Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Series 9: Don’t Buy the Wrong One


The holidays are a good time to buy a smartwatch. If you’re thinking about upgrading your current Apple Watch or buying an Apple wearable for the first time, you may be considering the new Apple Watch Series 10. But you might wonder how it stacks up against last year’s Series 9 which can often be found at a much lower price.

The Series 10 starts at $400 in the US, just like the Series 9 did at launch (you can find pricing for the UK and Australia in the chart below). There are some key differences between these wearables. Namely, the Series 10 offers a bigger screen and larger case sizes, plus it has a new voice isolation feature and can play music aloud on the speaker. Keep reading for an even closer look at how the Series 9 and 10 compare. 

Watch this: Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Series 9: Spec Breakdown

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Apple Watch Series 10

Hello, Apple Watch Series 10.

James Martin/CNET

The Series 10 has the biggest screen of any Apple Watch yet. It’s available in two new sizes; a 46-millimeter and a 42-millimeter option. That 46-millimeter option is even slightly larger than the Apple Watch Ultra. The Series 9, on the other hand, comes in a 45-millimeter and a 41-millimeter option.

Apple says that a bigger Series 10 display gives you up to 30% more screen area compared to the Series 4, 5 and 6, and up to 9% more screen area compared to the Series 7, 8 and 9. In everyday use, that means you can have an extra line of text on your watch, or up your font size without losing content. Buttons for things like the Calculator app and typing in your passcode are bigger, too.

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The Apple Watch Series 10 (top) is 1 millimeter thinner than the Series 9.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

The Series 10 comes in aluminum and titanium finishes, while the Series 9 is available in aluminum and stainless steel finishes. Both the aluminum and titanium Series 10 models are lighter than the equivalent Series 9 models.

Yes, the Apple Watch Series 10 charges faster, but the battery life is the same

Apple Watch Series 10

The Apple Watch Series 10 speaker lets you play music.

James Martin/CNET

The Series 10 has a voice isolation feature not found on the Series 9. It’s meant to reduce background noise as you take calls. So for her Series 10 review, Lexy put this feature to the test in a noisy scenario: a dragon dance at Lion Dance Me in San Francisco. Dragon dances happen during events like Lunar New Year celebrations and include drums that can be quite loud. Thanks to voice isolation, even when Lexy called our colleague, Lisa Eadicicco, from a dragon dance, they were both able to hear each other.

The Series 10 also allows you to play music aloud on the speaker, while the Series 9 does not.

New Apple Watch Series 10 water features

Activity rings on the Series 10

You can now pause your rings on the Apple Watch Series 9 and 10 with WatchOS 11. 

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

Read more: Best New WatchOS 11 Features You Need to Try On the Apple Watch

Beyond the new tools that come to the Series 9 and 10 with WatchOS 11, these wearables share many of the same features you may already be familiar with, like high and low heart rate notifications, emergency SOS and fall and crash detection (see the chart below for more). 

Should you upgrade?

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Apple Watch Series 10 Apple Watch Series 9
Shape Square Square
Watch size 42mm, 46mm 41mm, 45mm
Materials, finishes Aluminum, titanium Aluminum, stainless steel
Display size, resolution 42mm: 1.65-inch OLED 446 x 374 pixels; 46mm: 1.81-inch 496 x 416 pixels 41mm: 1.61-inch, 430 x 352-pixel OLED; 45mm: 1.77-inch, 484 x 396-pixel OLED
Dimensions 42mm: 42 x 36 x 9.7mm; 46mm: 46 x 39 x 9.7mm 41mm: 35 x 41 x 10.7 mm; 45mm: 38 x 45 x 10.7 mm
Weight 29.3g-41.7g depending on size, material and connectivity 31.9g-51.5g depending on size, material and connectivity
Colors Aluminum: silver, rose gold, jet black; titanium: natural, gold, slate Aluminum: midnight, starlight, silver, pink, Product Red; stainless steel: graphite, silver, gold; Hermes stainless steel: silver, space black
Always On Yes Yes
Interchangeable bands Yes Yes
GPS Yes Yes 
Automatic workout detection Yes Yes
Compass Yes Yes
Altimeter Yes Yes
Water resistance 50m, IP6X dust resistance 50m, IP6X dust resistance
Calls Yes Yes
Microphone Yes Yes
Speaker Yes Yes
Voice assistant Yes (Siri, on-device) Yes (Siri, on-device)
Mobile Payments Yes (Apple Pay) Yes (Apple Pay)
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Period tracking Yes Yes
Sensors Accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, temperature sensor, compass, third-gen optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor, ambient light sensor, depth gauge, water temperature sensor Accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, temperature sensor, compass, third-gen optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor, ambient light sensor
Emergency features Fall detection, crash detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, noise monitoring, Backtrack Fall detection, crash detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, noise monitoring, Backtrack
Compatibility iOS 18 and newer iOS 17 and newer
Software (at launch) WatchOS 11 WatchOS 10
Processor Apple S10 Apple S9
Connectivity LTE and UMTS, Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.3, second-gen ultra wideband LTE and UMTS, Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.3, second-gen ultra wideband
Memory and storage 64GB capacity 64GB capacity
Charging USB-C magnetic fast charging cable USB-C magnetic fast charging
Battery life Up to 18 hours; up to 36 hours in low power mode Up to 18 hours; up to 36 hours in low power mode
Battery capacity Unavailable Unavailable
US price 42mm: $399 (Wi-Fi); 42mm: $499 (cellular); 42mm: $699 (titanium); 46mm: $429 (Wi-Fi); 46mm: $529 (cellular); 46mm: $749 (titanium) 41mm: from $399; 45mm: from $429
UK price 42mm: £399 (Wi-Fi); 42mm: £499 (cellular); 42mm: £699 (titanium); 46mm: £429 (Wi-Fi); 46mm: £529 (cellular); 46mm: £749 (titanium) 41mm: from £399; 45mm: from £429
Australian price 42mm: AU$649 (Wi-Fi); 42mm: AU$809 (cellular); 42mm: AU$1,199 (titanium); 46mm: AU$699 (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth); 46mm: AU$859 (cellular); 46mm: AU$1,279 (titanium) 41mm: from AU$649; 45mm: from AU$699