Apple’s big iPhone 17 event is over – and there was plenty for Apple Watch fans to get excited about. We got the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Series 11 as expected, and we also saw a new Apple Watch SE – so an entire range refresh for the best Apple Watches. Even the new AirPods Pro 3 got fitness features.
Between the three new models, new features, and the all-important pricing, there was a lot of news across for fans of everything health and fitness to take in, and if you missed anything don’t worry, as I’m recapping everything you need to know right here.
1. Apple Watch Series 11
The new watch face known as Flow uses Apple’s Liquid Glass design language to refract colors as if they were real. A second new watch face called Exactograph separates hours, minutes and seconds in an Ultra-inspired aesthetic.
The long-rumored LED blood pressure feature has landed, in the form of Hypertension. Using data from Apple’s Heart and Movement Study with 100,000 participants, Apple expects to identify one million cases of possible hypertension in its first year, although it won’t detect all instances.
Sleep tracking is improved with the new Sleep Score, although I’d hardly call this feature revolutionary – Apple must be the last wearable on planet earth to introduce it! Sleep duration, bed time consistency, and interruption data provides you a sleep score out of 100, underpinned with insights from sleep experts.
Finally, the standout feature: 24 hours of battery life! Finally, an upgrade from the old, paltry 18 hours. The Apple Watch Series 11 is available in Jet Black, Rose Gold and Space grey, and users have the option of 100% recycled aluminum or titanium, plus new colors for bands and loops, new Hermes bands. It starts at $399 (around £300 / AU$600).
Watch: our Apple Watch Series 11 TikTok
2. Apple Watch Ultra 3
Yes, it looks the same from here, but there’s more under the hood. A new wide-angle OLED display means a brighter, increased screen area without changing the case size, making it the largest display ever in an Apple Watch.
It refresh more often in always-on-display mode, and showcases a new Waypoint watch face. Like the Series 11, it offers 5G cellular, and as rumored, it offers satellite connectivity. Just a few taps gathers critical information and offers emergency messaging features, and to enable satellite connectivity the in-watch radio has been redesigned to double signal strength.
Another battery increase has hit the Apple Watch Ultra 3: a massive 42 hours battery life! Case options are the sexy titanium black introduced last year, along with the brushed natural titanium of previous editions. This titanium is 100% recycled, and said to be crafted with an innovative 3d printing process. It also gets new band colors, and the new Hypertension and Sleep Score features. Starts at $799 (around £700 / AU$1,200).
3. Apple Watch SE 3
The core features and benefits of an Apple Watch at its most affordable price, the SE 3 upgrade gets the same powerful chip as the current-gen Apple Watches, the S10. It offers always-on display, supports gestures such as the double-tap and wrist-flick introduced in previous years.
The SE 3 adds more wellness features like wrist temperature sensing (enabling cycle tracking), the vitals app, sleep apnea detection and Sleep Score. It even plays media!
No battery increase for the SE 3, remaining at 18 hours, but it does get fast charging. Just 15 mins of juice adds eight hours. SE3 comes in Starlight and Midnight, and starts at $249 (around £200 / AU$375).
4. AirPods Pro 3
More people work out with Airpods Pro than any other headphones in the world, and Apple’s leaned in here with heart rate sensing during workouts. Apple’s smallest heart rate sensor in included in these tiny headphones, using machine learning algorithms with data from sensors and accelerometers.
The Workout app can be used with AirPods Pro 3, along with Apple Fitness+, gathering data just like an Apple Watch. You can earn badges and close movement rings, track workouts in the gym from apps like Ladder, and even use the AI Workout Buddy. All without a watch.
