Apple Watch Series 10 after one month: It’s the anti-Ultra model

1 month ago 5

I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Series 10 for just over one month. And in that time, several key features have stood out that make this, in many respects, the anti-Ultra model. Here’s what I mean.

Series 10 prompted an early upgrade

Normally, I buy a new Apple Watch every two years. But this year, the Series 10 compelled me to upgrade early. I had a Series 9 that was working well, but several Series 10 features prompted a surprise purchase:

larger display
faster charging
thinner body
wide-angle OLED
better always-on refresh

Overall, the feature list for the Apple Watch Series 10 showed that this was a bigger year than usual for the Watch.

After one month, I absolutely think that’s true. But I’ve also found that some of the Series 10’s most noteworthy features don’t actually stand out much.

In fact, where the Apple Watch Ultra calls attention to itself in every way, the Series 10 does the opposite. It kind of just…gets out of the way.

Screen size and thinness make for surprisingly subtle model

Apple Watch Series 10 reviews | Close-up of watch on colorful background

Take screen size for example. My 46mm Series 10 has a (barely) larger display than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. But if you look at the two devices side by side, the Ultra wears its screen size loud and proud, while the Series 10 makes it hard to even notice.

When I first started wearing the Series 10, its larger display definitely jumped out at me. But after a couple days, it started to look basically like my Series 9.

This is partly because the Series 10 is missing the Ultra watch faces that take advantage of a large screen. It’s also ultimately because the design is intentionally sleeker and nondescript.

The thinness of the Series 10 helps here. It’s only 9.7mm thick, while the Ultra 2 is 14.4mm. They have basically the same size display, but one model flaunts it while the other is more subtle, preferring not to be noticed.

I’ve started wearing my Watch during sleep for the first time in years. If I have sleep apnea, it’d be nice to know it. And my experience wearing the Watch to bed I think highlights the vast difference between the Series 10 and Ultra.

Even though the Series 10 has a big screen, it’s so sleek on my wrist that it doesn’t bother me in bed. But I suspect the Ultra absolutely would. I say this in part because some of the bulkier early Watch models did. They had smaller screens, but their thickness was hard to ignore while in bed, so I stopped wearing them.

Apple Watch Series 10: the anti-Ultra

After a month with the Apple Watch Series 10, I’ve found that I mostly don’t think about having a new Watch. Not because the new model isn’t different enough from last year. I think it really is. But because the design priorities of the Series 10 seek to get the device out of the way. It’s a health device you can wear all the time, and it’s not too obvious when you do.

In other words, it’s the anti-Apple Watch Ultra. Sleek rather than bulky, casual rather than hardcore. That’s not a judgment as to which device is better. It’s just one way I’ve come to understand their differences.

What’s your experience with the Apple Watch Series 10 been like? Let us know in the comments.