Apple has just launched the brand new Apple Watch Series 10 at its “It’s Glowtime” event. At first glance, it might not look like much has changed, and it’s certainly not the big design change some might have hoped it to be. But it does bring some upgrades to make it an easier smartwatch to live with, and a notable new health feature, sleep apnea detection.
Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch ever
The Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch ever made, measuring 9.7mm (1mm thinner than Series 9). It’s available in two sizes, 42mm and 46mm, making it larger than its predecessor by 1mm across the board. Also, the Stainless Steel case available with previous versions of the Apple Watch is now gone, replaced with Titanium options instead, which are said to be 20% lighter than the former.
Largest displays on an Apple Watch with wide-angle OLED tech
With the case sizes having been enlarged, the Apple Watch Series 10’s displays have also been expanded by a bit. It now offers up to 30% more screen area than the Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6, and up to 9% more than the Series 7, Series 8, and Series 9.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is also the first product in Apple’s lineup to be fitted with a wide-angle OLED display, which is said to be 40% brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from an angle, making it easier to read. The display is now more power efficient too, allowing Apple to amp up the Series 10’s display refresh rate when in always-on mode, going from once a minute to once a second. With that, you can now see a ticking second hand without raising your wrist on select watch faces.
Apple has also redesigned the speaker on the Apple Watch Series 10. The new module is now 30% smaller and can be used as a speaker. This means you can listen to music or podcasts directly through the watch, without the need to connect to wireless headphones. And as usual, you can also use the speaker for voice calls.
Fastest charging Apple Watch ever
Despite a more power-efficient display, the Apple Watch Series 10 is still rated with the same 18-hour battery life as its predecessors. However, the company does make it up by providing the Series 10 with the fastest charging speed ever featured on an Apple Watch.
Apple says 15 minutes of charging can provide up to 8 hours of normal daily use, while an 8-minute charge can power up to 8 hours of sleep tracking. The watch can also be juiced up from flat to 80% in about 30 minutes.
Sleep apnea detection finally available on the Apple Watch
In the health department, Apple has finally introduced sleep apnea detection with its latest smartwatch. Aside from just tracking sleep metrics such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and wrist temperature, the Apple Watch Series 10 can now help identify signs of sleep apnea, a potentially serious condition where breathing stops repeatedly during sleep.
This condition is estimated to impact more than 1 billion people worldwide and is undiagnosed in most cases. If left untreated, sleep apnea can have important consequences on health, including an increased risk of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues.
To detect sleep apnea, the Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns. This is tracked by a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances. Users can then view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month, or one-year period.
The new sleep apnea algorithm analyses breathing disturbance data. Therefore, the Apple Watch can notify a user if their data indicates consistent signs of sleep apnea.
Currently, the sleep apnea detection feature is still pending FDA approval in the US. Let’s hope this feature will make its way to Malaysia. Also, this feature won’t just be made exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, as the Apple Watch Series 9 should be getting it as well. One feature still missing from the Apple Watch though is blood pressure monitoring. Hopefully, it will come with the Apple Watch Series 11 next year.
Apple Watch Series 10 with latest S10 chip and WatchOS 11
The Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by Apple’s latest S10 chip, featuring a 4-core neural engine, and will be shipped with WatchOS 11. Coming together with the new OS is a new custom workout for pool swims. The Apple Watch Series 10 is also equipped with a new depth gauge and water temperature sensor.
The new depth gauge can measure down to 6 meters beneath the water’s surface, during activities such as snorkelling and shallow diving, or even playing in the pool, lake, or ocean. Additionally, the new water temperature sensor measures the temperature of the water once the Apple Watch has been submerged. Water temperature will also be displayed in the workout metrics during Pool Swim and Open Water Swim workouts.
Also new with WatchOS 11 is the Tides app, which can help users plan open water activities and stay aware of changing conditions. Users can access seven rolling days of forecasted tidal information for coastlines and surf spots around the globe, including information on high and low tides, rising and falling tides, tide height and direction, and sunrise and sunset, all plotted against a timeline.
Apple Watch Series 10 Malaysia pricing and availability
Apple Watch Series 10 Alunimium:
- Apple Watch Series 10 Aluminium (GPS, 42mm): RM1,799
- Apple Watch Series 10 Aluminium (GPS, 46mm): RM1,949
- Apple Watch Series 10 Aluminium (GPS + Cellular, 42mm): RM2,299
- Apple Watch Series 10 Aluminium (GPS + Cellular, 46mm): RM2,449
Apple Watch Series 10 Titanium:
- Apple Watch Series 10 Titanium (GPS + Cellular, 42mm): RM3,299
- Apple Watch Series 10 Titanium (GPS + Cellular, 46mm): RM3,549
Despite already having its price tags revealed for the Malaysian market, there is no information just yet on when we can pre-order the Apple Watch Series 10 or when it will be made available here.
