Here's why the Apple Watch Series 10 is now my favorite big-screen smartwatch

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We can talk all day about the Apple Watch Series 10 and its new off-angle viewing screen, sleep apnea abilities, Training Loads, and ability to measure dive depth. However, I know the real reason this Apple Watch is the best ever and might be the only smartwatch you really want.

In the decade I've been wearing smart watches, they've almost consistently grown in size and weight, reaching an apex with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (61.4g) and the Samsung Galaxy Ultra (60g). These are beefy digital timepieces intended for rugged outdoors and climbing Mount Everest. I've never understood why people who are not great outdoors people wear them. And forget about sleeping with them. It's impossible unless you can sleep with a rock under your gut.

There's a new trend in the smartwatch game, though: big, thin, and light. For me, it started with the 45mm Google Pixel Watch 3. I've worn the last two generations, and while I loved the smooth water droplet design, I was frustrated by the screen size and the thickness. For such a pretty watch, it wasn't always comfortable to wear. The Pixel Watch 3 in 45mm changed that by introducing a much larger (and brighter) screen and a thinner and quite light 37g build.

I found that I could sleep with this watch and considered putting aside my Apple Watch Series 9 for good.

Then along came the Apple Watch Series 10 46mm.

Big and light

Yes, this is Apple's biggest Apple Watch screen ever (it's 30% larger than the Apple Watch Series 6), and it looks it. I like a big screen, especially one that uses wide-angle OLED for way better off-axis viewing. Still, I won't wear it if it's uncomfortable or cumbersome. Basically, I can't trade screen size for comfort, which is why I've never fully embraced the Ultras.

The Apple Watch Series 10, however, pulls off a rather surprising feat. Despite the screen size, the watch (without the band) weighs 35.3g. The wild thing about that is the 45mm Apple Watch Series 9 in aluminum weighed 51.5 grams. This is a difference I can feel. It's like a reverse TARDIS: Bigger on the outside and the weight of a smaller device on the inside.

It's not just the weight, though. At 9.7mm thick, the watch is a full millimeter thinner than the last Apple Watch.

I know, these are just a bunch of numbers, so let me tell you how it feels: almost like nothing.

If it weren't for the fact that I see the watch on my wrist, I might forget it was there. This is all-day comfort and, in my experience, sleep-friendly comfort, too.

This weight and size change is even more impressive when considering that the new Apple Watch Series 10 combines GPS and cell capabilities on all models. Usually, the cell and GPS models would be a tad heavier than the GPS-only counterparts. Not this time. Part of that may be because Apple re-engineered the chassis build.

Metal matters

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While the last Apple Watch had a Zirconia back, the Apple Watch Series 9 uses either Aluminum or Titanium. The all-metal back now supports the placement of cell radios, which is handy for the GPS + Cellular models as the WiFi GPS radios are on the top. These are under-the-hood changes you might not notice, but Series 10 with GPS + Cellular will no longer feature a red ring on some on the Digital Crown to indicate cell support. You'll still pay your phone company to turn the service on, though, and need to buy a model with cellular connectivity.

To be clear, size, weight, and design are really just one aspect of the Apple Watch Series 10, but when it comes to wearables, which are essentially fashion, can you put a price on good design, fit, and feel? How the watch feels on your wrist will define how you feel about it.

Getting notifications, tracking workouts, health, and sleep (even sleep apnea) is, in some ways, the icing on a time-keeping cake.

So yes, let the Apple Genius talk your ear off about all these amazing new Apple Watch Series 10 features, just make sure they let you try one on.

@lanceulanoff
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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.