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 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...

Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat Avatar
8 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)
Entilzha Avatar
8 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)
dbc34 Avatar
8 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: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AgeOfSpiracles Avatar
8 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
8 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
8 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)