Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 10 Buyer's Guide: 18 Upgrades Compared

The Apple Watch Series 10 is now available for pre-order. The latest models feature 18 upgrades over their predecessors, so here's everything that's changed.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs Series 10 Buyers Guide 2 Mock
Apple's latest Apple Watch models bring range of small improvements along with the first design refresh in three years. Some of the most significant hardware changes include new display technologies, water temperature and depth sensing, and a reengineered metal back that allows for faster charging.

But beyond these headline features, how much of an improvement does the ‌Apple Watch Series 10‌ really offer? This guide breaks down the differences between the Series 9 and ‌Series 10 models to help you understand all of the changes and determine whether these enhancements are enough to justify making the switch from a Series 9‌.

Apple Watch Series 9 Apple Watch Series 10
Same design as Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch Series 8 Refined design with a thinner casing, display with more rounded edges and a wider aspect ratio, and front glass that extends further over the sides for a higher screen-to-body ratio
41mm and 45mm casing size options 42mm and 46mm casing size options
Available with aluminum or stainless steel casing Available with aluminum or titanium casing
Aluminum: Available in anodized Silver, Starlight, Midnight, Pink, and (PRODUCT)RED finishes
Stainless Steel: Available in polished Silver, Gold, and Graphite finishes
Aluminum: Available in anodized Silver and Rose Gold, and polished Jet Black finishes
Titanium: Available in polished Silver (matches previous stainless steel casing, Apple Watch Hermès only), Gold, Slate, and Natural finishes
Ceramic and sapphire crystal back Metal back with larger charging coil and integrated antenna
41mm: 1.69-inch display
45mm: 1.9-inch display
42mm: 1.89-inch display
46mm: 2.04-inch display
LTPO OLED Always-On Retina display LTPO3 OLED Always-On Retina display (faster refresh rate in always-on mode, enabling a live ticking seconds hand on select watch faces)
Wide-angle OLED (up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle)
Flux and Reflections watch faces, optimized for the larger display and faster refresh rate
S9 chip More compact S10 chip
Body temperature sensor Body and water temperature sensor
Depth gauge to 6m
Depth app
Oceanic+ app for snorkelling (available on the App Store)
Microphone Microphone with voice isolation
Single, elongated speaker hole Redesigned speaker with individual holes
Speaker Speaker with media playback
Fast charging (0–80% in 45 minutes) Faster charging (0–80% in about 30 minutes)

Dimensions

The Series 10 introduces slight increases in height and width, resulting in a marginally larger screen-to-body ratio. However, the depth is significantly reduced by over 9%, making the Series 10 noticeably thinner. Despite the larger case sizes, the Series 10 is lighter across both aluminium GPS and GPS + Cellular models.

Apple Watch Series 9 Apple Watch Series 10
Height 41mm: 41mm
45mm: 45mm
42mm: 42mm (+2.44%)
46mm: 46mm (+2.22%)
Width 41mm: 35mm
45mm: 38mm
42mm: 36mm (+2.86%)
46mm: 39mm (+2.63%)
Depth 41mm: 10.7mm
45mm: 10.7mm
42mm: 9.7mm (-9.35%)
46mm: 9.7mm (-9.35%)
Weight (aluminium, GPS) 41mm: 31.9g
45mm: 38.7g
42mm: 30g (-5.96%)
46mm: 36.4g (-5.95%)
Weight (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) 41mm: 32.1g
45mm: 39.0g
42mm: 29.3g (-8.72%)
46mm: 35.3g (-9.49%)

Release Date

The Apple Watch Series 10 is now available for pre-order, with availability beginning Friday, September 20.

Is It Worth Upgrading?

The Apple Watch Series 10 brings several enhancements over the Series 9, but for most users, the differences are incremental. The thinner and lighter design is an improvement, but it doesn't fundamentally alter the device's overall appearance or experience. The slightly larger display and wide-angle OLED, while improving readability, isn't a drastic change.

The improved speaker and microphone on the Series 10 are also worth noting as minor upgrades. The new speaker can playback media for the first time and the microphone now features voice isolation, improving call clarity in noisy environments.

One of the more significant changes is the faster charging. The Series 10 charges to 80% in around 30 minutes, compared to 45 minutes for the Series 9, which could be a noteworthy improvement for users who frequently need quick charges. Additionally, the Series 10 introduces new finishes, including a polished Jet Black aluminum and polished titanium options, offering a more premium aesthetic.

While the Series 10 does bring some useful upgrades, like water depth and temperature sensing, faster charging and improved audio quality, most of these enhancements feel like refinements rather than essential upgrades. Unless you're particularly drawn to the refreshed design and display improvements, the faster charging, new water features, or the speaker and microphone improvements, it's hard to justify upgrading from the Series 9. For most users, the differences won't significantly impact their daily use, making the Series 10 an upgrade only for those with very specific needs or preferences.

Those with a much older Apple Watch will have much better reason to upgrade, with the improvements of successive Apple Watch generations, such as body temperature sensing and the Double Tap gesture, stacking up for a more substantial overall difference.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

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Top Rated Comments

Motawa Avatar
7 months ago
Who writes this? You list the 2 new health features as features but then you go „well actually it’s not gonna happen this year“

And what „fresh design“ there is no design refresh, it’s just bigger
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
7 months ago
Wait I thought the rumors was it would be thinner? But now it will go from 10.7mm depth to 11.6mm depth?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Javah Avatar
7 months ago
I don't understand why Apple is making the watch larger. The 46mm model is too big for most female wrists. My wife will be upgrading to an apple watch 9 41mm or an SE of there is a 41mm because the 46mm model is just to big.

I am curious about the sales numbers when they are released.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Victor Mortimer Avatar
7 months ago
Seriously? 46 and 49?

Ugh. And my 45mm 7 is too big, I was considering upgrading to a 41mm.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surfzen21 Avatar
7 months ago

Wait I thought the rumors was it would be thinner? But now it will go from 10.7mm depth to 11.6mm depth?
I think when they say depth they actually mean width and when they say width they actually mean length ?‍?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Roberto1234 Avatar
7 months ago
Wow, i am speechless. One of the worst Apple watch updates ever. I am still on my AW 4 and will be for a long time. I think Apple stopped innovation since Covid. Most of their workers are chilling in home office.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)