The latest Apple Watch Series 10 is packed with innovative features, making it the most advanced Apple Watch yet. From cutting-edge health monitoring to seamless connectivity and customisation, here’s my review of its standout capabilities.
Design and Display
The Series 10 maintains Apple’s iconic design but with subtle refinements. The brighter display ensures visibility even in direct sunlight, and the new Flux and Reflection watch faces add a dynamic, aesthetic edge. Flux features a unique animation that fills the screen with movement, while Reflection offers a shimmering effect when you tilt your wrist. For personalisation, the Photos watch face now intelligently selects your best images from categories like pets, nature, and cities, shuffling them dynamically throughout the day.
Health and Wellness
Health monitoring has taken a leap forward with the new Vitals app. This app tracks five critical metrics—heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration. It analyses trends over time and can even notify you if it detects signs of potential illness. By identifying outliers across multiple metrics, the watch provides an early warning system to help you take proactive steps for your health.
For added safety, the Check-in feature lets you share your location with trusted contacts during workouts or trips. If you fail to arrive at your destination or don’t end a workout, your contacts are notified, ensuring peace of mind for outdoor activities.
Enhanced Audio Features
The Series 10 introduces Music Detection, which recognises songs playing around you and allows you to search for them directly from your watch. You can also play audio—music, audiobooks, or podcasts—straight through the watch’s speaker. The improved speaker delivers clear sound, making phone calls and audio playback surprisingly robust for a device this size. Additionally, Voice Isolation ensures crystal-clear call quality, even in noisy environments like showers or windy conditions.
Smart Gestures and Accessibility
Apple has expanded gesture functionality, making the watch more intuitive than ever:
- Double Tap: Answer calls, scroll through content, or pause and play music with a simple tap of your index finger and thumb.
- Cover to Mute: Silence incoming calls or notifications by covering the watch face with your palm.
- Tap to Scroll: Quickly navigate through lists, photos, or playlists without using the Digital Crown.
For accessibility, the new Minimum Brightness setting ensures the watch is easy to read in low-light environments, and you can now disable the red blood oxygen light during sleep to avoid disruptions.
Productivity and Connectivity
The Smart Stacks feature simplifies navigation by grouping widgets for quick access. For example, adding the new Check-in widget lets you instantly share your travel or workout status with friends or family.
The improved camera app integration lets you use the watch to control your iPhone’s camera, making it easy to capture photos in hard-to-reach spots or from unique angles. Sharing contact information is also streamlined—bring your watch close to another Apple device, and use AirDrop to exchange details instantly.
Fitness and Activity
The Series 10 continues to excel as a fitness companion. Its enhanced Workout app tracks a wide range of activities, from traditional exercises like running and swimming to niche sports. For divers, the new Depth app (now available beyond the Ultra model) automatically activates in water, displaying depth and temperature metrics.
Additionally, you can now pause your Activity Rings for illnesses or rest days, preserving your streak without undue pressure.
Final Thoughts
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a technological marvel, seamlessly blending style, functionality, and health innovation. Its thoughtful new features—from Vitals tracking to dynamic gestures—make it a standout in the smartwatch market. While there’s still room for improvement, such as longer battery life or more custom watch faces, this is undoubtedly Apple’s best smartwatch yet. If you’re in the market for a feature-packed device that prioritises health, productivity, and style, the Series 10 is an excellent choice.