Apple’s Watch Series 10 is its biggest, thinnest redesign in a decade

It’s easy to forget, but the Apple Watch didn’t look like a surefire hit when it was first unveiled a decade ago. Pharrell, Beyoncé and Drake might have all been roped in to rep its style bona fides, but the world at large didn’t know what to make of a device that seemingly existed to put your iPhone notifications on your wrist. Those qualms were long gone before the Apple Watch Series 10 launched today, but until now the Watch had more or less retained the same design for ten years.

Unveiled at Apple Park in balmy Cupertino, California, this thinner-than-ever smartwatch boasts has grown in screen-related largesse while also introducing a couple of choice (and potentially life-saving) new features. I’ve been at the Steve Jobs Theatre to check out the changes in person, so here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Watch Series 10…

Thinner Watch. Bigger screen

While the Apple Watch Series 10 isn’t quite the drastic reimagining some folks were hoping for, it’s still the smartwatch’s most substantial redesign since its inception in 2014. Where the Series 9 was available in 41mm and 45mm sizings, the Watch Series 10 starts at 42mm and scales up to a gargantuan 46mm. Both models feature a brighter wide-angle OLED display for better viewing angles wherever you happen to be wearing the Watch.

Anyone who has worn the beefy Apple Watch Ultra before will know that larger model in particular is a lot of screen to be getting on with. In trad watch terms, this means Apple’s timepiece wears less like a Santos de Cartier and more like the Panerai Luminor that’s so beloved by The Rock, Arnie and any other strapping action hero of note.

As you’d expect, there are a couple of new Watch faces to show off this new tech – including the delightful Reflections, which shimmers according to the ambient light around you – but the major benefit you’ll immediately notice is a lot more battery life. I can easily go a whole day without charging my Ultra 2, and Apple is promising similar results with the Watch Series 10. Especially since you can charge this Watch to 80% battery in just 30 minutes. Given these designs are 10% thinner than their previous incarnation at just 9.7mm, this should help with their wearability too.

Despite rumours of a new magnetic band design, the Watch Series 10 will work with any straps you’ve accumulated over the past decade or so. Much to my own dismay, Apple hasn’t seen fit to revive the 18-karat gold Watch to celebrate its 10th anniversary, but you can pick up a polished titanium model if you want to spend the extra on something more distinct. It comes with an updated version of the Milanese band too for a look that borrows a little bit from Omega’s beloved No Time To Die Seamaster.

Ready for watersports

Although most of the Apple Watch’s major upgrades lie with its design, there are a few tech-focused upgrades worth mentioning. While you’ve been able to take the Watch for a swim for some time already, it now comes with a built-in depth gauge and a Tides app. So if you simply wouldn’t consider snorkelling without the ability to iMessage at the same time, now you’re sorted.