- The Apple Watch Series 11 is going to be known for one thing and that’s for finally aligning Apple’s claims of all day battery life with the actual length of a 24-hour day.
While this isn’t a groundbreaking number, it’s nice to see the company finally push the watch battery a few hours longer to help differentiate it from the SE. That’s especially important this year, considering the SE has gotten a huge upgrade unlocked by the S10 system-in-package (SIP) — Apple’s name for the collection of chips running the watch.
Since most people use their Apple Watches for an average of five years or more, this is bound to be a huge upgrade for anyone coming from a Series 5/6/7 or older. Not only is the battery longer and the screen larger, but it’s also got support for all the recent Apple Watch gestures, which really enhance the watch experience. They’re small things, but I can’t imagine going back to a watch without gesture control now.
The new watch also has a new form of Ion-X glass that Apple says is two times more scratch-resistant than before, thanks to a new ceramic coating. Apple told me this is slightly different than Ceramic Shield 2 used on the new iPhones, so it remains to be seen which of the two materials will be more scratch-resistant. That said, everything will be getting stronger cover glass this year, which is good news. On the Series 11, the screen still feels as nice to touch as ever, but I’ll need to wear it longer to see how well the screen actually holds up to daily use.
Like the other new watches, this one supports 5G, but no carriers in Canada currently offer 5G watch plans, so it’s not a huge upgrade for most Canadians right now. The other feature missing at launch will be the new Hypertension notifications, which can help your watch track your blood pressure. Apple says it expects Health Canada to approve the feature by the end of the year, and notably, it will able be available on the Series 9 and Series 10 as well.
Beyond all of that, the most compelling reasons to buy this watch are all the same as last year. The thinner design is more comfortable, the depth/watch temperature sensor is really cool, and Apple’s digital watch face gallery is second to none. Personally, I would have loved to see some Liquid Glass font options on older watch faces like Motion and Astronomy. That said, with watchOS 26 Apple did add AOD second hand support to a lot more watch faces.
One improvement that I was surprised by was the speaker. While still not perfect by any means, the Series 11 sounds much more detailed and clear, even if it only gets a tiny bit louder than the Series 1o from last year. I still don’t know what I’d use the speaker for really, but it’s an interesting feat of engineering to make a speaker that tiny sound that good. I will also caveat this with the fact that I’ve been wearing my Series 10 for a year, and while I don’t get it wet often, there is a chance that there is some gunk in the speaker grills.
The new grey aluminum colour this year is called Slate for some reason instead of Space Grey. This is likely to be more in line with the Slate titanium watch released last year with the Series 10, but I just find it a little funny how inconsistent Apple is with its naming schemes now. Regardless, I think Space Grey was always a little childish to say, so I’d be happy if this means it’s finally fading out of the Apple lexicon.
Many of these features are coming to Apple Watches as old as the Series 6, as well as the three new ones. This starts with the beautiful new Liquid Glass, but also adds a few new tools to the Apple Watch utility belt. While I wish there was more Liquid Glass usage around the OS, I am happy with how committed Apple is to unifying all of its operating systems with design. It might not matter to some, but the unified clean design language is a big reason I like Apple products.
A surprise new watchOS 26 feature shown off at the iPhone event was the Sleep Score. Apple has simplified its sleep tracking with a score that evaluates how deep you sleep, how consistent your bedtime is and how long you sleep for. This is a nice way to make the sleep data a little more digestible by breaking it up into three areas to focus on. However, all watches that track sleep stages in the same way as Apple will also generate a sleep score once they offload their data to the Apple Health app.
Workout buddy works the best with distance activities like running and biking, but it’s supported in many more.
If you work out a lot, Apple has a new feature called Workout buddy that will only apply if you also have a phone that supports Apple Intelligence. If you do, it will notify you of milestones during your workout and give you a little bit of motivation. This is pretty cool and a fun feature for people who work out in one of the supported activity types. It will also work on your phone for some workouts if you don’t have an Apple Watch.
In addition to the double pinch gesture from last year, now Apple Watch Series 9 and newer can also ‘wrist flick.’ This dismisses notifications by twisting your watch away from you and it’s super handy. I’d argue that I use it even more than Double Tap, but I still use both pretty frequently.
Like the new AirPods feature, watches connected to phones with Apple Intelligence will be able to use live translation. This is one area where the speakers on the watches are useful since they allow you to play the translations out loud.
There is finally a Notes app on Apple Watch, which is bad news for the voice memos app that will probably never get used on my watch again.
Finally, I just want to mention Liquid Glass. While it’s the least noticeable on the watch compared to Apple’s other operating systems, I’m happy that Apple unified all the systems without leaving the watch out.
Who is this watch for?
The Series 11 is still the thinnest Apple Watch on the market.
There is a bit of a wrinkle thrown into the Apple Watch Series 11 recommendation this year because the SE 3 is so good, but I still think for most Apple Watch owners its worth upgrading to the Series 11 if you know that you’re going to wear it often. The slim design and larger screen really make it feel a little bit more like a classic timepiece on your wrist, and the added battery life is nothing to scoff at.
If you are looking to buy your next Apple Watch for the following five years or more, the Series 11 will be a fantastic choice. While the Ion-X glass is a substantial upgrade, it’s also worth noting that if your budget allows for it, the titanium Series 11 models have a Sapphire Crystal display, which is even stronger. I’ve been testing a Series 10 since the end of September 2024 and it still looks brand new. There are more small scratches on the metal frame than on the crystal screen.
For fans of the Apple Watch, the Series 11 ($549) basically has it all and comes in four colours; Rose Gold (my favourite), Slate (pictured throughout this review), Silver and the glossy Jet Black. I tested the black model last year with the Series 10, if you’re curious what it looks like. If you opt for titanium ($999), you can get a glossy watch that looks a little more like jewelry. It comes in Slate, Gold and Natural Titanium.
If you’ve never owned an Apple Watch before, I’d recommend this year’s stellar SE 3. If you’re outdoorsy or a hardcore athlete, you might be more interested in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
