Category: Technology

As the Pumpkin Spice approaches, it’s time for a bunch of new iPhones. Welcome to a special edition of the Engadget newsletter, breaking down everything Apple announced in the last 24 hours. What’s notable this year is, of course, the iPhone Air. Launching alongside the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, it’s an intriguing new flavor of iOS.

The iPhone Air: It’s a brave choice to label the new superslim phone with the same suffix as the game-changing MacBook Air. Barring the slimmer profile and accompanying compromises, it’s not as surprising as it could have been. Early rumors suggested it might have arrived without a single port, with wireless charging and WiFi alone.

Instead, the iPhone Air (no 17) is an engineering marvel. With a body thickness of just 5.6mm and made of spacecraft-grade titanium, it also has Ceramic Shield 2 on both sides, which helps make it more durable than any previous iPhone.

It features the same A19 Pro chip as the iPhone 17 Pro, along with Apple’s N1 chip for wireless connectivity and the new C1X modem, which is reportedly twice as fast as the C1 introduced with the iPhone 16e.

Compromises had to happen, though. Apple kept the iPhone Air thin in part by going for a single 48-megapixel camera, but it did try to make it as versatile as possible. It has a large two-micrometer quad-pixel sensor that excels in low light, along with an optical quality 2x telephoto. Apple says it’s “the equivalent of four lenses in their pocket,” but well, why doesn’t the base iPhone 17 have it? It also seems a bit weak compared to the S25 Edge (Samsung’s super-thin smartphone) and its 200MP main camera.

Worried that a thin battery means precarious battery life? Apple claims the iPhone Air will get “all-day” battery life thanks in part to hardware designed to cram more battery into smaller designs and software like Adaptive Power Mode. To assuage those concerns, Apple made a new super-slim MagSafe battery pack to boost how long it lasts.

There’s also an intangible appeal to the ‘first’ of a new Apple product. I remember upgrading a year into my iPhone 7 contract to get the first iPhone without a home button. The iPhone X is a good comparison to make, perhaps. Both the iPhone X and iPhone Air have the same price: $999.

— Mat Smith

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Our first impressions and hands-ons at the Apple iPhone 17 event

iPhone Air hands-on: The super-sleek precursor to Apple’s upcoming foldable

iPhone 17 Pro hands-on: The unibody and camera plateau feel more significant in person

Apple Watch Series 11 hands-on: Feels and looks the same, but real changes are deeper

Apple AirPods Pro 3 hands-on: Impressive ANC improvements

The iPhone 17 Pro is redesigned to house its biggest battery ever

New thermals, new cameras, new color!

So, if the iPhone Air grabs the headlines, what about the pro model? Apple’s most powerful iPhone now has the A19 Pro chipset and comes with 6.9- (iPhone 17 Pro Max) and 6.3-inch (iPhone 17 Pro) screen sizes. Glass has been replaced with Ceramic Shield 2, which makes the iPhone 17 Pro more durable than ever.

A new rear camera setup includes a new 48MP telephoto lens, which can shoot up to 8x “optical quality” zoom at 12MP and 4x at its full resolution. Both the wide and ultrawide sensors are 48MP too, for resolution parity across them all. The iPhone 17 Pro series starts at $1,099 for a 256GB model and will be available for pre-order starting Friday, September 12.

Continue reading.

The iPhone 17 has a better screen and better durability

With base storage up to 256GB.

Arriving in four colorways, the iPhone 13 has improvements in power efficiency, a smoother screen and a new selfie cam. This might be the most intriguing update: The company has improved the selfie camera to be a “center stage” front camera, with better stabilization, a wider field of view and a new larger square sensor. Because it’s square, you won’t have to rotate your iPhone when you want to take a photo or video in landscape mode.

Continue reading.

AirPods Pro 3 have better noise cancellation and health-tracking features

Live translation is built into the buds.

Yes, we have an update to Apple’s AirPods Pro — arguably, the Apple hardware I’ve used the most over the last three years. I even bought a standalone USB-C charging case. The company has improved the wireless buds in some major ways. The big features include a heart rate sensor that can hook into iOS workout apps (and third-party apps) and a new live translation feature (a la Pixel Buds) that converts foreign languages on the fly and even lowers audio of the speaker so you can better hear the translation. They’ll support English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish at launch. The buds themselves are a bit smaller to fit more ears, and there are now five tip sizes, up from three.

No feature yet to make people who talk to you while wearing AirPods less insufferable. The AirPods Pro 3 cost $249, and pre-orders are open right now.

Continue reading.

Apple launches the Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and SE

Something for everyone?

The Series 11 is twice as scratch-resistant as previous Apple Watches and now even has 5G connectivity. The watch will monitor for high blood pressure using improved algorithms and the built-in heart rate monitor. If the watch identifies patterns of hypertension, you’ll get an alert in the Health app. The biggest upgrade may be up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.

The Ultra 3 has a bigger display, satellite connectivity, and emergency SOS. The Watch Ultra 3’s new 3D printed case has even smaller bezels, while the display technology has been tweaked (LTPO3) to improve off-angle viewing.

The Apple Watch SE is getting an update with a new always-on display, optional 5G, the improved S10 chip and support for gestures like double tap and wrist flick. The Apple Watch SE will also provide sleep apnea notifications and the new Sleep Score feature that’s available on Series 11 watches. The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, the Ultra 3 starts at $799 and the SE starts at $249.

Continue reading.

The Apple news you might have missed

Apple isn’t making any carbon-neutral claims with its Series 11 smartwatch

The iPhone Air is a great advertisement for the iPhone 17

All of the new iPhones start with 256GB of storage. Finally.

iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 will be released on September 15

Apple acquiesced to my Apple Watch SE 3 demands (mostly)

How to pre-order the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro ahead of their September 19 release date

Apple gives iPhone 14 and 15 owners an extra free year of satellite connectivity

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-hands-on-with-the-iphone-air-iphone-17-pro-airpods-pro-3-and-more-111101338.html?src=rss 

Beats has launched a new collection of cases to go with Apple’s latest iPhones, including one with a removable lanyard that doubles as a kickstand. Lanyards and cross-body straps for phones are becoming pretty common these days. If you’re someone who travels every now and then, they can help protect you from pickpockets or from accidentally leaving your phone behind while you struggle with your luggage. The lanyard on Beats’ case comes with something extra: It has an adaptor at the end that slides open and attaches to a magnetic part on the side of the case so that it can act as a kickstand for hands-free phone use. The Beats iPhone 17 Kickstand Case with MagSafe & Camera Control is available in Granite Gray, Bedrock Blue, Lime Stone and Pebble Pink. You can get it from Apple’s website for $59. 

The new collection also includes a basic case that Beats describes as “thin, light, and precisely crafted.” It’s available in the same colors, with the same matte hard outer shell that prevents fingerprints and an interior microfiber lining. This model will set you back $45 and is the only one in the collection that you can get for the iPhone Air. 

Finally, the Beats iPhone 17 Rugged Case with MagSafe & Camera Control will give you some extra protection if you tend to drop your devices. Beats designed it with a rugged polymer backing that’s complemented by impact-absorbing sidewalls. It has an enclosed bottom for enhanced protection and a textured matte exterior to give you a good grip on your phone. The manufacturer said it put the case through repeated drop and scratch tests, as well as multiple thermal, mechanical and chemical tests to simulate real world use. Beats’ rugged case is available in Everest Black, Rocky Blue, Alpine Gray and Sierra Orange for $79.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/beats-new-iphone-17-case-has-a-lanyard-that-turns-into-a-kickstand-035044992.html?src=rss 

We’ve survived Apple’s iPhone 17 event and we’re here to dive into all of the news. In this bonus episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham recap all of Apple’s new hardware and try to determine if the iPhone Air has any substance behind all that style. It’s certainly more attractive than we thought, but is that alone worth giving up on multiple cameras and better battery life from the iPhone 17 Pro?  

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Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Nathan Ingraham
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-making-sense-of-apples-iphone-17-event-012707428.html?src=rss 

iPhone Air is much thinner compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. (Apple)

Now that we’ve seen the actual iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models — they were revealed at the Apple iPhone event today — it’s time to decide if you’re ready to upgrade to one of the newer devices. If you watched Apple’s keynote or pored through Engadget’s liveblog, you probably noticed the Air and 17 Pro share quite a few similarities — many of the specs are identical, or nearly so. 

For starters, both run the new A19 Pro chip, giving each of them a performance edge over the non-Pro A19 in the baseline iPhone 17. And their screens, bodies and basic feature sets — high-refresh ProMotion screens, Apple Intelligence, scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield front and back, Camera Control button, MagSafe wireless charging — are all largely aligned, too. And there’s only a $100 delta in their price tags, with the iPhone Air starting at $999 and the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099. 

But these two phones have two very different audiences. The Pro, as usual, is designed to be the no-compromise iPhone, while the Air is much more of a fashion statement. It’s the thinnest iPhone ever, and that comes with some notable compromises. 

To that end, let’s take a deep dive on the key areas where the newly introduced iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro diverge. (For more of today’s Apple releases, check out our hands-on with the new AirPods Pro 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11.)

Size and weight

The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest phone yet, at just 5.6mm thick. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm thick — that’s more than 3mm thicker than the Air! I’m almost certain the Air would get lost between my couch cushions on day one. 

When it comes to the screen size, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, which is larger than the 17 Pro’s 6.3-inch screen. (If you want larger still, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a whopping 6.9 inches diagonally). But the screen tech uses the identical Super Retina XDR technology with all the same bells and whistles — ProMotion high refresh rate, P3 color gamut, True Tone. They should look pretty much identical. 

As for weight, the Air with its titanium casing tips the scales at just 5.82 ounces (165 grams), while the iPhone 17 Pro weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) with an aluminum chassis. That’s a tad more than the iPhone 16 Pro’s weight of 7.03 ounces (199 grams), probably due to the newer model’s larger battery.

If you decide to upgrade to the 17 Pro Max instead, it has a larger 6.9-inch display and weighs a whopping 8.22 ounces (233 grams).

But long story short, the Air’s superthin design and wispier weight is pretty much the reason you’re buying this phone.

The Air is pretty light and thin in comparison to all other iPhones. (Apple)

Cameras

Here’s where the biggest differences lie: the cameras. While the iPhone 17 Pro has three rear 48MP cameras, the iPhone Air has just one (also 48MP, though it serves as two cameras in one). Here’s what they include:

iPhone 17 Pro rear cameras: The Pro boasts a triple array “Pro Fusion camera system,” where the three 48MP cameras combine to offer .5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x optical zoom options. The Pro also offers macro photography, spatial photos and can shoot in ProRAW image mode. Video offerings are also full-tilt, with 4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120fps, along with a litany of sophisticated options that will appeal to more serious video shooters (ProRES Raw, Genlock support, cinematic mode and more).

iPhone Air rear camera: By comparison, the Air has a single 48MP Fusion camera system that delivers only 2x optical zoom in addition to standard. That also means it lacks even the ultrawide (.5x) mode found in the baseline iPhone. Video recording is similarly limited to just half the Pro’s framerate, albeit still in 4K Dolby Vision.

Both phones have the new Center Stage 18MP front-facing “selfie” camera, which eliminates the need to rotate your phone to take a landscape photo. You instead just tap to expand the field of view. And when others join the photo, the camera automatically expands the view. And when you’re on a video call, the camera uses artificial intelligence to adjust the frame. They also both offer Dual Capture, so you can shoot from the front and back cameras simultaneously. 

The iPhone 17 Pro has three rear-facing cameras. (Apple)

Still, the camera compromises are arguably the Air’s biggest shortfall. Don’t get this phone if you like long zooms, ultrawide shots or top-notch video quality.

Battery life

Battery life ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. That said, Apple claims the Air will deliver up to 27 hours of video playback and can get up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes. The good news is that basically matches the battery claims of last year’s iPhone 16 Pro. The bad news is that it falls well short of the new and improved battery specs on this year’s 17 Pro. That model is rated up to 33 hours of video playback and up to a 50% charge in just 20 minutes with a 40-watt charger. 

Now, unlike the cameras, there’s a workaround for the Air’s shorter battery life. Apple offers an add-on iPhone Air MagSafe battery which snaps on to the Air’s backside and gets you up to 40 hours of video playback. But it costs $99 and fattens up your superthin phone — doesn’t that kinda get you back to square one?

Price

The iPhone Air starts at $999, which matches the price at the 256GB tier of the iPhone Plus model it’s replacing (which just so happens to be my favorite). So that’s $100 more than the starting price of last year’s 128GB Plus, but with the storage doubled, I guess I can’t complain too much.

For 512GB, it’ll cost you $1,199; and if you splurge on 1TB, you’ll be paying $1,399. And the Air is available in four lighter color palettes.

On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 with 256GB, which is just $100 more. You can also choose 512GB for $1,299 or 1TB for $1,499. (The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB and goes up to $1,999 for 2TB.) The Pro comes in only three colors, though the Cosmic Orange is unusually bold for the iPhone Pro line.

iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro: How to choose

As I suggested above, the iPhone Air is certainly eye-catching, but you really need to make sure you’re ready to accept those camera and battery compromises. The iPhone 17 Pro is much more of a “no compromise” choice, albeit one that’s less of a looker (depending on how you feel about that new “camera plateau” at the top). That said, remember you can always default to the baseline iPhone 17, which is arguably better than ever — and has some nice feature one-ups on the Air, to boot.

If I were choosing between the Air and the Pro, I know which one would be the clear winner for me — but I’ll leave that decision up to you because I’m holding out (and hopeful) for a foldable iPhone in 2026. In the meantime, you can check out Engadget’s initial hands-on impressions of the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and baseline iPhone 17, as well as our full reviews of those models coming in the near future. 

$100 more for a Pro model really isn’t that bad. (Apple)

Full specs comparison

iPhone Air

iPhone 17 Pro

Starting price

$999

$1,099

Dimensions

6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 inch

5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 inch

Weight

5.82 ounces (165 grams)

7.27 ounces (206 grams)

Processor

A19 Pro chip

A19 Pro chip

Display

6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display

6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

Battery

Up to 27 hours

Up to 33 hours

Camera

Main: 48MP Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion Main
Front: Center Stage 18MP

Main: 48MP Pro Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion Main /48MP Fusion Ultra Wide / 48MP Fusion Telephoto
Front: Center Stage 18MP

Colors

Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black

Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-air-vs-iphone-17-pro-which-one-is-right-for-you-001538431.html?src=rss 

Earlier this year, I typed up an open letter to Apple, giving the company my unsolicited (but completely free of charge!) suggestions on what it could do to improve its entry-level smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE. Now that the iPhone event has concluded I wanted to see if anyone over in Cupertino took my advice. 

I asked for a bigger screen, a faster processor and faster charging. I said flashier materials weren’t necessary, nor was an always-on display. I also didn’t think the watch needed to have every last health sensor. But on-board Siri would be nice. The Apple Watch SE 3 has some of what I asked for, but not everything. Still, at the same $250, this is looking like a pretty tempting budget smartwatch.

The screen is still small but the processor is top of the line

I compared the display on the SE Gen 2 to my old Apple Watch Series 4 and they were about the same size. It’s usable, but after wearing the Series 10, or even the Series 9 for a while, the screen feels dinky. Down to the pixel, the size on the SE 3 is the exact same on the Apple Watch SE gen 2, with a 759 square millimeter display area. Sigh. 

The Apple Watch SE second generation

But! The same S10 chip that’s going into the new Series 11 will ship inside the Apple Watch SE 3, too. That means the budget smartwatch will be able to handle watchOS 26 features like Workout Buddy and Live Translation, just like its pricier siblings (an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone still needs to be nearby, as it does with the other wearables). 

That new chip will also enable the useful double tap gesture as well as the new wrist flick move that dismisses notifications — something I find surprisingly useful as an inveterate notification-clearer. You also get on-board processing of Siri requests. No more excessive tapping just to start a timer. Both the gesture and Siri support are things I’d hoped a new SE would have. So, yay!

The Apple Watch SE 3 can give you a sleep score, just like its pricier siblings

AOD isn’t critical, but faster charging is

In my experience with smartwatches, an always-on-display is a nice to have, but not crucial if the screen lights up quickly enough when I lift my wrist. But Apple went ahead and added the feature. So that’s a bonus. 

I also said we could do without a brighter screen, and Apple agreed. Like the SE Gen 2, the SE 3 has a maximum brightness of 1000 nits — that’s plenty. I can easily read the time and other pertinent info in bright sunlight on such a screen, and feel no need for the extra blaze of the Series 11’s 2000 nits. 

The most critical ask was faster charging. The SE Gen 2 charged… so… slowly… It took over two hours to juice up. Which, for me, made it completely unusable as a sleep tracker, since I couldn’t recharge it while I got ready for the day (something I could do with every other recent smartwatch I’ve tested). Thankfully, Apple fixed the problem. The SE 3 can go for 8 hours after just 15 minutes on the charger. Hallelujah. 

The Apple Watch SE second generation charged too slowly.

Sensors, case materials and the rest

The big news for the flagship Series 11 watch was a feature that can detect hypertension. The Apple Watch SE 3 can’t do that. Nor does it have the sensors for the ECG app. As I said in my letter, it’s OK if my watch isn’t a doctor’s office. The SE 3 can track your heart rate during workouts and can deliver the new sleep score if you wear it to bed. Plus Apple added temperature sensors that can help with ovulation predictions and the like. That’s more than enough health data gathering for a budget smartwatch. 

While there was talk of a plastic version of the SE, that didn’t happen. Instead, the SE 3 is made from an aluminum alloy, just like the base model Series 11 — similar durability is a nice consideration for any budget model. 

And it’s still just $250! When the Apple Watch SE Gen 2 came out back in 2022, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low called it “the best smartwatch $250 can buy.” With all the improvements Apple has added, that praise may now be an understatement. 

So maybe the Apple folk didn’t read my letter. But enough good stuff came to be that I’ll pretend they did. It’s always nice to feel heard.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-acquiesced-to-my-apple-watch-se-3-demands-mostly-220726287.html?src=rss 

If you’re trying to decide whether to buy a new iPhone 17 model and looking at the camera updates, there’s mostly good news and a little bad following today’s big event. Apple did upgrade the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models and introduced some new pro video features. It also boosted resolution on the base iPhone 17’s ultra wide camera — but that model still lacks a dedicated telephoto camera now available on rivals like the Pixel 10. 

However, the most welcome change across the lineup is the new front facing camera. It not only has a higher resolution square sensor, but a nice Center Stage feature that makes it far easier to switch between portrait and group photos. Video is also much improved on that camera. Here are all the details on camera changes across the lineup. 

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras received a major upgrade with a new telephoto sensor that’s 56 percent larger and boosts resolution from 12MP to 48MP — meaning all three Fusion Cameras now share that resolution. Optical zoom has also been expanded on the telephoto camera from 5x to 8x thanks to a new tetraprism lens. The larger hump that runs across the back of the phone (a camera “plateau”) is there to accommodate the new optics and sensor.

The other major upgrade is in the front-facing camera. All iPhone 17 models including the Pro models have a square-sensor “Center Stage” 18MP selfie camera, up from 12MP on the three previous generations. The lens has been updated as well with six elements instead of five as before. That will make for sharper selfie photos and more detailed video, a big plus for a camera that hasn’t got much love in past versions. 

The square front camera sensor will also change the way you take selfies. Instead of turning the phone sideways for wide group shots, you simply tap a setting to expand the field of view and orientation. Apple says that’s not only simpler but more likely to prevent mishaps since it’s easier to grip the phone vertically. In video mode, meanwhile, the front camera now offers ultra-stabilized 4K HDR video. The one drawback is that it’s harder to see details, as the image on the screen is much smaller when held vertically. 

Apple also made some key video changes to tempt filmmakers toward iPhones instead of dedicated cameras. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have a new photonic engine to preserve detail and color fidelity. Apple also introduced ProRes RAW capture, Apple Log 2 and genlock. The first two features will allow for improved dynamic range and easier grading, while genlock will make it easier to sync footage shot with multiple iPhone 17 Pros. Another key feature is Dual Capture that lets you film with both the front and rear cameras at the same time, so you can capture footage and vlog your reaction to it simultaneously.

iPhone 17

Compared to the Pro models, the base iPhone 17 received a milder camera boost. Primarily, the company has upgraded the Fusion Ultra Wide camera to 48MP, matching the 48MP Fusion Main Camera. That will deliver more detailed photos and video when shooting group and other wide shots. However, optical zoom on the telephoto camera is still limited to 2x, compared to 5x on Samsung and Google’s latest Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25 base models, something buyers are likely to notice. That said, the boosted resolution will allow for clearer pictures when zooming digitally. 

The base model now records 4K 60 fps Dolby Vision with creative features like Cinematic and Action modes, along with Spatial Audio. The Audio Mix function automatically boosts voices and reduces ambient noise, while providing a wind noise reduction feature.

The iPhone 17 gets the same front camera upgrade as the Pro models, including the square 18MP sensor and Center Stage tricks that let you should wide or portrait shots without turning the camera, along with ultra-stabilized 4K HDR video. 

iPhone 17 Air

Apple kept the iPhone 17 Air so thin by using a single 48MP Fusion Camera, but it did try to make it as versatile as possible. It has a large 2 micrometer quad-pixel sensor that excels in low light, along with an optical quality 2x telephoto. That gives users “the equivalent of four lenses in their pocket,” Apple said, including wide and telephoto models, via digital and optical zoom. 

Like the other models, you can capture 4K 60 fps Dolby Vision HDR video, and get support for Action mode, Spatial Audio capture and Audio Mix mode to boost voices and reduce ambient noise. The new Photonic Engine improves image detail and color accuracy and a new Bright style adds clarity to skin tones and increases vibrance. 

The iPhone 17 Air also has the 18MP Center Stage front square sensor camera as the other models, with all the benefits that entails. Those include switching from wide to portrait photos without rotating the camera, 4K HDR video capture with ultra stabilization and Dual Capture to take video from both the front and rear cameras at the same time. Center Stage can also be used during video calls to keep you stable and positioned in the frame. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-17s-new-selfie-camera-lets-you-take-group-shots-without-rotating-your-phone-195345475.html?src=rss 

Though the Apple Watch announcements may have paled in comparison to the iPhone news at Apple’s event today, there were still some noteworthy updates to the smartwatch lineup to talk about. This year, we’re getting the Watch Series 11, Watch SE 3 and Watch Ultra 3, and each of them have some interesting features. At a hands-on session here at Apple Park, I spent some time with the devices, and believe the most intriguing is the Series 11.

At first glance, the Series 11 is no different from the Series 10 I wore to the event. They’re the same thinness and have pretty much the same dimensions, and the main change is that the new smartwatch has an IonX glass covering that’s a bit more scratch resistant. There’s also a new space grey case option that looked nice, though I was a bigger fan of the rose gold band and case pairing. I especially like the loop band that was on the unit I checked out. 

I put the Series 11 on my wrist next to my Series 10 and truly could not tell them apart. There might not be much reason to upgrade from last year’s model to this, which isn’t a bad thing. We don’t want to be too wasteful, anyway. The real updates coming to the Series 11 include the new “Possible hypertension” alerts, using data gathered from the existing optical heart rate sensors to study patterns in the constriction and expansion of your blood vessels in relation to your heart rate. This tells the watch whether there are differences in your blood pressure — keyword: differences. 

This tool isn’t meant to give you readings of your blood pressure. It’s more meant to tell if there are concerning variations and alert you to see a medical professional if so. This is similar to many other Apple Watch features like sleep apnea detection or high heart rate alerts, and since it requires data trends to work, wasn’t something I could just test here at Apple Park.

I also didn’t get to test the sleep score feature that’s coming watchOS 26, but that isn’t exclusive to the Series 11, and any Apple Watch compatible with the latest software will be able to get it. I did like how you’ll get scores once you’ve worn the watch to bed, and don’t have to wait for a required number of nights for the insights to surface.

This story is developing, please refresh for updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-watch-series-11-hands-on-feels-and-looks-the-same-but-real-changes-are-deeper-200438367.html?src=rss