Originally published at: Apple Watch Series 10 Slims Down, Apple Watch Ultra 2 Gains Black Finish - TidBITS
The new Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest, lightest Apple Watch yet, even while providing a larger, brighter display. It now comes in aluminum and titanium models. Apple updated the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a new finish but no new hardware features.
I have a functioning Series 4 which struggles to complete the day. If I am active at all, doing rides etc, it will die by dinner. Definitely interested but might have to bide my time if I pick up the iPhone 16.
the Series 10 maintains its 50-meter water resistance rating and adds a depth gauge good to 6 meters and a sensor that measures water temperature once the Apple Watch has been submerged.
FWIW, though the water resistance rating is technically the same, the Series 10 supports “snorkeling” as deep as 6 meters, but the Series 9 does not support anything other than “shallow water activities” (e.g., swimming on the surface.) I’m not sure why the Series 9 is rated for 50m, which should support snorkeling, but Apple does not seemingly support that activity.
Snorkeling is a “shallow water activity”. If you try to go deeper than the surface, water will fill your snorkel, and you’ll quickly find yourself coughing up the ocean.
6m (19.6’) is more than sufficient for this activity. If you’re going deeper than that, then you’re diving, not snorkeling.
I watched the presentation to see whether the rumored blood pressure via Apple Watch was actually true. I’d seen a rumor on line and I didn’t actually expect it, and of course I was right. Had it been true I’d be replacing my Ultra. Since my Ultra still gets more than a day out of the battery, there’s no need to upgrade now. I’m looking forward to the hearing test, since I have a AirPod Pros 2, and my audiologist has been pestering me about hearing aids for a couple of years.
Aside from laughing at the claim that the AW Ultra 2 was “the best sports watch”, I didn’t realize at first that they were talking about the Ultra 2, and there was no Ultra 3 this time.
6 meters is almost 20 feet down. That is not shallow water activity in Apple’s definition - they mean swimming at or very near the surface.
Apple Watch Series 2 and later can be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean, but you shouldn’t use models other than Apple Watch Ultra or later for diving, water skiing, or other activities involving submersion below shallow depth or high-velocity water.
Obviously Apple will need to update this for Series 10.
I bought an Apple Watch 9 in April, knowing that there would likely be significant upgrades in the fall. The Series 9 did what I needed and I didn’t want to wait to start monitoring exercise and sleep…
Nothing in the announcements made me regret that decision.
My Series 5 is working just fine so there is no valid reason to replace it yet. However, both the 10 Titanium Black and the Ultra 2 Black are intriguing. However, would either of those work with my iPhone 12?
Adam, they added the sleep apnea sensor(s) to the Ultra 2.
I have a series 6 which is fine. I’d upgrade to an Ultra for the diving capabilities but I’d prefer to wait for the Ultra 3 to see if BP becomes available. The series 10 look very sleek I must say.
I’ve never actually bought an Apple Watch. I originally inherited a Series 1 from a friend who upgraded to Series 4. It stayed under monthly warranty and when it went bad Apple gave me a Series 2.
Earlier this year my friend upgraded to a Series 9, and I inherited her Series 4, and am happy with it. I have my Series 2 to my partner and he likes it.
My Series 4 remains under monthly warranty too. I use it for workout and move calorie tracking and other things and like it a lot.
My froemd has a smaller wrist so it’s the smaller size model. I learned from this that I am perfectly happy with the smaller size model. I think my arm might get tired by the end of the day with a heavier Watch.
Anyway, I’m waiting for her to upgrade to the Series 14 so I can inherit her Series 9. 
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The Series 10 specs page shows the GPS-only models being 0.7-1.1 grams heavier than the GPS + Cellular models (aluminum). How could this be?
Last year’s S9 had the GPS-only models 0.2-0.3 g lighter. And the cellular iPads are either the same or heavier than the plain Wi-Fi ones.
I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for several months now and love it. Mine still has the blood oxygen app enabled (despite the OS being fully up to date) and I use it regularly. I personally believe that the issue of this watch being too large or too bulky except for the largest wrist is overblown, especially for women. It’s just like going from a 13 inch laptop to a 15 inch one. The difference seems huge at first when looking at that larger laptop screen, but within a very short time, you have totally adjusted to it as if you’ve always had it. Speaking as a woman with an average sized wrist, I am extremely satisfied with this watch.
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I currently see no reason to upgrade from my series 6 44 mm which works perfectly fine except for a sudden decline in battery life since upgrading from WatchOS 9 to 10. But it still gets me through the day most of the time, only necessitating low power mode for the last hour or so a few days a month.
If I had to replace it for some unexpected reason the biggest question would be, do I go for the new 46 mm (bigger screen) or 42 mm (lighter, same size screen) model?
Trying to find out if the S10 in Europe still has the Blood Oximetry hardware. I know the US has the software disabled but that might lift in 2028 according to MacRumors.
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If I had to guess it would be based on a comment from Jeff Williams during the keynote. The S10 watch now has an all-metal back and the cellular model has a small antenna ring on the bottom (probably made with a plastic material if it’s like the material on the bezel of the Ultra). My guess is the GPS model lacks this ring because the WiFi, GPS, and NFC radios don’t require it.
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From the Apple Ireland website:
Same on Apple UK, so given what @frans says it seems to be generally available outside the US.
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I’ll check my Irish store.
And it is there indeed. I think I’m going to jump.
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Does anyone know if the Tides app will also be available on the iPhone? I often need to know tide information and have a few apps for this. Different apps have different tide reporting locations, so having one from Apple that might be more comprehensive would be useful.
The sleep apnea feature relies on machine-learning capabilities and the accelerometer that are already in the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9, not a new sensor.