Bigger and smarter: The Apple Watch 10 is what we've been waiting for

A decade has passed since Apple introduced its first smartwatch to the world, a product that initially sparked more questions than enthusiasm. "Who needs that anyway?", we all wondered, journalists and tech enthusiasts alike. Today, Apple dominates the smart watch market, but the bitter truth is that this is one of the few products of the company that hardly experienced any significant change over the years. I myself have been wearing the Apple Watch since the fifth generation, which was launched somewhere in 2019. Over the years, I had no real reason to upgrade - I skipped the sixth and seventh generations, and returned to the upgrade cycle only with the eighth generation, and later with the ninth generation.

And for those who forgot, Apple's first series of products in the post-Steve Jobs era started out as a boring product. But over the years, it has evolved into a whole new category that emphasizes health and safety. Features like EKG and heart rate monitor, which were once considered science fiction, have become an integral part of the watch, and Apple even boasts at its events about how the watch has saved lives.

In a certain irony, precisely at the last announcement event, the Apple Watch was almost swallowed up in the background of the announcement of the iPhone 16 series, even though this is the first time in about five years that it undergoes a design change. What makes the tenth generation so special? We received it for an in-depth review from the Partner network, and discovered that the changes are not limited only to the exterior.

Design - evolution is required

Although Apple announced the Series 10 as the most significant design change in years, it is actually more of a design evolution than a revolution. Unlike the dramatic transition between the iPhone X (10th generation) and the iPhone 8, the changes in the 10 series are subtle and are only revealed in a direct comparison to the previous model: A slightly larger screen, a thinner and lighter body, and a more polished finish. And make no mistake, the Series 10 is still the same iconic Apple Watch, but more refined and elegant.

In practice, as a long-time user of the 41mm model, the move to the new 42mm is noticeable, but not overly so. And yes, larger screens usually make the watch less comfortable, but sometimes it's just worth it. In fact, these changes even improve the user experience: The larger screen allows for more comfortable viewing of the content, the lighter weight makes the watch more comfortable to wear for a long time, and the display area shows more content and makes it easier to use the various applications, including typing (on the keyboard, which until now was quite tiny).

And if we talk about numbers for a moment, Apple managed to reduce the weight significantly, which adds to the airy feeling. The 42mm model with cellular connectivity now weighs just 29.3g, about 9% less than the 41mm model of the Series 9. Even the 46mm model, at 35.3g, is almost 10% lighter than the 45mm model of the previous generation.

And another particularly interesting detail: With the 46 mm model, Apple works real magic. The display on this model is larger than the display on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which comes in 49 mm! How is that possible? Thanks to clever geometry and a bit of dark magic. The watch case has curved edges and the display "spills" down the sides, which allows maximum use of the space. In contrast, the Ultra 2 has a flat display and a thicker titanium case, which takes up more valuable space.

Battery life

Ok, let's talk about the elephant in the room - battery life. Usually, a bigger watch also means a longer battery life, right? So that's it, not in this case. Apple managed to maintain battery life similar to previous generations, and even improve charging speed significantly, thanks to a larger charging coil on the metal back of the watch.

And here comes the really impressive part: Charging from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. 15 minutes of charging will be enough for 8 hours of use, and only 8 minutes will be enough for 8 hours of sleep tracking. The improvement in charging speed is nothing short of extreme, and combined with the more comfortable design, it makes the Apple Watch a much more attractive option for sleep tracking.

True, Apple hasn't improved the 18-hour battery life in 10 years, and that can certainly be perplexing and even disappointing. But with such fast charging, you could say it doesn't really matter. For a whole week, I didn't get a single low battery alert, and I finished a working day (9 hours) with about 50 percent battery.

Identifying sleep apnea

Beyond the design and performance, Apple obviously places a significant emphasis on health with each new generation of the watch. This time, the Apple Watch 10 introduces a new and intriguing feature - sleep apnea monitoring. Although, I will have to wait to evaluate the new feature, as it requires the collection of data from at least 30 nights of sleep before it can provide meaningful insights. However, it is important to note that the watch will not diagnose apnea absolutely, but will provide us with alerts on the possibility of apnea, and will recommend to go to a medical diagnosis.

According to Apple, it hopes that the data will provide an important signal that will encourage users to contact a specialist doctor and perform a traditional and more accurate sleep test. And the potential inherent in this feature is huge and may help in the early detection of apnea among people who were not aware of the problem at all.

Playing music without headphones

Seasoned Apple Watch users surely remember the nagging question: If you can talk through the watch, why can't you play music through it? Well, with the Series 10, Apple has finally answered the public's request. Thanks to a small upgrade in the speaker, you can now play podcasts and music directly from the watch, without the need for headphones. The feature is also available on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 11.

Is this a revolutionary feature? not. Is it useful? definitely. I found it especially useful while washing dishes or folding laundry. It is important to note that the volume on the speaker is not particularly high to say the least, so it is more suitable for listening in a quiet environment. Still, it's a nice little addition. i liked

Bottom line: Should you upgrade?

The Apple Watch 10, sold on the Partner network at a price of NIS 1,999 (GPS version), is undoubtedly a significant leap forward compared to previous models, even compared to the Series 5. Some will say that it is a "thin" version of the Ultra model, and if you are still walking around with the Series 5 that you bought , it's time to treat yourself to an upgrade.

But just before you run to the store, let's talk about everything. Is the upgrade really necessary? On the one hand, it offers noticeable improvements in design. On the other hand, the feeling is that I have already seen this watch before. With watchOS 11 offering similar features to the Series 9 and Ultra 2, it's hard for me to recommend an upgrade to those who are already wearing a relatively new model.

On the other hand, if you are coming from a 6 or 7 series or an older model, the upgrade seems more logical and you may notice the difference for many reasons such as improved performance, features, screen size and battery life.

The watch was submitted for review by Partner, who offers the Private Care repair service to all customers. The service includes a unique 'platinum' route for flagship devices, which includes the repair of a broken screen/back of the device and the repair of a variety of damages at no additional cost.