Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Is There Enough to Justify Buying a New Model?

The Apple Watch Series 11 is the company's flagship smartwatch, so we'd expect it to get the biggest improvements, right? Not this year. The model is remarkably similar to the Series 10, which marked a decade of the Apple Watch and incorporated a few notable improvements over its predecessors. So just what is different this year? Let's compare them side by side to suss out the fine details. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. Pricing the Apple Watch Series 11 The Series 11 has kept the same price as the Series 10. It starts at $399 for the model with an aluminum body or $699 for one made of titanium. Add $30 for the larger 46mm case size in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Opting for a model with a cellular radio that connects independently to networks adds $100. And if you choose a band made of something other than rubber or textile -- a stainless steel link bracelet, for example -- the price climbs further. Unfortunately, you can't order just the watch case; you have to select a new band, even if it ends up in your drawer in favor of one you already own and prefer. There's also a titanium Apple Watch Hermès model available in silver titanium in both sizes that starts at $1,249. Apple no longer sells the Series 10, since the Series 11 replaces it, but you can still find refurbished Series 10 models for less from Apple, and new models from other retailers while supplies last. Watch this: Apple Watch Series 11 Review: Is It Worth the Upgrade? 06:18 Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Outward design The Series 11 and Series 10 share the same case design and materials. The larger model measures 46mm tall by 39mm wide, while the smaller comes in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for continuing to offer two sizes to accommodate people with different-sized wrists.) They're also both 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch models that came before, at 9.7mm. The Apple Watch Series 11 looks exactly like the Series 10. Apple/CNET Despite being mostly the same in dimensions, the Series 11 is slightly heavier than the Series 10. For example, the 46mm aluminum GPS Series 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up slightly from 36.4 grams for the Series 10. The 42mm versions come in at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively. For colors, the Series 11 adds a space gray aluminum option to go along with rose gold, silver and jet black. Both models are also available in titanium finishes of slate, gold and natural. Titanium is the premium finish for both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10 (the latter shown here). Apple/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET The physical controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a side button (that Apple cleverly calls the "side button"). Only the Apple Watch Ultra includes a third physical control: the Action button. Also noteworthy: The titanium Series 11 is made of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled material in the titanium Series 10. The display glass is made of 40% recycled glass in the Series 11; no amount is listed for the Series 10. And the battery in the Series 11 uses 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Series 10 lists only 100% recycled cobalt.) Series 11 vs. Series 10 screens The screens on both the Series 11 and Series 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED display. That means it's easier to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on display refreshes once per second, allowing the seconds counter to move even when the watch is in inactive mode. LTPO3 screens are also more power efficient. The screens reach up to 2,000 nits for clear visibility in sunlight and dim down to just 1 nit in darkness. The key difference between the Series 11 and Series 10 screens lies in the glass covering. On the Series 11 aluminum models, Apple uses Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant as the glass on previous aluminum versions. The titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal display. The glass covering the display on the Apple Watch Series 11 is more scratch-resistant. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET Apple Watch processor and chips Normally we'd highlight how the new processor improves on its predecessor, but for 2025 Apple stuck with the same S10 processor found in the Series 10. That also means the other chips remain the same, too: the W3 Apple Wireless chip, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (for precise Find My location tracking), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage. Battery power: Series 11 vs. Series 10 Battery life is where the two models get really interesting. Apple doesn't reveal how large the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capacity, but it is claiming up to 24 hours for the Series 11 compared to 18 hours for the Series 10. In Low Power Mode, that's up to 38 hours for the Series 11, up from 36 hours in the Series 10. It's not entirely clear where Apple squeezed an extra six hours of battery life out of what appears to be mostly identical hardware. Both phones use the same S10 processor, though there are likely software optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead writer Vanessa Hand Orellana found that, at least initially, Apple may be undercounting the battery performance, writing in her review, "With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I've consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge." The Apple Watch Series 11 lasted about four hours past its 24-hour rating in our real-world testing. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET As for charging the watches, both the Series 11 and Series 10 can be charged up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Apple says that with a 20W power adapter, 15 minutes of fast charging provides up to 8 hours of regular use, while just five minutes is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking -- thanks to the watch's much lower power demands while you're asleep. Apple's comparison information for the Series 10 doesn't list those last two metrics, but that seems more due to it being a marketing point last year versus a new capability in the Series 11. Comparing the sensors of the Series 11 and Series 10 The Apple Watch's sensors power health features that range from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to precise location tracking. That said… They're identical in the Series 11 and Series 10. No changes here. Another change: Connectivity in the Series 11 and Series 10 One of the more notable changes in the cellular models of the Series 11 is support for 5G networks, specifically a power-efficient type called 5G Reduced Capacity (or 5G RedCap). That allows it to connect to both 5G and LTE networks without having to go through a connected iPhone, and the 5G speeds should be better. By comparison, the cellular Series 10 supports LTE and UMTS (3G). A cellular Apple Watch means you can go for a run without bringing the iPhone along. Series 10 shown here. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET Part of incorporating 5G into the Series 11 models is a redesigned cellular antenna and an algorithm that "simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength," according to Apple's Series 11 press release. That algorithm is exclusive to the Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, per Apple. Both Apple Watch models support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple's comparison page only lists the speeds for the Series 11, but an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported since the Series 6 watches.) Both watches talk to the iPhone and other peripherals using Bluetooth 5.3. WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10 The new features of WatchOS 26 come to both watch models, including hypertension notifications, Sleep Score and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance in the US amid an ongoing legal dispute). Apple's comparison page lists the new Wrist Flick gesture for the Series 11 but not the Series 10, but that must be a typo because I can confirm that it works on my Series 10 watch.