I've tested all of Apple's smart watches - I recommend this one in 2026 (and it's $100 off)

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299 right now, $100 less than its original price.
• Apple's newest baseline smartwatch offers upgraded health features and fantastic battery life.
• Although affordable, it's trumped by the sheer value of its younger sibling, the SE 3.

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If you've been considering an Apple Watch to track your health in the new year, there are a few watches that could fit your needs. In this review, I'm going to focus on the Apple Watch Series 11, one of the most popular smart watches on the market right now, and the one I use personally to track my workouts, monitor my sleep, and do a whole lot more. Allow me to break down the pros and cons. 

Also: AirPods review: Apple pulled off something I thought was impossible 

Apple rolled out three new Apple Watches in 2025 -- the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3, and I've been testing all three for months since.  

Many of the features stayed the same from Series 10 to Series 11, but the most significant thing is Apple's chipset. Normally, it updates its chips every year, but the Series 11 keeps the S10 processor, the same chip as 2024's Series 10. 

When comparing the Apple Watch Series 11 to the Ultra 3 or SE 3, battery life is one of the biggest differentiating factors. The SE 3 gets 18 hours of normal use battery life, while the Series 11 gets 24, and the Ultra 3 gets 42.    

Also: The 10 features that made me switch to the Apple Watch full-time 

Apple says that in adding more battery life through an internal design change that replaced its jelly roll cells with a metal can design, it was able to keep the form factor of the watch the same and use 2024's chip to process the new device. This means that the build of the watch is identical to the Series 10. 

The screen brightness also remains the same at 2,000 nits, despite its competition, the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8, amping theirs up to 3,000 nits. You have to upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to get a 3,000 nit screen in the Apple ecosystem. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

The new watches come in four colorways: Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, and a new Space Gray. My band of choice is the Sport Loop, which I tested in a striking Neon Yellow. I wasn't expecting to love as much as I did: It's lightweight on the wrist, easy to sleep with, and water-wicking (especially if you shower with your watch, which I do). 

Sleeping, working, and exercising with the watch is a lightweight and comfortable experience. The display is vivid, notifications appear quickly, and the watch lasts a day of regular use. If you haven't slept with a watch before, it might take a few nights to get used to it. However, the thin build of the Series 11 and its sleep mode, which dims the screen and dismisses interruptions, make it easier than other watches to drift away. 

The upgrades you should know about

Apple made several upgrades to the Series 11 that its predecessor, the Series 10, lacked. The most desired update is six additional hours of battery life. This boosts the overall capacity to 24 hours, enabling all-day communication, activity tracking, and sleep tracking. This means you can track workouts and sleep without charging in between. 

The FDA-cleared Hypertension Detection feature is another significant addition, not just for those who want to further understand their blood pressure without needing a blood pressure cuff, but also for Apple's long-term mission to use technology to proactively improve health and wellness. 

Also: I compared the best smartwatches by Google and Samsung - here's how Pixel wins out

The new hypertension feature doesn't provide readings by the minute on blood pressure. Instead, it uses Apple's PPG heart sensor to take a 30-day average reading that its algorithm determines is either above or below the hypertension threshold. Because I had only a few days with the watch, I wasn't able to use the feature yet, as it requires 30 days of monitoring, but I'll report back in a month once I have further experience with it. 

Still, hypertension impacts over 1 billion people and is the world's most undiagnosed disease. Apple's first-of-its-kind, FDA-cleared hypertension detection will not only encourage proactive monitoring but also spread awareness of the condition's ubiquity. Apple forecasts that its new hypertension feature will notify over a million people of their undiagnosed high blood pressure during its first 12 months on the market.  

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Apple adds 5G to Series 11 for efficient connectivity, Ion-X glass for durability, and a wrist-flicking gesture to dismiss messages or calls. The new glass could help close the durability gap between the Series 11 and Ultra 3 and make the cheaper smartwatch even more appealing to those stuck between the two. 

Interestingly enough, this year, several upgrades are not exclusive to the three new Apple Watches' new hardware. The software upgrades in WatchOS 26 extend beyond the Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 to the Series 9 and later and Ultra 2. 

What I'd like to see on the Series 12 

I found that Apple's new Sleep Score tended to inflate my quality of sleep. I tested the watch against my Oura Ring, which delivers sleep and readiness scores every morning. My Apple Watch regularly delivered scores in the high 90s when my Oura Ring offered up scores in the 80s, even on days when I felt sluggish and needed a nap. Apple says it bases the three factors that make up your Sleep Score on guidelines from three leading sleep foundations. 

Also: Are AI health coach subscriptions a scam? My verdict after testing Fitbit's for a month

In general, sleep scores are a fairly subjective metric that tech brands generate to visualize sleep health easily. Throughout my testing of sleep trackers, I've found that a sleep score reflects the brand's priorities more than it is an objective measure of sleep tracking. 

If most Americans aren't getting good sleep, according to recent stats, and Apple is appealing to a general American consumer base, its sleep score metrics might be generous to assuage the user. Any consistent, seven-hour slumber with few interruptions could still land you an 80 or 90-something sleep score. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Despite their subjectivity, sleep scores convey sleep information in an easily digestible manner, much to the dismay of individuals with poor sleep. Many people have stopped using sleep trackers because of sleep scores that grade them poorly. It's in a brand's best interest to create products that don't alienate users while also delivering useful and accurate information. Apple says it is doing so by only grading a user on their bedtime consistency, interruptions, and sleep duration. 

Additionally, Apple is already capturing a wearer's Training Load, and I'd love to see Apple add a Recovery score that takes a user's activity data into account and optimizes their Training Load metric each day. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The Series 11 is ideal for you if you have already used a smartwatch and are ready for an upgrade. You might be using it for exercise and for closing your daily activity rings, and you want to further understand your health through Apple's Sleep Score, Hypertension Detection, the Vitals app, and advanced exercise features like Training Load. The increased battery life makes the Series 11's 24-hour capacity a key upgrade. 

Also: I compared Apple and Samsung's best smartwatches - here's who wins for now

So the bigger question is whether Series 11 shoppers should consider the Series 10 instead? If you don't need the extra six hours of battery life and want to maximize your savings, then the Series 10 is still a great choice. You can even find a refurbished one for under $300 on Amazon and other retailers. 

Keep in mind that whichever Apple Watch you choose, there are usually excellent discounts around deals events like Cyber Week and Prime Day, and ZDNET will always keep you updated on the best deals. The $100 deal on the Series 11 is attractive for those aiming to buy a smartwatch at a discount right at the head of 2026.