The Apple Watch Series 10 is getting thinner and bigger

On 9 September 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook presented the first Apple Watch. Ten years later to the day, the Series 10 has now been launched - without any big fireworks, as one of many products in the big keynote on Monday evening.

At least there is a major design change for the birthday boy for the first time since the Series 7 from 2021. "Big" is a good keyword here: the Apple Watch Series 10 has grown. The case now measures 42 instead of 41 millimetres - or 46 instead of 45 millimetres in the larger version. Remarkably, the Series 10 now even has a larger screen than the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

If you don't like wearing bulky watches, you will of course only be partially happy about this change. The second change is a different story: The Series 10 is now only 9.7 millimetres thick. Its predecessor was 10.7 millimetres thick, while the Ultra 2 was 14.4 millimetres thick. The Series 10 is also a little lighter, weighing around two to ten grams depending on the variant.

Screen easier to read, battery life remains the same

The screen has not only become larger, but also easier to read - especially when viewed from an angle. It is said to be 40 per cent brighter in this situation thanks to "Wide Angle OLED" technology

The new screen is also more economical. Without sacrificing battery life, the Apple Watch can now afford to refresh the display every second in Always-On-Screen mode and not just every minute as before. This means that watch faces with a second hand can now also be displayed on the Always-On screen.

Overall, however, the battery life remains the same as before: Apple speaks of 18 hours and 36 hours in power-saving mode. If the watch has to be docked, it is now charged faster. It goes from 0 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes instead of 45 minutes as before.

Apnoea detection: when it works, it prolongs life

At least 150,000 people in Switzerland are affected by apnoea. 9 out of 100 men suffer from moderate or severe sleep apnoea syndrome and around 4 out of 100 women. Apple also said in the keynote that 80 per cent of the disorders are not recognised.

This is worrying because apnoea reduces the quality of life and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. With apnoea, breathing stops several times during the night without being noticed - sometimes for several minutes. The body is under constant stress and cannot recover.

The Apple Watch uses motion sensors and blood oxygen measurements to recognise such interruptions and displays a warning after a few nights, with a request to have this checked out by a doctor. If this works well, it is doubly valuable with so many undetected cases. The apnoea measurement will also be available for the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

When exactly the apnoea detection will be delivered as an update for the watches is still unclear and will vary depending on the country. Apple is talking about "this month", but in a few regions it will be later this year. Switzerland and the EU are among the 150 countries in which the feature is planned.

You can read more about the new software features under WatchOS 11 here:

Loud speakers - please forget them again

Nobody wanted it, but Apple did it anyway. The new speaker in the Series 10 is so good that Apple has approved it for media playback. So if music or podcasts are soon blaring from your wrist, it's Tim Cook's fault.
You still can't use the normal Apple Watch for diving, only for swimming or snorkelling. At least it gets additional features for water sports fans: for example, a depth gauge up to six metres and a sensor for the water temperature.

The housing is available in two materials: aluminium and titanium. Titanium replaces the previously used stainless steel. The aluminium version will be available at official retail prices from 399 francs or 449 euros from 20 September. You will pay at least 749 francs for the titanium case.

Ultra and SE remain unchanged

The other two model series of the Apple Watch remain unchanged. The Apple Watch SE has been sold unchanged since 2022. Although the Ultra 2 will have a second case colour in black, it will be overtaken by the Series 10 in terms of display size and processor. The Ultra flagship remains on sale with the S9 processor, while the Series 10 has the new S10 built in. I would have liked a little more for the anniversary.