Apple’s latest smartwatch poses a familiar question: is the Series 5 worth its high price, or should you consider the more affordable Series 3? If you have one on your wrist right now, the answer isn’t as straightforward as all the advertising makes it seem. Here’s how the Series 11 compares and who will really notice the difference.
What’s new in Series 11
Front and center is hypertension monitoring: the watch tracks blood-pressure trends over time and calls attention to patterns that may suggest high blood pressure. It’s not like replacing the cuff, but it does serve to cajole you into taking a clinically valid reading when things look out of whack.
Apple also introduces an aggregated sleep score that will distill duration, types of sleep, interruptions, and sleep stages into an easy-to-read metric. And for many users, that is the missing “so what? that transforms raw sleep data into something actionable.
Here is the rest of the list: 5G cellular support on relevant models, tougher glass that Apple says doubles the than last year’s scratch resistance, and a battery claim that takes typical use to as long as 24 hours. By the numbers, that’s the biggest health-and-utility leap in a couple of generations.
Series 11 vs. Series 10
If you have a Series 10, the experience will be very familiar. The design remains, as do central features such as ECG readings, blood oxygen readings, fall and collision detection, irregular rhythm alerting, sleep apnea monitoring, temperature sensing and the Vitals app.
Those differences are: durability, an extended battery claim, 5G on cellular variants, and hypertension trends. Crucially, Apple’s planning to take hypertension notifications and the new sleep score — and a host of other updates — to recent generations through software after approval — so many of the sexiest updates won’t be exclusive to Series 11.
What it means for Series 10 owners: Short of having a burning desire for stouter glass, 5G capabilities, or all new health features from day one, this is an iterative upgrade.
For Series 9 and older: the greater leap
The math is even tighter for Series 9 owners. The Series 9 has already delivered brighter screens (up to 2,000 nits), on-device Siri processing, temperature sensing and a large array of safety tools. With a software update, it’s supposed to receive the new sleep score and, pending approval, hypertensi on notifications. If your battery is healthy and your screen unshattered, Series 11 is a nice upgrade — not a must-have one.
Those with Series 8 or earlier are going to feel the leap a bit more. Brighter displays, more active screen area (as of Series 10, bezels shrunk to increase usable space), more accurate safety features and fuller health tracking. Series 8 is capable of running the latest watchOS, but does not feature hardware support for the most advanced features, such as sleep apnea monitoring and the Vitals app’s most advanced insights.
If you’re on a Series 7 or older, the upgrade case gets even stronger: improved outdoors brightness, more hardy safety features, and a longer support runway. That’s not even mentioning the scratch resistance and battery gains.
Health features and F.D.A. caveats
The hypertension feature “will have to be cleared by regulators” before it fully deploys on supported models. Usually, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would assess such tools as wellness notices as opposed to diagnostic tools, he added. Look for trend alerts — not clinical blood pressure readings.
That distinction matters. Screening should be conducted with a validated upper-arm cuff in actual measurements and diagnosis; multiple properly taken measurements at home are appropriate. In practice, the watch might function as a smart early-warning system that tells you when to slap on the cuff or book a checkup.
Battery, durability, and connectivity
It won’t be a competitor to a multiday fitness watch with Apple’s “up to 24 hours” claim for Series 11, but it is an advance over the 18-hour guidance that was seen with prior models. Real-world life will be different, with GPS, cellular, workouts and screen brightness all taking their toll (heavy runners and cellular users should still expect nightly top-ups).
Double the scratch resistance means more than it sounds. Most longterm owners reported micro-abrasions as the only significant sign of aging they had. Harder glass helps to maintain resale value and prevents the watch from looking much older over a long upgrade cycle.
Connecting via cellular networks with 5G on the cellular models future-proofs connectivity and should improve reliability in crowded, poltergeist-riddled areas. Don’t anticipate extreme fluctuations in battery life or speed day-to-day; watches continue to be held back by minuscule antennas and power budgets next to phones.
Who should upgrade
If you’re on Series 8 or earlier and care at all about what your watch does to help you stay healthy or about having a brighter screen that won’t degrade over time, the Series 6 is worth the upgrade. This combination of modern hardware and safety tools really does add up to a noticeable quality-of-life enhancement.
Wait if you have a Series 10 (or a spry Series 9) and are mostly after the new health insights; many of them will come, via software.
The extra ruggedness and 5G are nice, but they aren’t game changers across the board.
If your battery is dying or your screen is scratched, Series 11 is a no-brainer regardless of which model you pick. Trade-in programs from Apple and the major carriers can also shave a meaningful amount off of the cost, and as soon as the new watch lands, retailers usually discount the older models as well.
The verdict
Series 11 drives the Apple Watch further toward preventive health, with durability and battery improvements that will reward owners gradually over time. For most Series 10 owners, it’s a pass. For Series 9, it’s a maybe. For Series 8 and under, it’s the equivalent upgrade that actually feels like one.
Smartwatch owners are waiting longer than ever to buy new devices Analysts at Counterpoint Research and other analysts have been tracking a trend in recent years: Smartwatch buyers are holding on to their devices for longer periods of time. Series 11 plays that reality straight: It isn’t a wow moment for anyone, but it’s a solid step forward for anyone ready to move on from older hardware.