the owner of a slightly older variant, need to access it immediately. The watch OS 11 software update alone brings many innovations, which is also available for older Apple Watches. The actual innovations, however, are limited to small things such as the optimized quick charging function described, a slightly improved, larger display, a faster chip or the ability to play media via speakers in the watch.
By (dr/spot)
