Apple Watch Series 10 vs 9 and Earlier: What’s New and Improved?

The Apple Watch Series 10 has arrived with significant upgrades, featuring the largest screen ever, the thinnest design, a new chip, faster charging, and enhanced health and fitness features. Here’s an in-depth look at what’s new and improved in the Apple Watch Series 10 compared to Series 9 and earlier models.

Table of Contents

Processor, GPU, Neural Engine, and Storage

The Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by the new S10 SiP. Although Apple hasn’t shared specific details about how much faster it is compared to the S9, the company states that the S10 was custom-designed for “performance, power efficiency, and intelligence.”

Apple highlighted that the S10 would enhance machine learning tasks, improve on-device Siri, and boost health features. It also supports new capabilities like the Apple Watch’s double tap control feature.

If you’re upgrading from the Series 9, the performance difference may not be immediately noticeable, but users upgrading from older models will likely experience a noticeable improvement.

Additionally, the Series 10 offers two key upgrades compared to the Apple Watch Series 8 or earlier: an increase in storage capacity to 64GB and the inclusion of an Ultra Wideband Gen 2 chip for more precise location tracking.

	Series 10	9	8	7	SE2
SiP/processor	S10 SiP 64-bit dual-core processor	S9 SiP 64-bit dual-core processor	S8 SiP 64-bit dual-core processor	S7 SiP 64-bit dual-core processor	S8 SiP 64-bit dual-core processor
Neural Engine	4-core	4-core	❌	❌	❌
Ultra wideband chip	✅ – gen 2	✅ – gen 2	✅ – gen 1	✅ – gen 1	❌
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.0	5.3
Storage	64GB	64GB	32GB	32GB	32GB

Case and Display

The Apple Watch Series 10 introduces new case sizes that feature the largest displays and thinnest design yet. The 46mm and 42mm cases provide up to 30% more screen area compared to the Series 6. This increase allows for an additional line of text on the display. The 46mm model’s display is even slightly larger than the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.

Both the case and display on the Series 10 have more rounded corners, giving it a softer, sleeker look. Apple did increase the bezel size slightly with the Series 10, but the overall design is still slimmer—about 10% thinner than the Series 7-9.

	Series 10	9	8	7	SE2
Case size	46/42mm	45/41mm	45/41mm	45/41mm	44/40mm
Display size	416 x 496 pixels, 1220 sq mm (46mm model)	396 x 484 pixels, 1143 sq mm (45mm model)	396 x 484 pixels, 1143 sq mm (45mm model)	396 x 484 pixels, 1143 sq mm (45mm model)	368 x 448 pixels, 977 sq mm (44mm model)
Brightness max	2,000 nits	2,000 nits	1,000 nits	1,000 nits	1,000 nits
Always-on display	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Wide-angle OLED display	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sapphire crystal front	With titanium models	With steel models	With steel models	With steel models	❌
Ion-X front	With aluminum models	With aluminum models	With aluminum models	With aluminum models	✅

A new wide-angle OLED display on the Series 10 also improves brightness by up to 40% when viewed from an angle.

Apple Watch Band Compatibility

Apple assures users that most bands from Series 3 onward will be compatible with the new Series 10, as long as the size matches the case.

Battery Life and Charging

Charging speed has been improved in the Series 10. It now takes just 30 minutes to charge from 0 to 80%, compared to 45 minutes for Series 7-9 models. The battery life remains consistent with up to 18 hours in standard mode and up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode.

	Series 10	9	8	7	SE2
Battery life – standard	18 hours	18 hours	18 hours	18 hours	18 hours
Extended battery with Low Power mode	36 hours	36 hours	36 hours	36 hours	36 hours
Charging	0-80% in 30 minutes	0-80% in 45 minutes	0-80% in 45 minutes	0-80% in 45 minutes	0-80% in 90 minutes

For those interested in sleep tracking, the Series 10 provides 8 hours of usage with just an 8-minute charge, the same as in Series 9 and 8.

Key Features of Apple Watch Series 10

New with the Series 10 are Sleep Apnea notifications, which will also be available for Series 9 and Ultra 2 with a software update.

Additionally, you can now play audio directly through the Apple Watch’s speaker. Series 10 also inherits features from the Ultra 2, including the water depth gauge and water temperature sensor.

It’s worth noting that, like the Series 9 and Ultra 2, the Blood Oxygen feature remains unavailable for Series 10 users in the U.S.

Apple Watch model/features	Series 10	9	8	7	SE 2
Sleep apnea notifications	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
ECG app	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Blood Oxygen app	❌	✅/❌ Not included with US models sold from 1/18/24	✅	✅	❌
High/low heart rate notifications	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
IP6X dust resistant	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Water resistant to 50m	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Water depth gauge	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Water temp sensor	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sleep tracking	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Crash detection	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
Fall detection	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Advanced cycle tracking with temp sensing	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Emergency SOS	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
On-device Siri	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Double tap gesture control	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Siri+Health	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Speaker playback	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌

Finishes and Colors

For the Series 10, Apple has replaced stainless steel with Grade 5 titanium for its high-end models. The base models still use aluminum, but now include a new Jet Black polished finish.

The Apple Watch Series 10 comes in the following options:

Aluminum:

Silver
Rose Gold
Jet Black

Titanium:

Slate
Gold
Natural

Price

The pricing for the Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for the aluminum version and $699 for the titanium model. Pre-orders are available through Apple.

Series 10 Aluminum: $399/$429
Series 10 Titanium: $699/$749
Series 9 and older models are usually available at a discount
Apple Watch SE (2nd gen): Starts at $249

Also Read This: iPhone 16 Pro: Price, Design Updates, and Battery Life Confirmed in Apple Launch

Should You Upgrade?

The Apple Watch Series 10 offers a larger screen, improved viewing angles, a thinner design, an upgraded S10 SiP, faster charging, and new water-related sensors, which could be appealing for those considering an upgrade.

For users with older models, upgrading to the Series 10 will bring additional benefits like an always-on display, faster charging, and comprehensive health features. Plus, the new Sleep Apnea notifications will be available for Series 10, 9, and Ultra 2 models.

What do you think? Will you upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 10, or skip this one? Share your thoughts in the comments!