Apple Watch Series 11 Is Nonetheless My Goldilocks Decide, however Only Barely

Sliding the Apple Watch Series 11 onto my wrist felt much less like making an attempt one thing new and extra like choosing up the place I’d left off. The latest watch does not supply many fireworks, however after virtually every week of sporting it, the Series 11 continues to be my decide of the litter. It’s simply not as apparent a decide as final yr’s Series 10.

That’s partly as a result of the Apple Watch is going through steep competitors this yr — not simply from the Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel watches of the world but additionally from inside its family. At its September occasion, Apple launched three new fashions: the flagship Series 11, the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the extra inexpensive Apple Watch SE 3.

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Apple Watch Series 11

Pros

• FDA cleared hypertension alerts
• 24+ hour battery life and quick charging
• More dependable mobile connectivity and 5G
• 2X extra scratch resistant display
• More cohesive UI and seamless compatibility with iOS

Cons

• Same processor as older fashions
• Minimal design adjustments
• No twin band GPS
• Gesture management continues to be restricted to pre-selected choices

At $399 (£369, AU$679), the Series 11 is the Goldilocks of the bunch. It sits proper within the center on battery life, options and value — and it is seemingly the one I’d select for myself if I had been shopping for my first Apple Watch or upgrading from an older mannequin. It’s gotten a noticeable battery bump, 5G help and extra dependable connectivity on mobile fashions, higher scratch resistance on the aluminum model, a doubtlessly lifesaving hypertension (hypertension) notification, a brand new sleep rating and a refreshed WatchOS 26 interface. 

But it is nonetheless working on the identical S10 chip as final yr, now additionally within the Ultra 3 and SE 3. And since a few of its standout options — such because the hypertension notifications and sleep scores — are coming to older Apple Watches, too, present homeowners might not really feel inclined to improve to the Series 11. There at the moment are loads of methods to get these perks with out splurging on the most recent mannequin.

Watch this: Apple Watch Series 11 Review: Is It Worth the Upgrade?

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FDA-cleared blood stress alerts could also be life-changing 

The most notable new well being function on the Apple Watch Series 11 is an FDA-cleared hypertension notification. It’s not the total on-the-spot blood stress monitoring Apple followers have lengthy hoped for, but it surely’s a significant step ahead — one which Apple says might assist 1 million individuals get recognized with hypertension within the first yr alone.

If you are accustomed to the watch’s present coronary heart well being alerts such because the irregular rhythm notifications that flag for potential atrial fibrillation or the sleep apnea alerts, this works equally. It runs quietly within the background, and all you need to do is decide in utilizing the Health app in your iPhone.

I’m hoping I by no means get to check this function out firsthand, however even when I did have undiagnosed hypertension, I would not see an alert straight away. The watch wants about 30 days of information earlier than it may floor a notification. And even then, it isn’t meant to be a diagnostic instrument. You’ll nonetheless want to substantiate readings utilizing a standard blood stress cuff, log these ends in the Health app and share them together with your physician both in particular person or by exporting them as a PDF file and sharing electronically.

But a minimum of it will get that dialog began. If it weren’t for these coronary heart fee alerts on the Apple Watch (Series 5), my stoic father would’ve by no means consulted a health care provider about his coronary heart. Those on-the-spot ECG reads captured the irregular rhythm that even the hospital’s ECG had missed throughout a routine check-up. (It additionally satisfied me early on that the watch’s well being sensors had been genuinely useful.)

Because the hypertension notifications depend on a mixture of software program and {hardware}, they’re additionally coming in WatchOS 26 to older fashions with the superior coronary heart monitor, together with the Series 9 and Series 10. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will ship with it preloaded, however the Apple Watch SE 3 will not get it as a result of it is lacking that newer coronary heart fee sensor and the ECG function.

Better sleep monitoring makes even this evening owl extra constant

The different new well being instrument debuting on the Apple Watch Series 11 (and the remainder of the brand new lineup) is Sleep Score. The Apple Watch has tracked sleep for years, however that is the primary time it is truly supplying you with one thing quantifiable to enhance on. Apple says it is utilizing the most recent scientific steering from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Sleep Foundation and the World Sleep Society to grade the standard of your sleep primarily based on three components: length, bedtime and interruptions.

You’ll get a numeric rating from zero to 100 together with a Low to Excellent score you can test on the sleep app in your Apple Watch or entry on the Health app in your iPhone. Beyond simply the score, you can even study the place you went unsuitable (or what you bought proper) by urgent the “i” icon to see a full breakdown of what contributed to your rating.

As an evening owl on a deadline, I’ve been shocked to see a constant “Excellent” sleep rating on my Apple Watch Series 11 over the previous few nights. Personally, I’d reserve that label for a full eight hours, however the Apple Watch appears a bit beneficiant in its grading. I’ve been getting between 6.5 and seven.5 hours, staying inside about an hour of my regular bedtime and experiencing minimal interruptions.

But clearly, there’s extra to feeling rested than what the Apple Watch can measure — as a result of even on these “Excellent” sleep days, I nonetheless have not felt rested. What it does not know is the heap of sleep debt I racked up through the nights main as much as, and proper after, the Apple launch occasion: the resort stays the place I forgot to put on my watch and the late nights that stretched effectively previous my regular midnight cutoff.

In concept, you may nonetheless see all of that previous knowledge with no Series 11. As lengthy as you’ve got up to date to WatchOS 26 (out there now) and have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later, an Apple Watch SE 2 or later or any Apple Watch Ultra mannequin, the rating is retroactive — so your previous nights will present up within the Health app in your iPhone together with long-term developments.

Here’s the place I observed my greatest drawback with sleep monitoring: consistency. The gaps in my knowledge (from the times once I did not put on the watch to mattress) appear to tug down my long-term averages, together with my common bedtime time. I believe it will even out over time with extra constant monitoring, but it surely’s value realizing in case your previous knowledge skews your early scores.

More battery life to gas well being monitoring 

One of the most important obstacles to constant sleep monitoring for me has been battery life – or moderately, the dearth of it. It’s the very first thing I sacrifice when confronted with a useless watch. I’d moderately skip sleep monitoring than danger lacking my exercise rings as a result of I left my Apple Watch on the charger throughout a noon top-up. The Series 11 eases this ache level and has already made me a extra constant sleep tracker with its longer battery life and ultra-fast charging top-offs.

Apple charges the Series 11 for as much as 24 hours of “normal use,” and after sporting it by a minimum of three full battery cycles, I can affirm that is correct. With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), a minimum of one 30- to 45-minute out of doors exercise a day, a full evening of sleep monitoring and a few delicate flashlight use, I’ve constantly managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per cost.

In truth, as I write this, I’m 27 hours in with about 20% battery nonetheless left. Your mileage will fluctuate primarily based in your utilization patterns, however I can safely say it exceeds Apple’s declare.

This could be much more spectacular if the Apple Watch Series 10 hadn’t already been an overachiever on this class. That mannequin was rated for 18 hours, however I routinely hit the 24-hour mark. The six-hour battery bump on the Series 11 might not sound like a lot on paper, but it surely’s given me some welcome respiratory room to determine a greater charging technique. It’ll additionally really feel like an excellent greater leap should you’re coming from older fashions that hovered nearer to Apple’s authentic 18-hour declare.

And it isn’t simply the longer battery life that is made me extra constant at monitoring my sleep — the Apple Watch Series 11 expenses a lot quicker. The Apple Watch has been gaining charging pace for a couple of years now, culminating within the ultra-fast charging of the Series 10. On the Series 11, simply 5 minutes on the included fast-charging cable (with your individual wall charger) is sufficient for a full evening of sleep monitoring, whereas quarter-hour offers you about 35% — or eight hours of regular use. Thirty minutes will get you to 80%, and a full cost takes about an hour. Just be certain that the charging puck you are utilizing helps quick charging.

Consistency in sleep monitoring is vital to unlocking the total potential of the watch’s well being options past simply Sleep Score. Sleep apnea alerts, ovulation estimates, extra sturdy vitals monitoring and even fall detection throughout in a single day emergencies all depend upon you truly sporting your watch to mattress.

As somebody whose dad is about to endure a doubtlessly lifesaving coronary heart process due to the Apple Watch’s coronary heart notifications and ECG, I’m an enormous believer in utilizing its well being and emergency options to their fullest. And for me, these seemingly small battery upgrades might have an enormous ripple impact on my well being.

5G and higher connectivity on the Series 11

If you are planning to put on your watch phone-free and go for the mobile model of the Apple Watch Series 11, you may additionally see some battery positive factors associated to connectivity.

That’s as a result of the Series 11 (together with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3) is debuting 5G connectivity. Not solely is it extra power-efficient at sustaining a connection than earlier Apple Watches (and much more environment friendly than 5G in your telephone as a result of it makes use of 5G RedCap, or 5G Reduced Capacity), the Ultra 3 and Series 11 are additionally higher at holding onto a sign in areas that often have spotty reception.

Apple says that is thanks partially to an antenna variety algorithm. In easy phrases, the watch’s two mobile antennas now work collectively: The algorithm can detect when protection is weak and mix the sign power from each antennas to spice up your connection. This works throughout 5G and LTE, serving to forestall frequent drop-offs that may drain your battery quicker. In quick: You get stronger, extra power-efficient mobile connectivity — even in locations with notoriously dangerous protection.

Just know that mobile fashions value about $100 greater than the usual Wi-Fi model and usually carry a month-to-month service price of round $10 (relying in your supplier).

A well-recognized design with a harder glass 

The Series 11 has a extra sturdy, scratch-resistant display, however in any other case there’s not a lot to report on when it comes to design. Aside from a brand new area grey colour possibility, I’d guess cash most individuals could not inform the Apple Watch Series 10 from the Apple Watch Series 11 at a look. I evaluation smartwatches for a dwelling, and the one distinction I might discover got here from the spec sheet, with the Series 11 being a couple of decimal factors heavier in weight, however in any other case the size are similar.

That mentioned, this acquainted design nonetheless works: You get the identical thinner, lighter physique launched with the Series 10, the edge-to-edge display with its excessive refresh fee easy sufficient to indicate the second hand ticking, plus new watch bands and watch faces to play with.

I’m infamous for going laborious on my electronics (see my scratch and drop exams), so it is no shock my Series 10 ended up wanting like a 5-year-old’s elbows after studying to journey a motorbike. In the six days I’ve been sporting the Series 11, I’m pleased to report there is not a single scratch but. This might be a kind of delicate upgrades that makes an enormous distinction for individuals like me, although solely time will inform whether or not this extra scratch-resistant glass will really maintain as much as my way of life.

WatchOS 26 brings a recent look to the Series 11

The exterior might really feel acquainted, however the UI positively does not. The Apple Watch Series 11 ships with WatchOS 26 out of the field, which supplies the interface a noticeable visible refresh with what Apple coined as a Liquid Glass transparency impact. It’s the identical aesthetic Apple dropped at the iPhone this yr, making the entire lineup really feel extra cohesive throughout gadgets. Some individuals love the glassy translucence, others hate it due to its extra natural (much less contrasty) look. Personally, I like the best way it seems, however I have to admit it is only a bit tougher to learn at a look. (You can decrease the impact by turning on Reduce Transparency within the Settings app.)

Beyond the visuals, WatchOS 26 brings a number of new options to all appropriate Apple Watches, not simply the Series 11. There’s lastly a Notes app on the watch, plus a redesigned Workout app that lets the Apple Watch auto-select the very best music or media in your exercise. The Series 11 provides a brand new gesture management that allows you to silence an alarm, name or notification with a flick of the wrist. It’s additionally rolling out to the Series 9 and later, in addition to the Ultra 3 and SE 3.

And then there’s Workout Buddy, which, because the title suggests, offers you real-time motivation throughout runs, walks and 7 different varieties of exercises. It’s not fairly the full-fledged coach some individuals had been hoping for (or what Google introduced on the Pixel 4), however after utilizing it for nearly two months in beta, I believe it has plenty of potential. It feels private and inspiring with out coming throughout like an AI bot studying from a script. It’s not significantly useful to me now, past giving me my tempo alerts in my ear, however I can see it being extra useful if Apple decides to broaden it past suggestions and into different varieties of well being and health teaching. 

Bottom line

The Apple Watch Series 11 continues to be my favourite of the bunch, largely as a result of it is constructed on 2024’s reigning champion, the Series 10. But the hole between it and the competitors is narrowing, and should you’re on a Series 9 or newer, you’ll be able to safely sit this one out. The higher battery life, 5G on mobile fashions and a extra scratch-resistant display are welcome however not important, particularly since the very best new well being options are additionally coming to older fashions.

For anybody upgrading from an older watch, although, the Series 11 looks like an enormous leap with its longer battery life and sleeker design. If you do not want superior well being sensors akin to ECG or the brand new hypertension alerts, although, the Apple Watch SE 3 is a greater worth, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is finest for anybody chasing longer battery life and pro-level sports activities options. I’m admittedly biased towards getting each well being function potential, however I additionally haven’t got the wrist actual property or price range for the Ultra 3, so the Series 11 strikes the proper stability. It’s comforting to know that is not the one possibility.