I've tested every Apple Watch model - my top pick is on sale for $299

## Summary
Also: I wore the Whoop 5.0 for a month - it combines the best of the Oura Ring and Apple Watch 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. Apple Watch Series 11 The smartwatch comes with several improvements, with the biggest one being a 24-hour battery life that will last through a day of exercise tracking and a night of sleep tracking. When comparing the Apple Watch Series 11 to the Ultra 3 or SE 3 , battery life is one of the biggest differentiating factors. Also: The best cheap smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed 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.

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I've tested every Apple Watch model - my top pick is on sale for $299
Looking to get ahead of your 2026 fitness goals? The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for the first time this year.
Written by
Nina Raemont,
Editor, Wearables & Health Tech
Editor, Wearables & Health Tech
March 25, 2026 at 1:57 p.m. PT
Apple Watch Series 11
ZDNET's key takeaways
The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299 right now, $100 off the 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.
$299 at Amazon
sep / 2025
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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:
I wore the Whoop 5.0 for a month - it combines the best of the Oura Ring and Apple Watch
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.
Apple Watch Series 11
The smartwatch comes with several improvements, with the biggest one being a 24-hour battery life that will last through a day of exercise tracking and a night of sleep tracking. It's currently discounted by $100 on Amazon.
details
View at Amazon
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:
$339
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:
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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 best cheap smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed
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

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Many of the features stayed the same from Series 10 to Series 11, but the most significant thing is Apple's chipset.
- 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.
- 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.

### Areas for Consideration
- 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.

### Implications
- When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
- When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions.
- This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay.
- If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers apple, watch, series topics. Notable strengths include discussion of apple. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2053.