I Love My Apple Watch Series 11, but You Might Not Like It.
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The Apple Watch Series 11 is now available, and after just a few days of using a test unit, I’m already pleased with the upgrade. Whether it’s worth it for you, however, is another matter entirely.
Before the Series 11, I was still using the first-generation Apple Watch SE. Since I don’t need much from a smartwatch, the SE was perfectly adequate: basic media playback with heart rate tracking and one-tap payment. What more could you want?
But the Series 11 taught me that I can desire so much more. The larger screen with Always-On Display is a nice bonus, as is the thinner and lighter case. The problem is, the Apple Watch Series 11 isn’t the first Apple Watch with these advantages. If you, like me, haven’t updated your watch in a while, the Apple Watch Series 11 is a great choice. But those with a newer Apple Watch might be better off waiting and saving their money.
What I like most about the Apple Watch Series 11
While the Apple Watch Series 11 has a new chip and improved both battery life and wireless connectivity, I’ve already mentioned what’s most important to me. Fundamentally, I just love how incredibly comfortable this watch is. When it launched, the Series 10 was Apple’s thinnest and lightest smartwatch, but since the Series 11 inherited its design, it’s now comparable to its successor.
Both devices feel almost unnoticeable when you’re wearing them (though I don’t use the Series 10 daily, my husband has one that he’s letting me use to write this article). While the round touchpad on my SE often feels pressed into my wrist, the Series 10 and 11 feel flat on my wrist thanks to their thinner casing. This is a huge relief over extended use, and it only gets better with the few grams Apple has shaved off the weight.
The display also contributes to the experience. Both the Series 10 and Series 11 have an Always-on display, and while the Always-on display has been around since the Series 5, this is the first time I’ve used it on a watch. The Apple Watch display has also become 9% larger since the Series 10, so the Series 11 screen feels a bit more luxurious than what owners of the Series 9 and earlier models are used to.
The larger, always-on display makes using the watch more comfortable because it’s much easier to look at. With my SE, I had to raise my wrist to see the watch screen, but with the 10 and 11, that’s no longer necessary. With 2000 nits of brightness, the display is clearly visible even when your wrist is at a slight angle. Thanks to the OLED display and 1Hz refresh rate, the always-on display refreshes every second without draining the battery. Turning off the screen was probably the biggest annoyance I had with smartwatches compared to regular ones, but now I don’t have to worry about it at all.
I’m so pleased with the improved comfort that I decided to buy the Series 11 after returning this device for review. I was worried that since the Series 11 starts at 42mm, while my first-generation SE starts at 40mm, it might feel too big. In fact, while I still prefer smaller watches, this size turned out to be a better fit.
What else can the Apple Watch Series 11 do?
If you’re upgrading from an older watch, the Series 11 also offers access to a much larger number of sensors. But frankly, most of them are unnecessary. For example, it can only be used as a dive computer at depths of up to 6 meters (or about 20 feet), which isn’t ideal for most people. However, there are some advanced features worth checking out.
Firstly, these smartwatches are easier to control than older Apple models. With watchOS 26, Series 9, 10, and 11 models gained support for the ” wrist flick” and “double-tap” gestures, and both are quite convenient. They can be compared to “dismiss” and “accept,” respectively. Wrist flicks can be used to dismiss notifications, and double-tapping, while slightly more customizable, is supposed to play music or control the smartwatch hands-free.
Essentially, these features eliminate the need to fiddle with the watch’s screen while you’re busy. For example, this morning I got a call while working out with the Series 11 (it felt much more comfortable on my wrist than the SE), and I only had to quickly rotate my wrist away from my body to dismiss the call. Normally, I’d just wait for the call to go to voicemail, so this was a great way to avoid distractions.
Besides the new gestures, Series 11 also has several new health features. Like the depth gauge, whether you’ll use them depends on who you are, but there are a few I’m particularly excited about. For example, like my colleague Beth Skuerecki, I’m not a fan of Sleep Score , which attempts to break down your sleep quality into a single number but feels too general to be of much use. On the other hand, hypertension notifications are very important to me. Hypertension notifications weren’t available on my SE (and still aren’t available on any SE, for that matter). Instead, you need an Apple Watch Series 9 or higher. These notifications passively track how your blood vessels respond to your heart rate using PPG, then send you a notification if your watch detects significant irregularities over a 30-day period.
One of the reasons my husband bought the Apple Watch Series 10 was so he could use the ECG to track his heart rate throughout his workout, not just during workouts. This helped him realize that his heart rate was sometimes too high after drinking caffeine or before bed, and his doctor eventually diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation. He might not have noticed it if he didn’t have the data to back it up, but now that he’s been treated, he says he feels much more stable throughout the day, without the occasional spikes. (Plus, atrial fibrillation can become quite serious if left untreated, so his doctor is glad he caught it early.)
If these hypertension alerts, which do the same thing but for high blood pressure, can help my husband maintain heart health, I’m all for them. He really does need to check his blood pressure regularly as part of his ongoing treatment, and while the Apple Watch can’t provide him with specific numbers, it should help him passively determine what his numbers mean and whether he should be concerned. Besides, I’m interested in trying them too. The CDC reports that “of the 75 million Americans with hypertension… about 11 million don’t know their blood pressure is too high and aren’t receiving treatment to control it.” Considering how well the Apple Watch helped my husband diagnose his atrial fibrillation, it brings a little extra peace of mind to also have it check for high blood pressure.
What’s new in Apple Watch Series 11?
The catch is, the Apple Watch Series 11 isn’t the only way to get these new features. The thin and light display is on the Series 10, while the “splash” and “double-tap” features are on Series 9 and above, as is hypertension notifications. The Series 11 is a great upgrade over my SE, but if you’re already using a more modern Apple Watch, you might not want to buy the new model at all. You’ll likely buy the Series 11 for just three reasons.
Firstly, the Apple Watch Series 11 features a 5G modem. Currently, the Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3 are the only Apple Watch models with 5G support, while older models use LTE, a type of 4G. This means these watches are faster, and since 5G is also more efficient than 4G, they also save battery life when using online features.
Secondly, the Series 11 features an improved Ion-X glass display. It uses proprietary technology, and Apple claims it’s twice as scratch-resistant as the Series 10. This technology is only available on aluminum models, as the titanium models use slightly less durable sapphire glass, but it’s also available on the SE 3 (the Ultra 3 uses sapphire glass).
Third, the Series 11 has longer battery life. While I haven’t used the Series 11 long enough to test its battery life, Apple claims 24 hours of battery life for the Series 11 (or 38 hours in Low Power Mode) versus 18 hours for the Series 10 (or 36 hours in Low Power Mode). I have a trip coming up, and I’m curious to see how those claims hold up when I’m away from an outlet for extended periods.
However, while these are all nice touches, none of them compare to the striking appearance of, say, the new slim case of the Series 10. Plus, if you own a Series 10 and are worried about scratching your watch or don’t have a cellular plan for it, you won’t get any benefit other than improved battery life.
I both recommend and don’t recommend the Apple Watch Series 11.
Which brings me to my final point. The Apple Watch Series 11 is a great watch if you’re a few years behind on the upgrade, but it’s probably worth skipping if you have a Series 10. For me, it was a significant quality-of-life upgrade over my first-generation SE, which came out in 2020, but if it weren’t for the Series 10’s color difference, my husband might not be able to tell it apart from his previous one.
That’s why, when I have to return this review unit, I’ll likely spend $400 on a new one. That’s the same price the Series 10 has been selling for so far, and while the Series 10 can currently be found at a slight discount from third-party retailers, for me, the longer battery life is probably worth the extra $40-50. My husband, on the other hand, will continue playing with what’s already on his wrist.
I’m guessing this is what a lot of other people will do: upgrade if you’re a few years behind, but otherwise, wait. But there’s another option. (Okay, two options if you want to go premium and get the $800 Apple Watch Ultra 3.) You can just buy the Apple Watch SE 3 instead. Launching alongside the Series 11, this watch is a major upgrade over the SE 2, starting at $250 and updating that model to include an always-on display, sleep apnea notifications, temperature measurement, 5G, fast charging, and notifications with both a wrist wave and a double tap. But it’s not as thin as the Apple Watch Series 11, the screen isn’t as big, and it can’t track an ECG or hypertension notifications. I’ve been so spoiled by the Series 11 that I’m not sure I can commit to this, but for others, it might be just the thing.