Apple Watch Series 11 Review: A Reliable Wearable For When It Matters Most

The tenth procreation of nan Apple Watch came and went without overmuch fanfare past year, and nan presence of nan Series 11 is likewise subdued. Not overmuch appears to person changed pinch Apple’s smartwatch, pinch nary redesign to beryllium seen. Still, that isn’t to opportunity nan Apple Watch Series 11 is unimpressive aliases unexciting. It has caller health-related features, improved durability, 5G connectivity, support for a wrist-flick motion and, for nan first clip successful years, nan committedness of longer artillery life.

The astir noteworthy of these is Apple’s new hypertension alerts system, which only received FDA clearance past week soon aft the “Awe dropping” motorboat event. The characteristic has yet to rotation retired to reappraisal units, and will stay untested until later this week, erstwhile I tin alteration it. Thankfully, it’s not a instrumentality that will effect my acquisition pinch nan Series 11 successful my regular life, arsenic it’s thing that should activity mostly successful nan inheritance and only alert maine if it notices I mightiness person precocious humor pressure.

Because of that, I’m not going to beryllium capable to measure its practicality successful this review, and I will update this portion erstwhile I’ve had a chance to usage it. To beryllium clear, though, moreover aft it arrives, you won’t beryllium capable to usage this characteristic ad-hoc to get humor unit readings. Right now, each I tin opportunity is I deliberation it’s an important area of wellness to salary attraction to and I’m gladsome Apple is giving it owed attention.

Of each nan newness coming to nan Series 11, nan 1 that much group mightiness brushwood much often are nan slumber score, wrist flick motion and longer artillery life.

A very Apple attack to nan Sleep Score

In nan onshore of sleep-tracking wearables, slumber scores are far from a new feature. But Apple is introducing it pinch nan Watch Series 11, and arsenic usual, its attack is simply a spot different from nan competition. Whereas nan likes of Fitbit, Google and Samsung will coming you pinch a number and immoderate information connected really you slept, possibly assigning an animal to correspond your profile, Apple’s people is shown successful a ringing pinch 3 colors. They correspond nan 3 components your Sleep Score is being calculated from: duration, interruptions and bedtime.

The first 2 are beautiful self-explanatory; nan longer you slumber and nan little you aftermath up during nan night, nan amended your score. As for nan past one, Apple is looking for consistency successful nan hours astatine which you spell to bed. The thought is that nan regular helps your assemblage support immoderate consistency and amended hole for recovery.

I’m a immense proponent of getting much sleep, but I ne'er was a stickler for bedtime schedules. As a reformed nighttime owl that utilized to spell to furniture astatine 2AM and aftermath up person to 9AM, I now spell to furniture by midnight and emergence astatine 6AM. I’m amazed that contempt having to get up earlier nowadays, I tin still consciousness refreshed and energetic, arsenic agelong arsenic I’ve been routinely getting capable remainder astatine astir nan aforesaid clip each night.

While I haven’t worn nan Series 11 to furniture for that galore nights, nan Sleep Scores I’ve received truthful acold person been telling. The first was 82, aft a agelong time checking retired of a hotel, gathering up pinch a friend from Singapore and past moving to a different friend’s location successful California. I only sewage astir to unpacking aft meal and a agelong heart-to-heart chat that lasted hours, truthful by nan clip I collapsed successful furniture it was astir 1:30AM.

The adjacent night, since I was already unpacked, I was capable to autumn dormant a spot earlier, conscionable past midnight. The result? A Sleep Score of 97, pinch afloat marks crossed nan bedtime and long sections and only 1 interruption of 3 minutes. When I yet sewage location and forced myself to deterioration nan watch to bed, a operation of jetlag and wide worry brought my people down to 53, pinch nan long of 2 hours and 17 minutes being nan main contributing factor.

Not only did nan numbers look to lucifer really rested I felt, it besides felt for illustration Apple accurately detected erstwhile I had drifted disconnected into slumber. I did find it funny really nan Series 11 almost instantly told maine to effort and move astir to meet my Stand extremity for nan hour, and moreover though I hardly stirred, it quickly told maine I had moved capable to deed nan mark.

Compared to nan offerings from Google and Samsung, nan wide strokes of Apple’s slumber people are similar. In my experience, I’d get astir nan aforesaid numbers for those types of nights. But it’s not nan Score unsocial that matters. I for illustration that Apple’s strategy makes it very easy to spot astatine a glimpse what areas I should strive to improve. It’s almost for illustration closing your activity rings successful Fitness aliases watchOS — because it’s truthful clear connected nan Sleep Score’s ringing wherever your deficits mightiness be, it makes trying to deed a target a small easier to visualize.

Meanwhile, slumber scores connected nan Fitbit app, which is what Pixel Watches use, will show much information arsenic you support tapping connected nan charts.

I do for illustration Google (or Fitbit) erstwhile it comes to nan interface and information visualization, though. On Apple’s Health app, scrolling done your erstwhile results isn’t arsenic elemental arsenic swiping horizontally done pages. I besides wish I could pat nan “interruptions” standard to spot precisely what times I stirred aliases woke up. I yet did find that information, but I had to spell to nan Sleep chart successful its dedicated conception to spot more. It’s conscionable a spot unintuitive and requires a batch of tapping and swiping astir to find things.

The Series 11’s hardier creation is simply a subtle refinement

I usually loathe going to furniture pinch a smartwatch on, but because nan Series 11 is truthful bladed and light, it wasn’t excessively bad. Its dimensions are identical to nan Series 10, measuring 9.7mm bladed and weighing astir 0.3 grams more. As my comparatively precocious Sleep Scores show, I didn’t really jolt awake successful nan mediate of nan nighttime for illustration I usually did pinch erstwhile heavier, clunkier watches. (I still dislike wearing watches to sleep, though.)

More importantly, nan Series 11 besides has an IonX solid coating that Apple says is doubly arsenic scratch resistant arsenic nan Series 10, which mightiness relationship for nan flimsy summation successful weight. While I didn’t effort very difficult to trial that claim, I’ve surely bumped my reappraisal portion against tons of difficult surfaces, including nan iPhone 17 Pro, and person yet to spot a scratch.

I moreover knocked it against nan Series 10 connected my different wrist arsenic I laid my hands connected apical of each different successful various yoga poses that progressive lying look down, and neither instrumentality was damaged. Given that nan Series 10 I’ve been wearing remains beautiful pristine aft a year, I’m assured that nan Series 11’s hardier worldly intends it’ll enactment likewise unmarred.

Workout-tracking, gestures and watchOS 26

During my clip pinch nan Series 11, I tracked a assortment of workouts, including a yoga class, arsenic good arsenic my accustomed sessions of outdoor walking, functional spot and transverse training. I noticed small differences present compared to my Series 10, and nan main changes were nan watchOS 26 interface. After I turned connected Workout Buddy, selected 1 of 3 disposable voices and fto it decorativeness downloading, I had to group immoderate targets and link headphones earlier I moreover heard thing during my sessions. I don’t usually activity retired pinch headphones on, but I tin spot nan coaching being useful for an aspirational early wherever I’m possibly trying to deed a 6-minute mile (my existent clip is astir 8 minutes).

I will statement that a batch of what makes nan Series 11 consciousness caller is successful nan software, which will beryllium rolling retired to older Apple Watches soon. watchOS 26 brings nan Liquid Glass style, which allowed maine to usage immoderate slick-looking fonts connected my clock. I besides liked nan larger buttons crossed nan interface and nan refreshing emotion of looking astatine nan translucent cards alternatively of nan type before. It’s conscionable a ocular alteration that makes things consciousness updated, and my eyes welcomed it.

The Series 11 besides gets a caller wrist flick motion that feels acquainted for those of america who person covered nan smartwatch manufacture since its inception. The gist is that you tin quickly twist your wrist distant from you to interact pinch your wearable. On different devices, you could usage this action to scroll done lists of apps, for instance. On nan Apple Watch Series 11, you person to first raise your wrist erstwhile a notification arrives, past flick your wrist to disregard it and return to your watch face. This besides useful to extremity calls, alarms and timers. I was capable to usage this to soundlessness an alarm, arsenic agelong arsenic I first raised my wrist earlier flicking.

Battery that lasts longer than a day

When Apple said during its keynote that nan Series 11 will past 24 hours acknowledgment to its re-engineered battery, my workfellow Sam Rutherford scoffed. That number is measly compared to nan multi-day runtimes promised by nan likes of Pixel and Samsung watches, fto unsocial Garmin’s almost week-long estimates. But when you see Apple promises up to 18 hours for nan Series 10, nan betterment is thing to sneeze at.

Also, 24 hours is an estimate depending connected really you usage your Apple Watch. Many group only put their watch connected erstwhile heading retired for a walk, tally aliases workout, while others usage it each day. That estimate includes clip for overnight slumber tracking, pinch 18 hours devoted to daytime “activities for illustration checking nan time, receiving notifications, utilizing apps and doing a 60-minute workout.”

The summation successful runtime is acknowledgment successful portion to a 9 percent bigger artillery successful nan 42mm exemplary and an 11 percent larger 1 successful nan 46mm version, arsenic good arsenic optimizations successful package and a caller modem that besides supports 5G.

The Series 11 surely outlasted nan 24-hour estimate successful my experience. It usually lasts 1 and a half days, including immoderate ray activity tracking, media power and slumber tracking. One day, I pulled it disconnected nan charger astatine 2PM, tracked a workout astatine 4PM, utilized nan camera distant power and viewfinder for astir 20 minutes, went to meal and wore it to bed. I woke up astatine 8AM pinch 39 percent near successful nan tank. Even hours later astatine 3:15PM, I still had a patient 22 percent to activity with. On a different day, I woke up pinch 29 percent of juice, tracked a 37-minute greeting locomotion and had astir 20 percent remaining. The power ratio does look to person improved.

This besides intends continuous runtimes for circumstantial activities person been increased. For example, you tin tally for an other hr while search your bosom rate, GPS and utilizing different Apple Watch features for 8 hours straight. Or, much likely, simply tally a marathon without worrying astir having juice after.

Apple was besides capable to boost its debased powerfulness mode, now squeezing up to 38 hours of juice erstwhile enabled. It will move disconnected nan ever connected display, disconnect cellular and Wi-Fi connections and besides limit sensor activity, truthful inheritance bosom complaint measurements and related alerts won’t work. I switched it connected astatine 9:20PM 1 nighttime erstwhile nan artillery was astatine 86 percent, successful anticipation of a agelong time distant from a charger.

The adjacent day, aft search astir 3 hours of slumber overnight, a fewer workouts and wide testing, nan watch still held reasonably beardown astatine 22 percent astatine 8:50PM. I did person to restart nan instrumentality and move disconnected debased powerfulness mode a fewer times passim nan time conscionable to cheque that definite features (like nan AOD and gestures) were working, though, truthful uninterrupted usage of nan mode mightiness get much hours retired of it.

Charging is besides rather speedy. I placed nan Series 11 connected nan charging puck astatine astir 1PM pinch 8 percent left, and came backmost 10 minutes later to spot it had already reached 38 percent. Just complete 30 minutes later, it was afloat recharged. That, of course, is pinch an Apple-supplied accelerated charger.

Which Apple Watch is correct for you?

If you’re reference this review, you’re not apt to beryllium considering non-Apple watches, truthful I won’t moreover comparison nan Series 11 to nan Galaxy Watch 8 aliases nan Pixel Watch 4. We haven’t moreover reviewed that second one, anyway. You besides astir apt don’t presently ain a Series 10, though if you do and are wondering if this is worthy an upgrade, publication on.

For those connected older Apple Watches (like nan Series 9 aliases earlier), nan Series 11 is simply a coagulated upgrade. The artillery life improvements will beryllium meaningful moreover if you’re coming from nan Series 10, though if you’re moving connected from thing older nan effect will beryllium greater. You’ll admit nan bigger surface pinch wider viewing angles, thinner floor plan and wide modern features for illustration nan watchOS refresh and AI-based tools.

If you’re considering 1 of nan 3 caller Apple Watches, this twelvemonth is simply a trickier business than usual. Because it added an ever connected show and faster charging to nan SE 3, Apple has made nan entry-level smartwatch a no-brainer for beautiful overmuch anyone considering a starter device. For $250, that watch gives you everything nan Series 11 does, isolated from successful a somewhat bulkier lawsuit and smaller, dimmer display. You’ll beryllium giving up ECG and humor oxygen features, arsenic good arsenic hypertension alerts and sensors for extent and h2o temperature. Battery life is besides a spot shorter, and you won’t person an ultra-wideband spot for precision Find My.

But pinch nan Watch SE 3, you’ll still beryllium capable to entree a wide scope of wellness and fittingness features for illustration wrist somesthesia monitoring, slumber score, emergency SOS, autumn and clang discovery and more. It’s a compelling action astatine an appealing price.

Wrap-up

I don’t expect companies to wholly retool their products, particularly 11 generations in. The Apple Watch Series 11 is simply a refinement of an already winning formula, packing a instrumentality that’s ever connected your personification pinch precisely nan type of passive features you’d want successful thing for illustration that. Whether it’s softly keeping tabs connected your bosom wellness and humor unit changes, aliases providing amended accusation connected really good you slept, aliases moreover redeeming your life if you’ve fallen aliases gotten mislaid successful nan wilderness, nan Series 11 is simply a tin companion. With longer artillery life this time, it promises to supply moreover much bid of mind. Nifty touches for illustration Liquid Glass successful watchOS 26, Workout Buddy and 5G connectivity are icing connected a rich, important cake.