Is the Apple Watch Series 10 worth buying 6 months later?
We are at the 6-month period with the Apple Watch Series 10, and it begs the question:
Should you wait for the Series 11 or buy the Series 10 now at a discount?
Based on what’s been rumored in the pipeline, I would buy a Series 10 and save a minimum of $100 on the aluminum models, and up to $120 off on the Titanium models on Amazon. About a year ago when the Series 9 was six months old, I was able to snag a brand new Series 9 Stainless Steel 41mm for $472 (before tax) compared to the usual $699, saving $227!
The Series 10 did end up being a significant upgrade with a thinner design and a new LTPO3 display, and I wouldn’t expect these to change with the Series 11, making a discounted Series 10 a great buy.
Speaking of the display, let’s talk about what you get with the Series 10 (and probably the Series 11).
The display is 40% brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from an angle, but the difference is only noticeable on certain watch faces, which is still a plus. The display is more efficient, allowing it to be refreshed once a second instead of once a minute. According to Apple, this allows for an always-on seconds hand, allowing you to see a ticking seconds hand without raising your hand. It only works on select watch faces right now, but I expect that to be updated in watchOS 12, or else we have a big problem on our hands (pun intended).
The main rumored features for the Series 11 that might prevent you from upgrading right now would be blood pressure monitoring and glucose monitoring. Glucose monitoring is less likely, but blood pressure monitoring is more probable. It was allegedly supposed to be on the Series 10 according to Mark Gurman.
Even if blood pressure monitoring did make its way to the Series 11, it will not be like a traditional blood pressure monitor. You will not be able to get readings whenever you want, and it would be similar to the sleep apnea detection capabilities.
Apple’s sleep apnea detection feature is able to detect severe sleep apnea 89% of the time, but it can only detect moderate sleep apnea 43% of the time. My gut tells me that blood pressure monitoring will be similar and will be most beneficial for those who already suffer from high blood pressure.
Besides blood pressure detection, I don’t expect a whole lot of hardware differences. Sure, there might be a faster chip, but the chip in the Series 10 is plenty fast for what a watch needs. Even a Series 3 works well enough today.
The Series 10 did get faster charging than the Series 9, going from 0-80% in 30 minutes versus 45 minutes on the Series 9. I wouldn’t expect the Series 11 to get any faster as 30 minutes is already excellent.
The Series 11 might end up being the most iterative device refresh of the year, and it would be a good idea to get a Series 10 right now at a minimum of $100 off.