You’re finally on your way to the Apple store around town. Out of habit, you flick your wrist to check the time, noticing all the grooves and scratches on the screen. You erk your face in disgust.

“This new watch won’t scratch so easily, right?” you ask your friend for assurance. 

“Exactly,” he says with a convincing smile.

You need a new watch. Most will turn to the market standard, the Apple Watch, but is that truly the best choice? Is the latest Apple Watch Series 11 really worth the investment?

As an owner of the Series 9, I’ve struggled with battery life and a fragile glass screen that took some getting used to.

Within the first week, my watch had lost its shine to scratches, and the battery barely lasted a full day.

This year, Apple promises to fix exactly these problems. 

Lab tests show the new watch achieves nearly two days of battery life—a noticeable leap over previous generations so you won’t have to worry as much about charging schedules.

The last meaningful battery life jump was with the original Apple Watch; since then, improvements have been gradual. Previous models offered around 18 hours of battery with typical use, but now Apple claims a boosted 24 hours. 

That’s a change you’re going to notice.

In real-world testing, here’s what the numbers have shown us (with always on display):

One standout upgrade is Apple’s overhaul of the watch’s glass surface, which has long frustrated users by turning new watches into scratchy messes almost instantly.

The new glass screen is twice as scratch-resistant as previous generations.

The Serious 10 last year hit us with a significant reduction in thickness. Though Apple has left the thickness unchanged from last year, they’ve changed the material from stainless steel to a lightweight titanium finish.

For those who heavily rely on the watch’s cell service, Apple has also put out the option to upgrade your watch to 5G network, so every call, text, download, etc is sent as smoothly as, well, 5G, like your phone.

Other than these few hardware improvements, Apple has made significant visual changes to the software. 

With the latest WatchOS 26 came a new glass aesthetic, a complete redesign of your basic apps, new watch faces, and an AI workout buddy that can encourage you to keep pushing (pep talk) and update you on your workout metrics along the way.

It feels like the same watch released each year. That’s really all there is to it. 

It’s the same processor, unchanged sensors, and internal systems.

You can get the major software update on older versions of the Apple Watch, which alone can’t justify an upgrade by any means.

Hardware changes remain minimal; Apple tweaked a few features, assigned a new model number, and kept the hefty $399 price, just like every year. 

Here’s the truth: this is how things go about in the tech world. Over the years, products are developed, refined, and improved. 

If you look at the grand scheme of things, the improvements can be groundbreaking; it’s remarkable. When we dive into the yearly time frame, you can’t expect as much of a transformation.

By all means, feel free to take your own stance on the matter. But the numbers are clear, and I am impressed. Most years will bring minor refinements, meaningless improvements that don’t justify an upgrade. This year’s improvements alone are enough reason for you to upgrade. 

The new Series 11 brings us a considerable boost in battery life, a much more resistant glass screen, and a major software update. If you’re coming from an Apple Watch several years old, this is going to be a significant upgrade that elevates your experience.

But if you’re looking to upgrade from a Series 10, you won’t notice as much of a change. It’s ultimately your choice. I’ll be sticking with my Series 9 for now; it does the job.

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