Apple’s newest wearables arrive as a three-pronged update: Apple Watch Series 11 for the mainstream, Ultra 3 for outdoor and pro users, and a refreshed SE that pushes entry-level features further. The headline is consistency with meaningful gains—5G across the lineup, tougher builds, and smarter health tools—without changing the core formula that keeps Apple at the top of the smartwatch market.
Prices land at $399 for Series 11, $799 for Ultra 3, and $249 for the SE. That spread keeps Apple positioned from first-time buyers to endurance athletes, while leaving room for accessories and higher-end band options that continue to drive ecosystem stickiness.
Series 11: tougher glass, 5G, and a full-day battery
Visually, Series 11 stays familiar, but the cover glass is now twice as scratch-resistant—a practical improvement for everyday knocks. Under the hood, Apple’s S10 chip powers a watch that finally targets a reliable 24 hours per charge, helped by smarter power management and a more efficient display stack.
Built-in 5G is a notable shift. For runners who leave their phones behind, or commuters with patchy Wi‑Fi, faster on-wrist data means smoother music streaming, maps, and Siri. The watch also layers in machine learning–based hypertension notifications that look for patterns associated with elevated blood pressure. Apple says it’s seeking regulatory clearance in the United States; the FDA has historically emphasized that such features are wellness aids, not diagnostic tools.
watchOS 26 arrives alongside the hardware, introducing a Liquid Glass interface polish, new watch faces, and Workout Buddy AI coaching. None of it is flashy for the sake of it; instead, these changes reduce taps, surface glanceable information, and make week-to-week training feel more intentional.
Ultra 3: expedition-grade display and two-way satellite
The Ultra 3 remains Apple’s rugged flagship but pushes the display and radios forward. A new LTPO3 panel with wide-angle OLEDs yields the largest Apple Watch screen yet with 24% thinner borders and better off-axis readability—useful when you’re glancing at your wrist while gripping bike bars or a climbing hold. The always-on display now updates once per second, so you get a true ticking seconds hand without waking the screen.
Battery life stretches to a quoted 42 hours (or up to 72 in Low Power Mode), and Apple claims just 15 minutes of fast charging can deliver around 12 hours—handy when you’re packing up for a second day on the trail. A new Waypoint face, quick Night Mode toggle, and refined action button options make the watch feel more purpose-built for navigation.
Connectivity is the headline: Ultra 3 adds a redesigned radio system with dual-antenna boosts for weak areas, 5G cellular, and, for the first time, built-in two-way satellite communications. Beyond Emergency SOS (which Apple includes for a limited period), the watch can send Messages and Find My updates off-grid with a compatible plan. That’s a meaningful distinction from many rivals that limit satellite to emergencies only, and it could be decisive for backcountry runners, guides, and field teams.
SE (3rd gen): always-on display meets smarter health
Apple’s budget-friendly model closes the feature gap in smart ways. The new SE finally gains an always-on display and a cover glass Apple says is four times more crack-resistant, addressing two of the line’s biggest trade-offs. It also moves to the S10 chip, unlocking double-tap gestures and on-device Siri for more responsive interactions.
Health capabilities expand meaningfully: wrist temperature sensing for retrospective ovulation estimates, Apple’s Vitals tracking, sleep apnea notifications, and the new sleep score all come standard. Battery life remains a claimed 18 hours, but faster charging—up to twice as quick—mitigates that for overnight trackers who top up during a morning routine. The ability to play audio directly through the speaker adds a small but welcome dose of independence for quick workouts.
Health features: promise and guardrails
Hypertension notifications will draw attention. The American Heart Association continues to regard cuff-based readings as the gold standard, and any wrist-based estimate should be viewed as a screening tool. That context matters: features like Apple’s new alerts, sleep apnea notifications, and sleep score are designed to flag trends and encourage clinical follow-up, not replace a visit to a clinician. If Apple secures FDA clearance, it would be one of the more consequential steps for consumer wearables in preventive care.
Comparisons are inevitable. Fitbit popularized sleep scoring years ago, and Samsung offers blood pressure monitoring within its ecosystem. Apple’s advantage remains integration—tight coupling of sensors, silicon, and software—backed by large-scale validation data it often cites in peer discussions and medical collaborations.
Why 5G on a watch matters
Moving to 5G isn’t about speed tests on the wrist. It’s about steadier coverage in marginal areas and lower latency for Siri, safety features, and notifications. The challenge is power draw, and Apple’s claims of a full-day Series 11 and multiday Ultra 3 suggest aggressive modem scheduling and tighter display power control. For commuters and athletes who go phone-free, this is the most “untethered” Apple Watch lineup yet.
Strategy and market context
Apple’s three-tier approach is classic platform stitching: the SE expands the funnel, Series 11 addresses the broad middle, and Ultra 3 anchors the halo. Research firms like Counterpoint have consistently placed Apple as the revenue leader in smartwatches, and this cycle looks built to defend that position as competitors—Google’s Pixel Watch and multisport staples from Garmin among them—lean into more specialized features.
There’s no reinvention here, but there doesn’t need to be. With 5G ubiquity, stronger durability, and clearer health narratives, Apple has turned incremental changes into practical wins that users will feel day after day—on the run, at work, and when it really counts.