Apple Watch Series 10 is here, and it’s the biggest upgrade to Apple’s smartwatch in years

We’ve heard rumours about the Apple Watch Series 10 for years, and now it’s finally here. Marking the smartwatch’s tenth anniversary, this special edition watch is the biggest upgrade to Apple’s smartwatch in years – just like iPhone X. Announced at today’s iPhone event, the Apple Watch Series 10 is a complete overhaul to the smartwatch. There’s a new display, new body, and a bunch of new features, including Apple Intelligence.

There’s a larger 49mm display option for the Apple Watch Series 10, that’s actually bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra models. You get 30% more display than the Series 6. A wide-angle OLED display gives you better (and brighter) viewing angles. It’s got new LTPO technology to make the Always On Display even more efficient, which should help you to eke more battery life out of this smartwatch.

There are new colours in a tweaked designed, headlined by Jet Black – just like the iPhone 7 series. For the first time, there are also polished aluminium options as well. The body is thinner than ever at 9.7mm, around 10% thinner than Series 9. All the antennas are now in the back rather than the side. It’s also lighter than ever, thanks to the aluminium bodies. And, akin to the Apple Watch Ultra, there are polished titanium options. Also, new is a more capable speaker, that lets you play music directly from the watch.

Powering the Apple Watch Series 10 is a new chipset – the S10 processor. It’s more powerful than ever, and ready to power some Apple Intelligence features exclusive to this device thanks to a 4-core Neural Engine. A new neural network can remove background noise from calls, and powers the Translate app, which is new to the watch. There’s also a larger battery cell, which should give you more screen-on time than ever. In 30 minutes, you can now get up to 80% battery.

Sleep apnea tracking is the flagship new health feature to the Apple Watch. To detect sleep apnea, your Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to check for breathing disturbances. You’ll get a notification after days of analysis to report if you might have the condition. Of course, it’s not a diagnosis, and isn’t FDA approved (yet). The depth gauge and water temperature sensor from the Apple Watch Ultra has moved over to the Series 10. Unlike the Ultra, there are new Snorkelling and Tides apps.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is available to pre-order today, and the device will start shipping and arrive in stores next Friday (20 September). Pricing for Apple’s new affordable smartwatch starts at $399/£399, slightly more than the Series 9 debuted at.