Apple Watch Series 11 vs Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 11 is now available for pre-order. However, the latest Apple Watch models have only four changes compared to their predecessors. This makes them possibly the smallest generational upgrade in device history. Here are all the new features.
Apple Watch Series 11
The Apple Watch Series 11 offers few specific improvements after last year’s design overhaul. This table lists all the differences between the Series 10 and Series 11 models to help you understand the changes.
| Apple Watch Series 11 | Apple Watch Series 10 |
|---|---|
| 2x harder Ion-X glass (aluminum models only) | Ion-X glass (aluminum models only) |
| LTE and 5G (LTE models only) | LTE and UMTS (LTE models only) |
| 1,245–1,403 Wh battery (7–10% larger) | 1,118–1,266 Wh battery |
| Space Gray Aluminum version | Silver Aluminum version |
Somewhat surprisingly, there are no other differences between the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Apple Watch Series 11. For users interested in the titanium model, the only differences are a slightly larger battery and 5G connectivity.
Apple Watch Series 10
And if you don’t activate a cellular plan on your Apple Watch, the 5G connectivity isn’t a selling point either. Furthermore, the Series 11 is still limited to 4G connectivity in some countries. 5G is not listed as a supported feature for the new Apple Watch models in the following countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia.
Apple claims the Series 11 offers 24 hours of battery life, touting this as a significant improvement over the 18 hours of the Series 10. However, this marketing tactic should be taken with a grain of salt. A closer examination of Apple’s own testing data shows that the increase over the Series 10’s 18-hour runtime is due more to changes in testing methods than to major hardware improvements.
The smallest update before the Apple Watch Series 11 came with the Series 5. It introduced the Always-On Retina display, the S5 chip, a compass, and 32GB of storage. It also removed Force Touch and reintroduced the Apple Watch Edition. Thus, even this generational upgrade was significantly more comprehensive than that of the Series 11.
Conclusion
In our buying guides, we often come to the conclusion that an upgrade is only partially worthwhile for owners of the last generation of a product. Enthusiasts and power users can usually buy it blindly.
Unfortunately, the situation is a bit different with the Series 11 – upgrading from a Series 10 isn’t really worth it for anyone. Especially not for owners of a Titanium model, users without a cellular connection, and users in countries where 5G isn’t available. We’re hoping for a major upgrade next year.
