Series 10, Ultra 2, SE 2

Are you holiday shopping for Apple Watch and don’t know where to start? Look no further than our Apple Watch 2024 holiday shopping guide, where we’ll walk you through every option, key differences, and buying tips.

Buyer’s note: Store Apple is on Amazon at discounted prices which you won’t find directly from Apple.

Apple Watch Series 10 is the latest Apple Watch. It has a larger screen and the thinnest design ever. If you’re shopping for an Apple Watch, this is probably what you’re looking for. Starting from $399, Apple Watch Series 10 Includes the full suite of health and fitness features:

• ECG app with heart health monitoring feature
• Sleep tracking with sleep apnea notifications
• New Vitals app and temperature sensing for advanced cycle tracking
• Depth indication and water temperature detection up to 6 meters

The larger displays come in 42mm and 46mm case sizes, and these displays are 40% brighter when viewed from different angles. They can even drop from a peak brightness of 2000 nits to as low as 1 nit in low-light environments. The best part? A few watch faces can even show updated seconds in always-on mode. Fast charging provides 80% battery in just 30 minutes, and low-power mode extends usage from 18 hours to 36 hours.

Apple Watch Series 10 also offers the most variety in material and color options. Aluminum is available in jet black, rose gold and silver; Titanium comes in slate, gold and natural. If you want to be able to use phone, messaging, and streaming audio without an iPhone nearby, go for the cellular + GPS model.

Apple Watch Series 10 review

For those who want the most battery life Apple Watch Ultra2. Apple introduced this model in September 2023 and did not make any hardware changes in 2024. Instead, Apple has added a beautiful space black titanium option to the natural titanium version in the series.

So how much battery life are we talking about? How about a couple? Apple Watch Ultra offers up to 36 hours of usage time with mixed use, compared to 18 hours on the Series 10 and SE 2. Low power mode extends this period up to 72 hours. Swap? The Ultra 2 is also the thickest Apple Watch, which may appeal to rugged watch fans, and fast charging to 80% takes twice as long as the Series 10 (30 minutes vs. 1 hour).

Ultra 2 is specifically designed to withstand demanding workouts. It has a 49mm chassis height with the brightest display (3000 nits versus 2000 nits on the Series 10). The Ultra 2 also has a built-in Siren function, an Action Button to jump to specific tasks like starting a workout, and support for high-speed water sports and recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters.

Each Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes in a single-size titanium with built-in cellular for $799. The optional decision to be made is which color and which band configuration.

New Apple Watch Ultra 2-color hands-on use

Apple Watch SE 2 or Apple Watch SE (second generation) is usually only available as Apple Watch SE. Introduced in September 2022, SE 2 is the most affordable Apple Watch in the series.

Starting at $249, Apple Watch SE2 It is often defined by what features it does not have. For example, the SE 2 doesn’t have an always-on display, ECG (electrocardiogram), temperature detection, or sleep apnea notifications.

The screen on the SE 2 is the least bright, with a maximum of 1000 nits compared to 2000 nits (Series 10) and 3000 nits (Ultra 2). The screen is also smaller, with 40mm and 44mm options.

However, the Apple Watch SE 2 is a great product for customers trying their first smartwatch. Useful features include notifications, Apple Pay, workout tracking, and more. Apple Watch SE 2 also has heart health monitoring and fall and collision detection features.

Other models

The current lineup consists of the Series 10, Ultra 2 and SE 2, although some of the previous models are still on the market. For example, Best Buy still offers the Series 9 new in box. Apple, Amazon and Best Buy each offer refurbished models of older generations at a discount.

watchOS 11, software Works with the following models of Apple Watch:

For the best experience, it is strongly recommended to stay away from models not included in the list. For future-proofing, processors inside Series 9, Series 10And Ultra 2 are the most performant.

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