The Apple Watch Series 11 is a solid smartwatch with minor upgrades

• Improved battery life is the main draw this year
• Everything else
• Who is the Apple Watch Series 11 for?

The Apple Watch Series 11 sits in the somewhat awkward middle of Apple’s smartwatch lineup now.

On one side, there’s the more affordable $250 Apple Watch SE 3, which boasts a new always-on display and a slightly less sleek design, making it the go-to Apple smartwatch for most people. Then above it is the pricey $800 Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple’s bulky but durable smartwatch that offers excellent battery life and most of the same features as the Series 11 (satellite connectivity is the major exception).

This doesn’t make it a bad smartwatch (in fact, it’s great despite the minor upgrades), it just means that its audience is more limited than it was a few years ago.

Where does this leave the $400 Apple Watch Series 11? Compared to the Series 10, the Series 11’s only notable upgrades are a more durable display, improved battery life, and 5G. This means that if you have a Series 10 (or arguably the Series 8 or Series 9), there’s no reason to upgrade this year, especially since all of watchOS 26’s major upgrades are available on the Series 9 and up. Those with earlier Apple Watches might find a lot to like about the Series 11, though, especially if, like me, you aren’t a fan of the Apple Watch Ultra’s size, weight, and price.

The Apple Watch lineup’s list of features is more blurred now than ever, leaving the Apple Watch Series 11 squarely in the middle ground. This doesn’t make it a bad smartwatch (in fact, it’s still great despite the minor upgrades), it just means that its audience is more limited than it was a few years ago.

Improved battery life is the main draw this year

Apple finally ditches the long-running 18-hour battery life estimate

The Apple Watch Series 11 looks identical to the Series 10. This means it still features the same rectangular design and expansive display with minimized bezels. Last year with the Series 10, Apple pushed the screen size so far that it almost feels like the Apple Watch Ultra’s display, and that remains true here.

The LTPO screen still comes in at 2,000 nits of brightness compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 3’s upgraded 3,000 nits screen. This makes the display slightly more difficult to view in direct sunlight, but the visibility change isn’t substantial. What is upgraded over the Series 10 in terms of screen technology is the new Ion-X glass, which Apple says is twice as scratch-resistant as the aluminum version (the more expensive titanium Apple Watch Series 11 still features a more durable sapphire crystal display).

Given how easily I’ve scratched my Apple Watch’s screen over the years, this is a great move by Apple. I’m interested in how the Apple Watch Series 11’s display holds up over the next few months. The Series 11 also features a visible second hand, just like the Ultra 3. Is this a must-have feature? Definitely not, but it still looks very cool when the watch face is lit up.

The Apple Watch Series 11 features the Series 10’s S10 processor and W3 wireless chip, offering the same smooth performance as last year’s smartwatch. All the health-focused sensors from the Series 10 are back, too, including heart rate monitoring, depth, skin temperature, noise monitoring, and more. What’s new are FDA-cleared hypertension notifications, though the feature is also available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and later. These various health tracking features are the Series 11’s key advantage over the Apple Watch SE 3, given that the cheaper smartwatch only offers a wrist temperature sensor and optical heart sensor. If health-tracking is important to you, the Series 11 is the Apple Watch you want.

The Series 11’s main draw this year is its battery life upgrade. For years, Apple stuck to the “all-day” 18-hour battery life estimate for the Apple Watch Series line. Now for the first time, the tech giant has increased that claim to 24 hours on a single charge. Six hours might not seem like much on paper, but in my experience — with the always-on display, a few notifications, and roughly a 45-minute run — I was able to push the Apple Watch Series 11’s battery well into the evening, with my day starting at roughly 6am.

In another situation, I left my Apple Watch Series 11 on my desk overnight, only to find it still had roughly 25% battery life the next day. When I’ve done this with the Series 10 I’ve been using for the past year, it would likely be dead or down to roughly 5%. I’ve only been testing the Series 11 for about a week and a half, but I’m impressed with the battery life improvements so far. As far as new features go, the extra few hours you’ll get out of the Apple Watch Series 11 is by far the main reason to upgrade.

Everything else

5G and new watchOS 26 features are here

I’ve never been big on using data with my smartwatch, so the upgrade to 5G (the Apple Watch Ultra 3 also now features 5G), isn’t a big deal to me. On the other hand, if you’re a smartwatch data user, faster downloads are likely a welcome addition to the Apple Watch Series 11. It’s worth noting that 5G smartwatch plans aren’t available in Canada yet, though most U.S. carriers offer them. There is not satellite connectivity with the Series 11, unfortunately — that feature is only available on the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

The other notable upgrade this year is watchOS 26. Similar to years past, Apple’s refreshed wearable operating system includes a slew of features. There’s a Sleep Score, giving you a concrete number attached to the Apple Watch’s sleep tracking, third-party apps in the Control Center, wrist-flicking to dismiss notifications, the great-looking redesigned Workout app, a new Notes app, and more. The new wrist-flick gesture is cool, but I haven’t used it as often as I thought I would (it’s the sort of thing you need to intentionally integrate into your life). On a side note, I very quickly turned off the suggested Smart Stack feature that takes over your Watch Face because I found it kept taking over the Series 11’s screen. This feature might work for some people, but it’s automatic suggestions don’t fit into my life.

“To be clear, all of these new watchOS 26 features are also available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and above…”

There are new Watch Faces, like the extremely simple Flow that I’ve grown to really like. Of course, Liquid Glass has also made its way to the Apple Watch Series 11. I understand the complaints surrounding the new transparent UI, but I like it, particularly on the Series 11. The smartwatch’s sprawling screen makes the unique-looking, see-through UI really work.

To be clear, all of these new watchOS 26 features are also available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and above, so just like in years past, they aren’t unique to Apple’s latest smartwatch and aren’t a reason to upgrade, depending on what Apple Watch you currently own, of course (some features are available on even earlier Apple Watches).

Who is the Apple Watch Series 11 for?

This middle-ground wearable has a very specific audience in mind

This is a tough one. Now that the Apple Watch SE 3 features an always-on screen, it’s my go-to recommendation for Apple users that want a smartwatch. On the other hand, I’ve told friends and family to go for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or 3 if battery life and durability is a concern, or they’re interested in the peace-of-mind satellite connetivity offers. The Series 11 is a more difficult recommendation.

Are you really into tracking fitness metrics and using an older Apple Watch 6, 7, or 8? Upgrading to the Series 11 might be worth it then. However, anyone still rocking an Apple Watch Series 9 or 10 definitely isn’t missing much. Maybe you’re like me and don’t like how bulky the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is, but you still want all the fancy health tracking features it offers? I have very thin wrists, and sometimes it feels like I’m carrying a brick around my arm when I’m wearing Apple’s heftiest wearable.

If this sounds like you, then the Apple Watch Series 11 could be the perfect balance between features, comfort, and performance — It’s just not a very exciting upgrade over the Series 10.

This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Apple.