Review: Two Months With the Apple Watch Series 10

It's been two months since Apple released the Apple Watch Series 10, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using the Series 10 alongside an Apple Watch Ultra 2 to provide a longer term review and comparison.


The larger version of the Series 10 has the biggest display of any Apple Watch, including the Ultra 2, but it's only a little bit bigger than the Ultra 2 so you're not missing out on much if you have Apple's more rugged watch. The Series 10 is lighter and thinner, though, so it can be more comfortable.

In addition to having the largest display, the Series 10 has better visibility at an angle, so you can better see the time regardless of what you're doing. There's a 1Hz minimum refresh rate too so you get an always-on second hand with some watch faces.

Apple added sleep apnea detection to the Series 10, but the Apple Watch Ultra got it too, so there's no real distinguishing health feature to set it apart. It basically has all the same features as the Ultra 2, including the Dive app and a Tides app, but it can't be used for deep water diving because it doesn't have the same depth resistance. Also unique to the Ultra 2 is the siren sound.

Given the near feature parity, if you have an Ultra 2, there's probably no reason to get the Series 10 at this point, unless you want a watch that's slimmer and lighter. If you're trying to decide between the Ultra 2 and the Series 10, it's between weight and battery life. The Series 10 is lighter and more comfortable, but the Ultra 2 has much longer battery life.

What are your Apple Watch Series 10 thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...

Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat Avatar
12 months ago

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?
My series 6 went from all day, plus a 1+ hour gps-recorded run, to being dead by 3pm when I updated to watchOS 11. Photo syncing was the culprit; turned it off and all is back to normal. I was ready to ditch it for the 10, too.

Watch/Photos/Photo Syncing/off.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dbc34 Avatar
12 months ago
I love my Series 10. I went back and forth with the Ultra 2 and Series 10. Couldn’t The siren on the Ultra was neat. The roll to red night vision was cool. I like the Ultra Modular face and the flat face of the Ultra, but the the weight was huge, I wear my watch to sleep every night. I decided on the 10 after wearing each for about a week. I’ve been extremely happy with my choice. And now with it getting colder I’ve noticed my sweater cuffs, jackets, half zip running jackets, etc…all seem to agree with the thinness of the 10 vs the bulky Ultra. The battery was a concern too, but I’ll tell you the charging is super fast on the 10. I put it on the puck when I shower after workouts and don’t have to charge it anymore during the day.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Entilzha Avatar
12 months ago
The larger battery life of the Ultra 2 outweighs any other benefit I’d get from the 10, honestly.

My local Apple Store gave me an Ultra 2 (tho I paid an extra $50 for the upgrade bump) due to the AppleCare repair folks refusing service on my clearly-having-battery-issues SS series 7 back in February, and the extra battery was truly amazing for me. No daily recharge was a huge thing.

I love the look of the series 10, but I’ll live with the extra weight and G-Shockiness of my Ultra 2 for the time being!

But dang, that titanium 10 sure does look nice…
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AgeOfSpiracles Avatar
12 months ago

I like the 10, but no blood oxygen is a major Disappointment. Apple being cheap.
The hardware is still there, so I have hope that it will be re-enabled after the legal disupte is dead.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Entilzha Avatar
12 months ago

My OG SE battery has started to act weird. Some days it lasts all day (6a - 9p) and some days it's dead at noon. I have no notifications on and I rarely use it for anything but Fitness tracking - not Olympic level training either. I don't do sleep tracking. I like the mindfulness app to force me to take breaks throughout the day, too. Otherwise, it's just an extension of my phone for quick weather or time tracking.

I'm really tempted by the 10, and I know it would be a huge upgrade, but I think even the 2nd gen SE would be a good (and cheaper) upgrade for me.

Was anyone in my boat and made either choice?
Go for the 10. There should be some good deals next week, and it’ll last for a good long while!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ralphdaily Avatar
12 months ago
My series 10 is by far the nicest Apple Watch I’ve had and I’ve had most of them including the 9. it’s noticeably thinner, display is easier to read and the gold Milanese loop is beautiful on my 42mm gold titanium watch. I have no interest in the Ultra. P.S. I really like the gold Reflections face.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)