I've Tested Every New Apple Watch In 2025 - Here's Why The Best Model For You Isn't The Ultra

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Apple's baseline smartwatch offers upgraded wellness features and further artillery life.
• The smartwatch's only weakness is that it's trumped by nan worth of its younger sibling, nan SE 3.
• The Series 11 sewage its first discount of nan season, bringing it down from $400 to $350 connected Amazon

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

People deterioration Apple Watches for each sorts of reasons. There are nan wellness and slumber search functions, which Apple has heavy invested successful complete nan past fewer years. There's nan second-screen facet - immoderate jobs prohibit workers from utilizing their phones connected nan clock. And past location are nan phone-free perks of disconnecting, albeit pinch immoderate safeguards for contacting friends, listening to music, aliases getting directions. 

Apple rolled retired 3 caller Apple Watches astatine its September arena this twelvemonth -- nan Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and nan Apple Watch SE 3 -- and I person been testing each 3 for months since. Now I'm fresh to stock pros, cons, usage cases, and buying proposal for each one.

Also: AirPods review: Apple pulled disconnected thing I thought was impossible 

In this review, I'm going to attraction connected nan Apple Watch Series 11, which I utilized to way workouts astatine my Brooklyn gym, show my sleep, and person Apple's brand-new Sleep Scores, and do a full batch more. So, is this a smartwatch to bargain aliases upgrade to? Let's get into it. 

Some features enactment nan aforesaid from Series 10 to Series 11. The biggest is Apple's chipset. Normally, it updates its chips each year, but nan Series 11 keeps nan S10 processor, nan aforesaid spot arsenic 2024's Series 10. Apple says that successful adding much artillery life done an soul creation alteration that replaced its jelly rotation cells pinch a metallic tin design, it was capable to support nan shape facet of nan watch nan aforesaid and usage 2024's spot to process nan caller device. This intends that nan build of nan watch is identical to nan Series 10. 

The surface brightness besides remains nan aforesaid astatine 2,000 nits, contempt its competition, nan Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8, amping theirs up to 3,000 nits. You person to upgrade to nan Apple Watch Ultra 3 to get a 3,000 nit surface successful nan Apple ecosystem. 

Also: The 10 features that made maine move to nan Apple Watch full-time 

The caller watches travel successful 4 colorways: Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, and a caller Space Gray. My set of prime is nan Sport Loop, which I tested successful a striking Neon Yellow. I wasn't expecting to emotion arsenic overmuch arsenic I did: It's lightweight connected nan wrist, easy to slumber with, and water-wicking (especially if you ablution pinch your watch, which I do). Apple has besides improved nan Sport Loop set by adding reflectivity astir nan edges for nighttime runners and outdoor exercisers. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Sleeping, working, and exercising pinch nan watch is simply a lightweight and comfortable experience. The show is vivid, notifications look quickly, and nan watch lasts a time of regular use. If you haven't slept pinch a watch before, it mightiness return a fewer nights to get utilized to it. However, nan bladed build of nan Series 11 and its slumber mode, which dims nan surface and dismisses interruptions, make it easier than different watches to drift away. 

The upgrades you should cognize about

Apple made respective upgrades to nan Series 11 that its predecessor, nan Series 10, lacked. The astir desired update is six further hours of artillery life. The artillery boost increases nan wide capacity to 24 hours, enabling all-day communication, activity tracking, and slumber tracking. 

The FDA-cleared Hypertension Detection characteristic is different important addition, not conscionable for those who want to further understand their humor unit without needing a humor unit cuff, but besides for Apple's semipermanent ngo to usage exertion to proactively amended wellness and wellness. 

Also: Avoid buying these 4 Apple products this week 

The caller hypertension characteristic doesn't supply readings by nan infinitesimal connected humor pressure. Instead, it uses Apple's PPG bosom sensor to return a 30-day mean reference that its algorithm determines is either supra aliases beneath nan hypertension threshold. Because I had only a fewer days pinch nan watch, I wasn't capable to usage nan characteristic yet, arsenic it requires 30 days of monitoring, but I'll study backmost successful a period erstwhile I person further acquisition pinch it. 

Still, hypertension impacts complete 1 cardinal group and is nan world's astir undiagnosed disease. Apple's first-of-its-kind, FDA-cleared hypertension discovery will not only promote proactive monitoring but besides dispersed consciousness of nan condition's ubiquity. Apple forecasts that its caller hypertension characteristic will notify complete a cardinal group of their undiagnosed precocious humor unit during its first 12 months connected nan market.  

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Apple adds 5G to Series 11 for businesslike connectivity, Ion-X solid for durability, and a wrist-flicking motion to disregard messages aliases calls. The caller solid could thief adjacent nan durability spread betwixt nan Series 11 and Ultra 3 and make nan cheaper smartwatch moreover much appealing to those stuck betwixt nan two. 

Interestingly enough, this year, respective upgrades are not exclusive to nan 3 caller Apple Watches' caller hardware. The package upgrades successful WatchOS 26 widen beyond nan Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 to nan Series 9 and later and Ultra 2. 

What I'd for illustration to spot connected nan Series 12 

I recovered that Apple's caller Sleep Score tended to inflate my value of sleep. I tested nan watch against my Oura Ring, which delivers slumber and readiness scores each morning. My Apple Watch regularly delivered scores successful nan precocious 90s erstwhile my Oura Ring offered up scores successful nan 80s, moreover connected days erstwhile I felt sluggish and needed a nap. Apple says it bases nan 3 factors that dress up your Sleep Score connected guidelines from 3 starring slumber foundations. 

Also: The Apple Watch Series 11 is 1 characteristic distant from making maine ditch my Oura Ring

In general, slumber scores are a reasonably subjective metric that tech brands make to visualize slumber wellness easily. Throughout my testing of slumber trackers, I've recovered that a slumber people reflects nan brand's priorities much than it is an nonsubjective measurement of slumber tracking. 

If astir Americans aren't getting bully sleep, according to recent stats, and Apple is appealing to a wide American user base, its slumber people metrics mightiness beryllium generous to assuage nan user. Any consistent, seven-hour slumber pinch fewer interruptions could still onshore you an 80 aliases 90-something slumber score. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Despite their subjectivity, slumber scores convey slumber accusation successful an easy digestible manner, overmuch to nan dismay of individuals pinch mediocre sleep. Many group person stopped utilizing slumber trackers because of slumber scores that people them poorly. It's successful a brand's champion liking to create products that don't alienate users while besides delivering useful and meticulous information. Apple says it is doing truthful by only grading a personification connected their bedtime consistency, interruptions, and slumber duration. 

Additionally, Apple is already capturing a wearer's Training Load, and I'd emotion to spot Apple adhd a Recovery people that takes a user's activity information into relationship and optimizes their Training Load metric each day. 

ZDNET's buying advice

When comparing nan Apple Watch Series 11 to nan Ultra 3 aliases SE 3, location are a fewer qualities that separate nan watches. Every smartwatch, for example, now includes nan Sleep Score, but nan SE 3 gets 18 hours of normal usage artillery life, while nan Series 11 gets 24, and nan Ultra 3 gets 42. 

The Ultra 3, for illustration nan Series 11, includes Hypertension Detection while besides adding Emergency SOS via Satellite. Emergency SOS and 42 hours of artillery life would service hikers and individuals moving successful rugged professions. First-time smartwatch users looking to grounds a workout aliases discreetly respond to texts connected nan occupation would astir apt get nan astir retired of Apple's affordable SE 3. So, wherever does that time off nan Apple Watch Series 11? 

Also: I compared Apple and Samsung's champion smartwatches - here's who wins for now

The Series 11 is perfect for you if you person already utilized a smartwatch regularly and are fresh for an upgrade. You mightiness beryllium utilizing it for workout and for closing your regular activity rings, and you want to further understand your wellness done Apple's Sleep Score, Hypertension Detection, nan Vitals app, and precocious workout features for illustration Training Load. You person utilized a erstwhile smartwatch regularly capable to cognize you request much artillery retired of your adjacent one, which makes nan Series 11's 24-hour capacity a cardinal upgrade. 

WatchOS 26 introduces Sleep Score and Hypertension Detection to earlier Apple Watch models, including nan Series 9 and later, arsenic good arsenic nan Ultra 2. It skips nan SE and SE 2. 

So nan bigger mobility is whether Series 11 shoppers should see nan Series 10 instead? If you don't request nan other six hours of artillery life and want to maximize your savings, past nan Series 10 is still a awesome choice. You tin moreover find a refurbished 1 for nether $300 connected Amazon and different retailers. 

Keep successful mind that whichever Apple Watch you choose, location are usually fantabulous discounts astir Black Friday, and ZDNET will ever support you updated connected nan champion deals. The $50 woody connected nan Series 11 is nan first we've seen up of nan vacation shopping season. During Cyber Week, though, nan value whitethorn driblet further, and we'll beryllium keeping our oculus connected that. For much connected those 2 products, return a look astatine my reviews of nan Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.