The Apple Watch’s Most Exciting New Feature Addresses Its Biggest Weakness

The Series 10’s bigger size and fuller display might be stealing the headlines, but its new ability is the real game changer.

By Tucker Bowe

Published September 17, 2024

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A lot of the attention around the Apple Watch Series 10 — Apple’s new smartwatch for the masses — has been about its bigger, fancier display. And rightly so. Ultra aside, it’s the most significant design improvement the Apple Watch has seen in years.

Compared to the Series 9, the Series 10’s display has a wider aspect ratio and more rounded edges, which allows you to see more on its screen. It’s also a wide-angle OLED, so the display appears noticeably brighter when viewed from an off angle, making it easier to glance down and see the time or a notification.

And maybe most significantly, the Series 10 is available in a 46mm size — a first for a Series Apple Watch — which, when positioned next to the Ultra 2, is actually quite similar in size. So, if you want a big-screen Apple Watch, you now have a more affordable alternative.

But the Series 10 also houses a substantial upgrade under the hood that helps to solve, at least a little bit, what has been the Apple Watch’s biggest issue for seemingly ever — its “all day” 18-hour battery life.

Apple Watch Series 10

$399 at Apple
$299 at Amazon

$399 (25% off)

The fastest charging Apple Watch

The Series 10 has the same all-day battery life as every recent Apple Watch, but the good news is that it can charge noticeably faster than previous models. This is an especially big deal for those who use their Apple Watch for sleep tracking, as it needs to have at least 30 percent juice to make it through the night.

According to Apple, the Series 10 can go from zero to 80 percent battery in roughly 30 minutes. The Series 9 can get that same juice from 45 minutes.

The secret to the Series 10’s improved fast-charging ability is a redesigned all-metal back and a larger charging coil inside. The metal back combines two layers into one so they are the same material— previous Apple Watch’s had a ceramic back in addition to their aluminum or stainless steel finish.

This redesigned back — along with a smaller speaker and a repositioned antenna — has allowed Apple to make the Series 10 roughly 10 percent thinner and 10 percent lighter than its predecessors. It’s a happy coincidence that makes wearing the Series 10 slightly more comfortable, too.

Wall adapter not included in the box

As is par for the course these days, Apple only includes the charging cable with the Apple Watch puck in the box with the Series 10. So to charge it, you’ll have to use a USB-C wall adapter you already own. Or buy a new one.

The good news is that pretty much any USB-C adapter that supports Power Delivery (PD) and is 18 watts or greater will unlock the Series 10’s fast-charging abilities. And you likely already own one or more of those. (If you don’t, Apple’s 20-watt adapter will do the trick.)

If you upgrade from a Series 7, Series 8 or Series 9, those older charging pucks will be able to fast charge the Series 10, too. (The Series 7 was the first Apple Watch to support fast charging.)

However, if you use the charging puck from an older Apple Watch — Series 6 or earlier, none of which supported fast charging — it’ll still charge the Series 10, but it won’t fast charge it at its fastest possible speed.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is now up for preorder — it’ll be available everywhere on September 20th (this Friday). The aluminum model starts at $399. The titanium model, which is new for a Series Apple Watch, starts at $699.