The Best Apple Watch

Note: Apple will likely launch the Apple Watch Series 11 in September, so I recommend holding off on buying the Series 10.

The Watch Series 10 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), along with the Series 9 and the Watch Ultra 2, finally got blood oxygen sensing back in August 2025 via a software update, after a prolonged suspension of sales due to a patent-infringement case. The feature has been redesigned to get around the patent. To see your blood oxygen, you update the paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and the Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. You’ll see the sensor data in the Respiratory section of the Health app, rather than on the watch itself.

That’s a little annoying, but with the new health updates in WatchOS 11 and WatchOS 26, you will probably be checking the Health app more frequently anyway. This is now the best Apple Watch, without caveats. The standout health feature, Breathing Disturbances, uses the Series 10’s accelerometer to notify you if you have sleep apnea, which otherwise requires a disruptive sleep test to diagnose. It’s the perfect health feature to monitor with a wearable that you wear constantly.

There are also a bunch of hardware and software upgrades. It’s thinner and lighter, so it’s more comfortable to wear while sleeping, and it has fast charging, so it can track more of your activities during the day. I found that I was able to top it up pretty easily with 20 to 30 minutes on a fast charger while I was in the shower every morning. It also has a bunch of new features focused on water sports, including water temperature, which is pretty vital where I live, since a lot of people become incapacitated when they jump into water that’s too cold. This is now the best Apple Watch, without caveats.