Apple Watch Series 10 Review: Bigger, Smarter, and Still Unmatched in the iPhone World
The Apple Watch Series 10 builds on a decade of dominance by refining what Apple already does best — seamless iPhone integration, polished design, and industry-leading health tech. With a larger edge-to-edge display, a more powerful S10 chip, and new gesture controls, it’s the most refined Apple Watch to date, especially in its Cellular variant.
Fitness features are dependable, notifications are deeply integrated with iOS, and the third-party app ecosystem is still unmatched. But battery life hasn’t improved, there’s still no Android support, and you'll need at least an iPhone X running iOS 18 to use it — all of which may limit its appeal outside the Apple faithful.
MSRP (when available or best estimate): $499
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✅ Apple Watch Series 10 Pros
✅ Larger Edge-to-Edge Display
The new design increases screen size without adding bulk, improving visibility and touch precision.
✅ Faster S10 Chip
Performance is smoother across the board, with quicker app launches and more responsive interactions.
✅ Extensive Health Suite
Tracks HR, ECG, blood oxygen, temperature, and more with medical-grade precision.
✅ Unmatched App Ecosystem
The richest third-party smartwatch app library, with everything from productivity tools to advanced fitness apps.
✅ Deep iPhone Integration
Notifications, iMessage, Apple Pay, and handoff features work flawlessly across Apple devices.
✅ Optional Cellular Version
Use standalone for calls, texts, music streaming, and GPS without carrying your phone.
✅ New Gesture Control
Double tap gestures add a convenient new way to interact with the watch one-handed.
✅ Premium Design Options
Comes in multiple case materials and finishes — including aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium.
❌ Apple Watch Series 10 Cons
❌ iPhone-Only Compatibility
Requires iPhone X or newer running iOS 18 — Android users are out of luck.
❌ Average Battery Life
Still capped around 18 hours; requires daily charging for most users.
❌ Cellular Requires Monthly Plan
To use LTE features, you’ll need to pay for a separate carrier plan.
❌ High Price
Starts at $399 (GPS-only) and $499 for GPS + Cellular — premium features come at a cost.
❌ No Real Sleep Coaching
While sleep tracking is accurate, Apple still lacks deeper readiness or recovery analytics.
❌ Limited Customization
Watch faces are stylish but tightly controlled by Apple — no third-party designs allowed.
Smart Features & Core Tech
Apple Watch Series 10
Always-On Display & S10 Chip
The Apple Watch Series 10 brings the biggest visual overhaul in years, with a noticeably larger, edge-to-edge OLED display that curves subtly into the casing. Text is easier to read, complications have more breathing room, and interactions like swiping, tapping, or scrolling with the Digital Crown feel smoother than ever. The new **S10 SiP (System in Package)** is the engine behind this experience, delivering a tangible bump in speed and efficiency — apps launch faster, animations are slicker, and multitasking feels nearly instant.
Importantly, the display remains always-on, a feature Apple has continued to refine. It dims intelligently to preserve battery but still shows time and widgets at a glance. Brightness has also improved, making it more readable outdoors. While it's not a dramatic shift from the Series 9, it's a meaningful step up for users coming from older models like the SE or Series 7.
Health Sensors & Wellness Tracking
Apple’s sensor suite remains one of the most advanced on any consumer smartwatch. The Series 10 includes **electrical heart rate (ECG), optical heart rate, blood oxygen (SpO₂), temperature sensing**, and fall detection. Each works seamlessly with Apple’s Health app, delivering data that’s not only accurate but clinically validated in many regions.
The watch can send notifications for high or low heart rate, irregular rhythms (like AFib), and abnormal blood oxygen levels. It also supports **cycle tracking**, **medication reminders**, and **sleep stages**, although Apple’s approach here is more passive than prescriptive — it logs trends but doesn’t offer deep recovery or readiness scoring like Garmin or WHOOP.
Still, for general health monitoring, it’s one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use systems available — and it’s all included without a subscription.
Fitness & Workout Features
The Apple Watch Series 10 continues to support a wide range of workout modes, from traditional activities like running, cycling, and swimming to niche sports like kickboxing, HIIT, or rowing. GPS and heart rate tracking are fast and accurate, and the watch provides real-time metrics like pace, elevation gain, and calorie burn with surprising depth.
The Activity Rings — Move, Exercise, and Stand — remain central to Apple’s motivational ecosystem. They’re simple, gamified goals that encourage consistency, and many users find them more motivating than traditional step counters.
Advanced metrics like running power, vertical oscillation, and ground contact time are still missing unless paired with a third-party app or external sensor, which may be a drawback for serious athletes. Apple Fitness+ integration is also emphasized, offering guided workouts and meditation sessions, though the service requires a paid subscription.
App Ecosystem & LTE Support
This is where Apple still dominates. The Series 10 supports the largest and most diverse third-party app library of any smartwatch — covering everything from calendar tools and smart home controls to banking apps, productivity platforms, and custom workouts. Whether you’re logging calories, controlling your lights, or checking your flight status, chances are there’s an app for it.
The GPS + Cellular model lets you take calls, send texts, stream music, and get maps — all without your phone. Setup is easy through the Watch app, but it does require a compatible carrier plan (usually $10/month in the U.S.). When paired, LTE performance is reliable, and signal handoff between phone and watch is smooth.
Apple Pay, Siri, music streaming (Apple Music, Spotify), and even podcasts work independently — turning the watch into a capable standalone device when you want to go light.
Performance & User Experience
Apple Watch Series 10
Health & Fitness Accuracy
The Apple Watch Series 10 continues to set a high bar for accuracy in everyday health tracking. Heart rate monitoring is fast, stable, and reliable across both casual use and workouts. Compared against chest straps in independent testing, Apple’s readings typically fall within 2–3 bpm — close enough for all but the most serious athletes.
Sleep tracking has improved, especially with the integration of temperature sensing and respiratory rate. However, it still lacks deeper recovery analytics or “readiness” scoring like you’d find with Garmin or Fitbit. Apple logs your sleep stages and gives trends, but stops short of offering actionable coaching.
Blood oxygen tracking is useful, though not medical-grade, and users should be aware that features like ECG and irregular rhythm notifications are region-locked due to regulatory requirements. In the U.S., they work seamlessly, but this may vary internationally.
Fall detection and emergency SOS work reliably, and Apple continues to lead in terms of integrating health data into a larger ecosystem. The Health app offers trend charts, cycle tracking, hearing health, and medication reminders — all organized intuitively.
Notifications & App Integration
This is where the Apple Watch Series 10 outshines nearly every other smartwatch. Notifications are mirrored instantly from your iPhone, and you can take action directly from the wrist — reply to texts with Scribble, dictation, emojis, or quick replies; snooze calendar events; archive emails; or control smart home devices with a tap.
Siri is always available for voice-based tasks, from setting reminders and sending messages to controlling HomeKit devices. There’s no lag, no sync issues — it just works. Third-party apps like WhatsApp, Outlook, and Slack also integrate tightly, allowing direct interactions that are often missing from Wear OS or Garmin platforms.
The only limitation is iOS exclusivity. You must have an iPhone to use an Apple Watch — and not just any iPhone. The Series 10 requires an iPhone X or newer running iOS 18, which leaves older users out of the loop entirely. For those within the Apple ecosystem, though, this watch becomes a natural extension of the phone, Mac, and even AirPods.
Smart Assistant & Voice Control
Siri on the Apple Watch is fast, useful, and almost frictionless. You can activate it with a raise-to-speak gesture, a double-tap (new with Series 10), or the Digital Crown. Tasks like dictation, home control, message replies, or web searches feel natural, and responses are spoken aloud through the onboard speaker.
That said, Siri still has its quirks — particularly around third-party integrations. It won’t launch Spotify playlists or read WhatsApp messages aloud, for example. But for Apple’s own ecosystem, it’s highly functional and easily one of the best smart assistants on any wearable.
Competitors like Google Assistant (on Pixel Watch) or Alexa (on Fitbit) have their strengths, but none offer the same fluidity across devices as Apple’s approach.
Battery Life
If there’s a persistent drawback to the Apple Watch line, this is it. Despite a more efficient S10 chip, the Series 10 still delivers roughly 18 hours of battery life, or “all-day” usage by Apple’s definition. That means you’ll need to charge it daily unless you keep usage light or dip into Low Power Mode.
There’s fast charging — about 45 minutes for 80% — which helps make overnight top-ups more manageable. But for users coming from Garmin, Amazfit, or even Fitbit, the need for near-daily charging can feel like a step backward.
The Cellular version drains faster when used without a phone — especially during GPS workouts or music streaming — but not dramatically so. Most users will still get through a day of moderate activity with juice to spare.
Comfort & Design
Apple continues to refine its design language without alienating long-time users. The Series 10 looks familiar at first glance but sports a thinner chassis, softened edges, and that massive display that makes older models feel cramped by comparison.
It comes in two sizes (typically 41mm and 45mm), multiple finishes (aluminum, stainless steel, titanium), and supports a vast array of bands — from sport loops to Hermès leather straps. It’s rated WR50 for swim resistance and can be worn for everything from weight training to laps in the pool.
Comfort is excellent. The case sits flat against the wrist, the crown and side button are tactile, and band changes remain tool-free. It’s light enough to wear all day, and stylish enough to pass as a traditional watch in most settings.
Companion App & Ecosystem
The Apple Watch Series 10 is managed through the iOS Watch app, which handles setup, customizations, and app management. It’s clean, intuitive, and offers granular control over everything — from which apps appear in the dock to how complications behave on each face.
On the health side, everything syncs to the Apple Health app, which aggregates data from the Watch and other sources (like third-party apps or smart scales). It’s arguably the most comprehensive consumer health platform available, with tight privacy controls and rich trend data.
Apple doesn’t require a subscription for any of the core watch functions — you get ECG, sleep tracking, heart data, and fall detection for free. However, if you want Apple Fitness+, the company’s premium workout streaming service, that does require a $9.99/month subscription.
What stands out most is how well the Watch fits into Apple’s broader ecosystem: unlock your Mac, hand off calls, sync reminders, control your Apple TV — it’s seamless, cohesive, and rarely buggy. That experience simply doesn’t exist outside Apple’s walled garden.
Final Verdict
Apple Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a confident step forward, even if it doesn’t radically redefine the category. With a larger, brighter display, faster performance, and small but meaningful additions like the new double tap gesture, it remains the best smartwatch for iPhone users — especially those who want a blend of fitness tracking, communication, and style.
Health tracking is still top-tier, with ECG, blood oxygen, fall detection, and cycle tracking all built-in — no subscription required. Battery life remains the Achilles' heel, and Apple’s refusal to open the Watch to Android continues to limit its reach. But for those already in the Apple ecosystem, the Series 10 delivers a level of polish and integration that competitors still can’t quite match.
Whether you choose the GPS-only or Cellular model, this is a premium performing smartwatch that balances lifestyle features with serious health tech. It’s not perfect, but it’s the gold standard for what a modern smartwatch can be — provided you’re an iPhone user with a recent model.
FAQ
Apple Watch Series 10
What’s the difference between the GPS-only and GPS + Cellular Apple Watch Series 10?
The GPS-only model requires a nearby iPhone for calls, messages, and data. The GPS + Cellular version allows the watch to operate independently with its own mobile connection — including streaming music, making calls, and using apps — but it requires a separate carrier plan.
Does the Apple Watch Series 10 require a subscription for any features?
No subscription is required for core features like heart rate monitoring, ECG, SpO₂, sleep tracking, or workout modes. However, Apple Fitness+ — Apple’s guided workout service — does require a paid subscription.
Can the Series 10 be used with Android phones?
No. The Apple Watch Series 10 is only compatible with iPhones. Specifically, it requires an iPhone X or newer running iOS 18 or later.
Is the battery life any better than previous models?
Not significantly. Expect about 18 hours of battery life with regular use. It’s enough for a full day, but most users will still need to charge it nightly.
Does the new double tap gesture work in all apps?
It supports a wide range of native interactions (like answering calls, pausing music, or scrolling through widgets), but not every third-party app supports it yet.
Can I swim with the Apple Watch Series 10?
Yes. It is water resistant up to 50 meters and can be used for pool or open water swimming. However, it’s not rated for diving or high-pressure water activities.
Is the Apple Watch Series 10 worth upgrading from Series 8 or 9?
If you’re coming from a Series 8 or 9, the changes are incremental — mostly around display size, chip speed, and gesture input. But for those with older models (like SE or Series 6), it’s a noticeable upgrade in both performance and screen experience.
Are there third-party watch faces?
No. Apple still does not allow custom third-party watch faces. You can customize built-in faces with complications and styles, but you can’t download fully custom designs.
Additional Information
Apple AirPods Pro 2 Review Apple AirPods Max Review Apple Watch Ultra 2 ReviewThis review is based on research, expert analysis, and user feedback. AI Reviews HQ does not conduct hands-on product testing. We may earn a commission from the links in this review. We do our best to provide accurate product details, however AI is not perfect and may make some mistakes in research. Please double-check with the manufacturer or retailer before purchasing. Check out the product page