Apple Watch Series 10 Review and First Look – a nice step forward with much more to come.

Happy Birthday Apple Watch! 10 years old, and going strong. This year the Apple Watch Series 10 sets a new benchmark for the category with a thinner watch than ever and a larger screen than ever on an Apple Watch.

I’ve got three new watches fresh from the “Glowtime” keynote announcement last week, and while I can’t say It’s a comprehensive review given the timeframe and my limited number of limbs. Frankly, there’s not a lot to “review” once again given this is more a hardware refresh and the software features are coming to a wider range of devices.

Headlining the software news was Sleep Apnea detection, medically certified, but that has still got some regulatory hurdles to jump here in Australia, so we’ll hold off on that one for now. But that, that’s a big deal going forward.

Series 10 comes in two sizes 42mm and 46mm, which is staggering when you consider ten years ago the “larger” model was the 42mm.

Screen size is remarkable, pushing ever so wider and taller, more width from what I can see – but it makes for the biggest screen on an Apple Watch Series device ever.

I didn’t notice a distinct difference in the screen brightness, even on an angle which is meant to be much greater, perhaps that’s just my eyes, but Apple say it’s got a far brighter screen on a strong angle.

That said, the screen does pop, and one of the most noticable and frankly simple features is the One Second refresh on the Always On display. This means a second hand can tick, tick, tick into place each second, previous generations Always On displays would only refresh every minute.

Fun fact, the original Apple Watch had an 18 hour battery life, Series 10 has the same. I guess that’s still a huge deal given how much more power is on board, and the size of the screen. Critically though, you can get to 80% battery in just 30 minutes, and in 15 minutes get enough juice for an 8 hour day. Essentially, this is the Watches biggest sales issue – it does and will do all this sleep stuff, but when would I charge it, and also do I want to wear a watch to bed? This is where the Samsung Galaxy Ring will be a fascinating device to watch.

Series 10 is just 9.7mm thin, the thinnest Apple Watch ever – and that again, isn’t easy. There’s a new speaker design which also now allows sound to be played without headphones.

In my testing this was good at a desk, but out and about, hard to hear. Stick to headphones folkds.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is the perfect upgrade for Series 6, 7 and maybe 8 owners, those will love the larger screen, the advanced health features and just repurpose that old watch to one of the kids. Easy.

It’s a great looking device, hard to fault in any way.

And speaking of great looking, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in Black Titanium, you had me at hello.

LOVE the look of the Milanese loop Titanium band, but the parachute buckle isn’t an easy reach and click at ungodly O’clock in the morning, so I’ll stick with something simpler I think.

Impossible not to suggest to anyone wanting a smartwatch and living deep in the Apple ecosystem. Sure there are other options, but there’s that Apple simplicity about the Apple Watch which Series 10 exemplifies and Ultra 2 enforces. Pick your size, decide on a budget and go for it.

If you’re looking for another view on Apple Watch Series 10, head over to GadgetGuy