Apple Watch Series 11 review: The same, but better

The Apple Watch Series 11 is perhaps the easiest review I’ve ever had. The new Apple smartwatch is largely the same as last year’s Series 10 (which I also reviewed). It looks the same, performs similarly, and has almost the same functionality (with a few exclusive additions; more on that later).

But it has one extremely important improvement: Longer battery life.

And if you’ve ever used an Apple Watch, you know how huge that is.

Apple Watch Series 11: Price and specs

The specs for the Series 11 are eerily similar to the specifications of the previous model, the Apple Watch Series 10. The dimensions, chip, storage, display — everything is the same except for minute differences in weight (the new model is ever so slightly heavier). The only real difference you’ll notice is the addition of a new color (for the Aluminum case), Space Gray.

Here are the highlights:

• Display size: 42/46mm

• Chip: S10

• Storage: 64GB

• Display resolution: 416x496 pixels

• Colors: Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Jet Black (Aluminum), Gold, Natural, Slate (Titanium)

• Water resistance: 50m

• Dust resistance: IP6X

Apple Watch Series 11: Design and display

The display is exactly the same size as before, as is the design. The Watch Series 11 is still incredibly comfy, practically disappearing as soon as you put it on. The added weight (which is minute) makes no difference. The only way I’d be able to tell the Series 11 from my old Series 10 Watch is the color. Apple sent me the review unit in the new Space Gray Aluminum finish. I’ve always been a sucker for Apple’s Space Gray color, and the contrast between the case and the black display is nice, though I reckon not vastly different from the previously available Silver finish.

To go with the new Watch, Apple sent me a Space Black Sport Band. It’s alright, but I prefer the less-rubbery feel of Apple’s Sport Loop. Apple makes enough different wristbands (not to mention the thousands of third-party options) that everyone will surely find something they like.

Apple says the new display is two times more scratch-resistant than the previous one, thanks to something Apple calls Ion-X glass. While that’s hard to test without damaging the watch, it’s a nice improvement, especially since I do tend to hit various objects (such as walls and closets) with my hand, including with the new Series 11.

Even though the display isn’t particularly new, it’s still incredibly sharp and vibrant, even when viewed from an angle. It’s the best display I’ve ever seen on a smartwatch, and one of the key reasons why I’d have a hard time switching to a non-Apple smartwatch like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.

Apple Watch Series 11: Performance

Don't worry, the Apple Watch is still snappy, thanks to the S10 chip inside. I've never had to worry about memory on an Apple Watch (64GB is included). Various measurements, such as blood oxygen monitoring and heart rate measurements, still work fairly accurately, as far as I can tell.

However, there are a couple of entirely new features, such as hypertension notifications and Sleep Score, but those are also available on several older models now with watchOS 26. I didn’t receive any hypertension notifications while wearing the watch, which is a good thing for me personally, but perhaps not so good for this review. As for the new Sleep Score, I enjoyed having a detailed overview of just how abysmally poorly I slept, thanks to the tiny person (my son) waking me up every hour or two during the night.

Workout Buddy is another new feature, an AI-powered, virtual workout coach and companion. It doesn't really work for my workouts, which involve calisthenics and strength training; in fact, I couldn't get it to say anything of interest at all. Apple's promotional materials mostly focus on activities like running, and the Workout Buddy might be a better fit for those.

As far as new watch faces go, Apple's watchOS 26 brings two new ones: the colorful Flow and the Exactograph. I didn't like Flow much at first as it made time barely legible, but playing with the settings (try removing the background, for example) can make it a lot nicer. The Exactograph is a geeky triple chronograph, with separate dials for hours, minutes, and seconds. Tap on it once or twice to "explode" the minutes and the seconds dial — it's really cool.

Apple Watch Series 11: Battery life

Last year’s Apple Watch had 18 hours of battery life. Apple says the Series 11 has 24 hours of battery life. For a device that’s with you (on you) most of the time, this is a big step up in performance. But how do Apple’s figures translate into real life use?

I’m happy to report that Apple wasn’t lying about the increased battery life. When I got my unit, I charged it to 100 percent and started wearing it at about 4 p.m. I wore it during the night (my sleep score was 81, which sounds a lot better than it felt), and the next day at 4 p.m. it was still at 38 percent. That day, I charged it to full power late in the evening, and I only had to charge it again two days later. After nearly a full week of use, I can say that the Apple Watch Series 11 is easily a one-and-a-half-day smartwatch now, and it's possible to extend that to a full weekend if you carefully use Low Power mode.

My old Apple Watch Series 10 would sometimes last a full 24 hours, but mostly not. Often, it would switch to power-saving mode just before I went to bed — goodbye, precise sleep tracking. Most annoying were short weekend trips, which I do very often. I’d have to bring a charger every single time, even if I was careful to use the Low Power setting often.

The Series 11 is a significant upgrade in this regard. My sleep was tracked every night, and even a weekend away from a charger seemed possible (though, not if I used GPS a lot). Honestly, I’d still prefer if Apple somehow found a way to make these things last a week, but at least now the company’s claims of a full-day battery life aren’t ridiculous anymore.

Is the Apple Watch Series 11 worth it?

Yes. Even if you already have a Series 10, which has nearly all the same features, the new Apple Watch Series 11 doesn’t require you to charge it mid-day in order to keep it going through the night. With the new Sleep Score feature, this is more important than ever. And in my testing, the battery life improvements were absolutely real. It’s simple: Trade your old Watch in, and get the new one, especially if you use your Apple Watch as a sleep tracker or fitness tracker.

There is one exception, however. If you’re into sports such as long-distance running, swimming, or diving, you should also consider Apple’s new Ultra 3 over the Series 11. It, too, has even longer battery life this year, and you’ll feel the difference. It’s also a lot heavier and bulkier than the Series 11, which may or may not be a tradeoff.

You can buy the new Apple Watch (starting at $399) at Amazon, the Apple Store, or anywhere Apple Watches are sold.