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Posted by Michelle Ehrhardt

https://lifehacker.com/tech/i-love-my-apple-watch-series-11-but-you-might-not?utm_medium=RSS

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The Apple Watch Series 11 is now available, and just a few days into using a review unit, I’m happy with the upgrade. But whether it’ll be worth it to you is a different story entirely.

Before the Series 11, I was still using a first-generation Apple Watch SE. Since I don’t need much from my smartwatch, the SE was enough for me: basic media playback with heart-rate tracking and tap-to-pay. What more could I want?

But the Series 11 taught me that I could want much more. Its bigger screen with an always-on display is a nice bonus, as is the thinner and lighter design. The problem is that the Apple Watch Series 11 isn’t the first Apple Watch with those bonuses. If you’re like me and haven’t upgraded in a while, the Apple Watch Series 11 is a great pick. But those with a newer Apple Watch may want to hold off and save their money.

What I love most about the Apple Watch Series 11

While the Apple Watch Series 11 comes with a new chip and upgrades to both battery life and wireless connectivity, I’ve already mentioned what I value most about it. Essentially, I just like that this thing is super comfortable to wear. At its release, the Series 10 was Apple’s thinnest and lightest smartwatch, but since the Series 11 has inherited its design, it’s now tied with its successor.

Apple Watch Series 10 in profile (left) vs. Apple Watch Series 11 in profile (right) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Both hardly feel like you’re wearing anything at all (while I don’t use the Series 10 on a day-to-day basis, my husband has one that he’s letting me borrow to write this). While my SE’s circular sensor bump often feels like it’s jutting into my wrist, both the Series 10 and 11 feel flat on my wrist, thanks to their thinner bodies. It's a huge relief over an extended period, and it only gets better with the few grams Apple’s knocked off the weight.

The display also contributes to the comfort. Both the Series 10 and the Series 11 have an always-on display, and while an always-on display has been available as far back as the Series 5, this is my first time using one on a watch. The Apple Watch display also got 9% bigger starting on the Series 10, so the Series 11 screen is a bit more luxurious than anyone on a Series 9 or before will be used to.

The bigger, always-on display helps with comfort because it’s much more glanceable. With my SE, I had to raise my wrist to see my watch screen, and the 10 and 11 don’t need that. At 2,000 nits of brightness, they’re easy to see even if your wrist is at your side and slightly turned, and with OLED and a 1Hz refresh rate, the always-on display is able to update every second without wasting unnecessary battery life. Having my screen turn off was probably the biggest annoyance of using a smartwatch over a traditional watch for me, and now it’s something I don’t have to worry about at all.

Apple Watch SE display (left) vs. Apple Watch Series 11 display (right) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

I’m pleased enough with the improved comfort to shell out money for a Series 11 after returning this review unit. I was worried that, because the Series 11 starts at 42mm while my first-gen SE is 40mm, it might feel a bit too big. In actuality, while I still prefer a small watch, it’s turned out to be the better size for me.

What else can the Apple Watch Series 11 do?

If you’re upgrading from an older watch, the Series 11 also gives you access to a lot more sensors. But to be honest, most are overkill. For instance, you can use it as a dive computer down to 6 meters (or about 20 feet), which isn't particularly handy for most people. But there are some advanced features worth caring about.

First, it’s easier to control this smartwatch than older Apple smartwatches. With watchOS 26, the Series 9, 10, and 11 got support for both the wrist flick and double tap gestures, and they’re both pretty convenient. Think of them as “dismiss” and “confirm,” respectively. You can use wrist flick to turn down notifications, and while you can customize double tap a bit more, the idea is that you’ll use it to start a song or navigate your smart stack without using your hands.

Essentially, the goal is that these features keep you from having to fumble with your watch screen if you’re otherwise occupied. For instance, I got a phone call while working out with the Series 11 this morning (where it was much more comfortable on my wrist than my SE), and quickly rotating my wrist away from my body was all I needed to do to decline the call. Normally, I would have just let it ring until it went to voicemail, so this was a nice way to save myself the distraction.

Aside from the new gestures, the Series 11 also has a few new health features. Like with the depth meter, whether you’ll actually use them depends on who you are, but there are a few in particular that I’m happy to have. For instance, like my colleague Beth Skwarecki, I’m not too enthused about Sleep Score, which tries to break down your sleep quality into one number but seems too generalized for me to get much use out of. Hypertension notifications, on the other hand, are a big deal to me. Hypertension notifications weren't available on my SE (and still aren't on any SE, for that matter). Instead, you need an Apple Watch Series 9 or above. What these notifications do is passively track how your blood vessels respond to your heart rate using a PPG, then send you a notification if your watch notices significant irregularities over a 30-day period.

One of the reasons my husband picked up an Apple Watch Series 10 was so he could use the ECG to track his heart rate over time, rather than just when he was working out. This helped him figure out that his heart rate would sometimes be way too high after drinking caffeine or while going to bed, which his doctor eventually diagnosed as AFiB. He might have missed out on this if he didn’t have the data to back it up, but he’s now gotten it treated, and says he feels a lot more stable across the day, with no random spikes (plus, AFiB has the potential to get pretty serious if left untreated, so his doctor is glad he was able to catch it early).

If these Hypertension Notifications, which do a similar thing but for high blood pressure, can help my husband keep his heart healthy, then I’m all for them. He does have to regularly check his blood pressure as part of his ongoing treatment, and while the Apple Watch can’t give him specific numbers, it should help him passively determine what his numbers mean and if he needs to be worried. Plus, I’m interested in trying them, too. The CDC says that “of the 75 million Americans who have hypertension…about 11 million of them don’t know their blood pressure is too high and are not receiving treatment to control it.” Given how well my husband’s Apple Watch helped him diagnose his AFiB, it brings a little extra peace of mind to have it checking for high blood pressure, too.

What’s new on the Apple Watch Series 11?

The catch is that the Apple Watch Series 11 isn’t the only way to get these new features. The thin and light display is on the Series 10, “wrist flick” and “double tap” are on the Series 9 and above, and so are Hypertension Notifications. The Series 11 is a great upgrade over my SE, but if you’ve been more up to date with your Apple Watch, you might not want to get the newest model at all. You'd likely be buying Series 11 for only three things.

First, the Apple Watch Series 11 has a 5G modem. Currently, the Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3 are the only Apple Watches with 5G connectivity, whereas older models use LTE, which is a type of 4G. That means these watches are faster, but because 5G is also more efficient than 4G, will also save some battery life when using online features. 

Second, the Series 11 has an improved Ion-X glass display. This uses proprietary tech, and Apple says it’s two times more scratch resistant than the Series 10. It’s only available on aluminum models, as titanium models use a slightly less durable sapphire crystal display instead, but it’s also on the SE 3 (the Ultra 3 instead opts for sapphire crystal).

And third, the Series 11 has a longer battery life. While I haven’t had the Series 11 long enough to test its longevity, Apple is claiming 24 hours of battery life on the Series 11 (or 38 in Low Power Mode) versus 18 hours on the Series 10 (or 36 in Low Power Mode). I have a trip coming up, and I’m curious to see how these claims hold up while I’m adventuring away from a plug for a long period of time.

Still, while all of these are nice-to-haves, none of them are as flashy as, say, the thin new body that came with the Series 10. Additionally, if you have a Series 10 and are already careful about scratching your watch or don’t have a cellular plan for it, then you’re not going to get use out of anything but the improved battery life.

I both do and don’t recommend the Apple Watch Series 11

Apple Watch Series 10 (left) vs. Apple Watch Series 11 (right) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Which brings me to my final point. The Apple Watch Series 11 is a great watch if you’re a few years behind on upgrades, but it's probably worth skipping if you have a Series 10. It’s been a major quality of life improvement for me over my first-gen SE, which came out in 2020, but if it weren’t a different color than the Series 10, my husband might not have been able to tell it apart from what he already has.

That’s why, once I have to return this review unit, I’ll probably spend the $400 to get one. That’s the same price that the Series 10 has been at until now, and while you can currently find the Series 10 at a mild discount at third-party retailers, the new battery life is probably worth the extra $40-50 for me. But my husband, on the other hand, will keep kicking with what’s already on his wrist.

I assume that’s what a lot of other people will do: Upgrade if you’re a few years behind, but otherwise wait. But there's one other option. (Well, OK, two options if you want to go premium and get the $800 Apple Watch Ultra 3). You could just get an Apple Watch SE 3 instead. Releasing alongside the Series 11, this is a major upgrade over the SE 2, starting at $250 and upgrading that model to include an always-on display, sleep apnea notifications, temperature sensing, 5G, fast-charge, and both the wrist flick and double tap notifications. But it’s not quite as thin as the Apple Watch Series 11, the screen isn’t as big, and it can’t do ECG tracking or Hypertension notifications. I’ve been so thoroughly spoiled by the Series 11 that I’m not sure I can settle for that, but for others, it might be just the sweet spot.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/i-love-my-apple-watch-series-11-but-you-might-not?utm_medium=RSS