[Music] The Series 10 is the Apple Watch you know, but better. For its 10th birthday, Apple made the watch slimmer, lighter, and sleeker. But despite shrinking a lot of internal features, it's got a bigger screen than ever, more health tracking tools, and a niche but very welcome feature: an ability to play music through the speaker. I've been living with it for a few days, and as someone who usually prefers bigger and bulkier watches, the Series 10 has won me over in almost every way. So, let's get into it. The Series 10 looks and feels more like a traditional wristwatch than ever, if you want it to. That's in part to the LTPO3 technology that gives this display the ability to go down to 1 Hz refresh rate, so you can now have a ticking second hand on the always-on display. I know a lot of people have been asking for a ticking second hand, specifically healthcare workers. The second hand only shows up on a few watch faces: Reflections and Flux Plus Activity.

digital, which has the digital seconds countdown. But I'm so glad it's here, and I'm sure we'll see even more watch faces with it in the future. The Series 10 now comes in a 42 and 46 mm case size to accommodate a bigger screen. It feels like a true full-circle moment, as the original largest size of the upper watch was 42 mm. So, what does it feel like on the wrist if you prefer a smaller case size? To me, it really doesn't feel any bigger than the 41 mm version of the Series 9 and earlier. My wrist is 152 mm for reference if you want to see what it might look like on you. But practically speaking, I wanted to show you the difference in what you can actually see on the screen. This is the small size of the Series 8, so the 41 mm, next to the 42 mm Series 10, with the same messages, maps, and even app list side by side. Even the keyboard is easier to type on, and buttons in apps like Calculator are

bigger. I was also able to try on the 46mm version and compare it to the 45mm series 9 at Apple's launch event, and you can see even just by looking at these watch faces that there is more real estate to work with on the series 10. The display is the same maximum brightness as the series 9, so 2,000 nits, but in always-on display mode, the series 10 is brighter when you look at it from an angle, like most of the time when you're glancing down at your watch. I've been alternating between the aluminium and the titanium versions. It sounds trite, but after coming from a bulkier watch like the Ultra 2, I honestly do feel like I have to keep looking down to check my wrist to make sure I'm still wearing this watch. All this makes it more comfortable than earlier Apple watches for sleep tracking, and there is a big reason why you might want to start tracking your sleep if you don't already, which we'll talk about later. The series

10 comes with a new voice isolation feature to soften background noise on phone calls and FaceTime calls. So, let's put it to the test. I'm here at Lion Dance Me in San Francisco to test out the voice isolation. So, I have Lisa on the other end. Hi, Lisa. How do I sound? There's not much happening in the background just yet. Yeah, I mean, you sound clear to me. I can hear you perfectly. Okay, great. Take it away. So, we're just going to have a casual conversation. I'm going to keep talking and see if the voice isolation actually works to isolate my sound from what's going on. The hi, it is really loud in here, but we are really putting this to the test. I have doubt, and I have no idea. You can hear me at all. I can, I can. I can hear you, but it is very loud in the background. But I can definitely hear you. I can tell what you're saying, but it sounds like there's a lot of music happening in the

background maybe some drums. It definitely sounds very loud where you are, but yes, I can hear you. Okay, good to know. I think we found a very, very loud environment, so maybe we need to find somewhere a little quiet enough. Thanks, Lisa. Okay, I had to stop the video to actually play this back and listen to that. I couldn't hear a thing in that environment. I was shouting, and it was so incredibly loud. The fact that I've played it back, I can hear the voice, and those drums don't even sound like they were close to me. They sound like they were down the street. It's wild. That voice isolation is really good, and that was a super extreme test. The first thing I thought of when I heard the Series 10 and Ultra 2 would now be able to play music back through the speaker was, Yay! Because sometimes I forget my headphones when going out on a walk or a run. But the second thing, How much chaos is this going to cause in the real world? Let's find out. So, I wanted to find out how

loud the speaker could actually get on this series 10. I got a heavy rock track. I played it back at maximum volume. I put another Apple watch next to it and used the noise app. It was around 90 odd DB or so. But how does that actually translate to distance in the real world? I got faith over there going to hit play. Let's see. Yeah, I can hear something. Yeah, right here, definitely can hear her. Okay, so annoyance rating probably about 20 ft away outside. Go. I can barely hear it right now. Annoyance rating right next to me 2 ft. You can use the speaker for first-party apps like podcasts, Apple music, and audiobooks. And I can confirm some third-party apps like Spotify work too. The series 10, series 9, and upper watch Ultra 2 can detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. This is a sleep condition where you momentarily stop breathing during the night. But it's using a different technique to other watches that also monitor for sleep apnea. You may know that the Apple watch blood oxygen sensor

is the subject of a patent dispute, so it's not available on US versions of the watch. Instead, the Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to track a new metric that it calls breathing disturbances. Sleep apnea notifications are now available in the US, and you can follow the onboarding process in the health app to get set up. It needs at least 10 nights of sleep data within a 30-day period, so stay tuned to the full text review linked in the description, and we'll revisit once I have enough data. We have a deep dive into how this feature works and what it looks like linked in the video description and right up here. Like the Series 9 and Ultra 2 before it, the Series 10 has double tap, which lets you do this gesture to respond to messages, answer calls, or control music playback. Watch OS 11 also now means you can double tap to scroll through apps. Also new in Watch OS 11 is the Vitals app. This tracks key metrics during sleep like heart rate, respiratory rate, and wrist temperature.

If anything falls outside your range of normal, you'll be able to see it in the morning. There's also training load, which I've been using on the beta version of watch OS 11 for a few months. This is a way to measure the intensity of your workout routine. It's also going to give you effort ratings for supported workouts after the fact, which can make you feel really good or sometimes really bad. I won't get too into the weeds about all of the new features in watch OS 11 because I do have a full video about that already linked in the description, but suffice to say, if you have a compatible watch, updating your software will give you some of the good stuff from the series 10 without having to pay for new hardware. The series 10 also borrowed some features from the ultra too, including a depth gauge. Now, it doesn't go as deep; it's only rated for 6 m or just under 20 ft, but for most people who don't scuba, that's plenty. There's also a water

temperature sensor, which is used not only for pool and open water swims but also when you dunk your watch in water because why not. Unfortunately, there's not much new to say about battery life, which for me is the biggest disappointment about the Series 10. You're still only able to get about a maximum of a day and a half with moderate usage, which includes things like notifications, a 30-minute GPS workout, and sleep tracking. To get around this sort of limitation, Apple claims the Series 10 can charge to 80% in 30 minutes, which is faster than the Series 9, which took 45 minutes to get to that level. Now, I did test this out. I set a timer and I charged the watch from almost flat, and yes, it did meet the claim with a little bit extra to spare. Now, do note that you'll need the fast charger that's included in the box, plus at least a 20W adapter. But as well as faster charging is, I think, one of the biggest challenges Apple faces is getting people to change their habits. A lot of people are used to

charging their watch overnight and with so many key health features that rely on you wearing this watch to track sleep. I think it's going to take more than just fast charging to bridge this gap. Basically, just give us longer battery life, please and thank you. So, the series 10 isn't the big flashy new redesign many were hoping for to celebrate the 10th anniversary, but I don't think that matters too much. This is a significant update if you're coming from an earlier Apple Watch like the series 4, 5, or 6, especially because you'll get access to many more years of watchOS updates and a whole lot more health features. Thanks so much to the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero and Lion Dance Me for letting us film. I'll see you later.

Apple Watch Series 10 Review: It Won Me Over in Almost Every Way

CNET is the premier destination for explaining and navigating the changing world around us. Through news, product reviews, price comparisons, and more, we’ll tell you what’s new in the parts of modern life that increasingly matter more — from health, home, and money to tech, culture, and climate — and how to get the most out of them.

Apple Watch Series 10 Review: It Won Me Over in Almost Every Way

Apple Watch Series 10 Review: It Won Me Over in Almost Every Way

스크립트