I’ve spent months switching between various Android smartwatches, and was rarely sad to put them aside and return to an analog watch.
The hard truth is, they’re just not as comfortable or appealing enough to hold my interest long-term.
Except, that is, for the Apple Watch Series 11. It has been back on my wrist for a few weeks now, and I’ve realized I haven’t got tired of it.
Apple’s secret sauce
It’s all in the wearability
Being content to wear a watch, any watch, all day, every day comes down to how comfortable it is. It doesn’t matter how it looks or what it does, if the watch is like an anchor, you won’t want to wear it all the time.
This is where the Apple Watch Series 11 comes into its own. I wear a 46mm Apple Watch, yet the case is so sensibly sized, and so unobtrusive due to its low weight and 9.7mm thickness, I usually forget it’s on my wrist until it nudges me with a notification.
The curved case is so ergonomically forgiving it never digs in, never gets overly sweaty during exercise, and never gets caught on a cuff. It’s this lack of friction that makes it effortless to wear, and sets it apart from most other smartwatches.
I know how this will sound to some people, who will claim they never have comfort issues with their non-Apple smartwatch.
One thing I’ve learned after wearing all kinds of watches for many years, is very few are uncomfortable, but also that comfort upgrades come in tiny steps that make a huge difference day-to-day.
What I mean by this is, if you think your smartwatch is comfortable to wear — which I don’t doubt — the Apple Watch Series 11’s tiny improvements make it more so.
Fantastic gestures
Works first time, every time
With the Apple Watch Series 11 happily on my wrist, I’ve been making use of the fantastic gesture controls. There are two main features.
Double Tap is used to navigate the Smart Stack or control audio playback, but it has been the wrist flick to dismiss notifications and stop timers I’ve used the most.
The feature works as it sounds, and just like Double Tap, it operates flawlessly. It’s satisfying to “flick” a notification away when you’ve glanced at it, and helpful to stop a timer without having to interact with the screen too.
These features are also comfort upgrades, just like the delightful haptics and accurate Digital Crown.
When you interact with the Apple Watch Series 11, everything feels like it was engineered around the way humans want to operate a device on their wrist, making it friendly and fun.
It’s not that the competition fails, it’s just they don’t quite manage to do so with the same flair and polish. Only Samsung comes close to meeting the challenge with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic’s rotating bezel. It’s just a shame about the way it looks and feels.
Sleep tracking is still not for me
Smart rings beat smartwatches
My day-to-day Apple Watch Series 11 use includes some exercise tracking, but although I use a smartwatch to track sleep during a review process, very rarely do I wear it overnight after this.
It’s not to do with comfort or even ability, following the recent introduction of a Sleep Score and the Vitals app, but all to do with my Oura Ring 4.
There’s no getting away from the fact the Oura Ring 4 is less intrusive to wear overnight, and I personally love the way it presents health data in the app, plus because I’ve worn one for years, it knows my body well.
I have also been wearing the Apple Watch Series 11 with the Milanese Loop band, and this isn’t ideal for sleep in my opinion.
Also, by not tracking sleep, the Apple Watch Series 11’s battery lasts for three days on a single charge. This is with all other health features active and the always-on screen too.
I’m aware owning and wearing both an Apple Watch and an Oura Ring represents a considerable financial commitment — the Oura Ring also has a $6 monthly subscription — but the pair really do work well together, right down to the Oura app’s presence in the Smart Stack to view your latest scores.
Still the smartwatch to beat
The best smartwatch
I’m not tired of the Apple Watch Series 11. It’s the one and only smartwatch I feel confident, happy, and comfortable wearing on a daily basis, due to its stellar blend of form and function.
Google’s Wear OS continues to get better, but it can’t match WatchOS’s reliability and speed. Notifications are instant, and it never misses them, which can’t be said for any Wear OS smartwatch.
What’s particularly notable is the Galaxy Watch 8, Google Pixel Watch 4, and OnePlus Watch 3 are all big improvements over previous models, and all are excellent buys. They just can’t quite match the seamless, frictionless, and effortless ownership experience of the Apple Watch Series 11.
9/10
- Case size
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42mm / 46mm
- Case Material
-
Aluminum or Titanium
- Display
-
Retina OLED
- Display resolution
-
374 x 446 / 416 x 496 pixels
If you want the best smartwatch and smartphone pairing available, the Apple Watch and an Apple iPhone is it.
The competition is closer than ever, but regardless of whether you choose Google’s, Samsung’s, OnePlus’s, or another brand’s ecosystem, they’re still a small step behind.
If I didn’t care about analog watches in the slightest, the Apple Watch Series 11 wouldn’t leave my wrist, but that’s a story for another time.
8/10
- SoC
-
A19 Pro chip
- Display type
-
Super Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion
- Display dimensions
-
6.9-inches
- Display resolution
-
2868 x 1320
