Apple has introduced the Apple Watch Series 11, offering the most comprehensive set of health features yet, longer battery life, an even more durable cover glass, and 5G cellular capabilities, according to Stan Ng, Apple’s vice president of Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing.

It can be pre-ordered today, with availability beginning Friday, September 19. Apple Watch Series 11 is available in aluminum in a new space gray, as well as jet black, rose gold, and silver, and also in polished titanium in natural, gold, and slate.

Longer Battery Life, More Durable Ion-X Glass, and 5G Cellular

The Apple Watch Series 11 now offers up to 24 hours of battery life and supports fast charging, with just 15 minutes providing up to eight hours of battery life. The thin, elegant design of Apple Watch is also incredibly durable, made to accompany users throughout the day, whether they are at the gym, running, or swimming, as the cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance, Ng says.

Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface, he adds. The titanium models will continue to have a sapphire front crystal, the most scratch-resistant and crack-resistant material covering a display.

With a cellular plan, Apple Watch users can take calls, send messages, and even get help from emergency services when their iPhone isn’t with them. The smartwatch now offers 5G cellular capabilities. To boost reception in areas with weak coverage, Apple Watch Series 11 also features a redesigned cellular antenna to cover more bands, and simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength.

Hypertension Notifications

Building on the advanced health features that allow Apple Watch to serve as an intelligent guardian for users’ health, Apple Watch Series introduces groundbreaking hypertension notifications, which can alert users if signs of chronic high blood pressure — or hypertension — are detected, according to Kim. Hypertension notifications on Apple Watch use data from the optical heart sensor to analyze how a user’s blood vessels respond to the beats of the heart. 

The algorithm works passively in the background reviewing data over 30-day periods, and will notify users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension. These notifications provide users with insights into their health as it relates to this widespread condition simply by wearing their Apple Watch.

Sleep Score

The Apple Watch Series 11 allows users to: track sleep; measure important health metrics during sleep like heart rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate; and even discover possible sleep apnea. 

After each night, the sleep score provides an overall score and classification in the Sleep app on Apple Watch, plus a clear breakdown of the most critical components, so users know what to prioritize to improve their sleep, according to Kim. Users can also choose to access their sleep score in a watch face complication or in the Smart Stack, and they can track their sleep scores over time in the Health app on iPhone.

Hypertension notifications and sleep score join a set of health features available on Apple Watch, including irregular rhythm notifications, high and low heart rate notifications, the ECG app, Blood Oxygen, sleep apnea notifications, and retrospective ovulation estimates.

Advanced Fitness Features

With watchOS 26, the Apple Watch Series 11 features Workout Buddy, a fitness experience powered by Apple Intelligence that analyzes a user’s workout data and fitness history to deliver personalized, spoken motivation throughout their session, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more.

Workout Buddy will be available starting in English across some of the most popular workout types, and is available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones, with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby.

Additionally, the new layout of the Workout app is designed to make it easier to customize workouts with Workout Views, custom workouts, Pacer, Race Route, and more. Apple Watch users can now view and create workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone, including custom workouts, and then easily access them in the Workout app on Apple Watch.

Users can set up music and podcasts right in the Workout app to automatically play when they start a workout. Apple Music can now select the best music for a user’s workout based on the workout type and their personal tastes, or users can see suggestions for music or podcasts based on what they’ve recently listened to during workouts.

Featuring watchOS 26

Ng says that, in addition to hypertension notifications, sleep score, and Workout Buddy, with watchOS 26, Apple Watch Series 11 offers a fresh look, additional intelligence, and more personalized ways to stay active, healthy, and connected, including:

  • A new software design with Liquid Glass, enabling a vibrant and expressive experience across the Photos watch face, Smart Stack widgets, Smart Stack hints, notifications, Control Center, and in-app controls and navigation.
  • A redesigned watch face gallery with two new watch faces: Flow, which uses Liquid Glass numerals that beautifully refract swirls of color that also respond to the movement of a user’s wrist, and Exactograph, a modern reinterpretation of a traditional regulator clock that separates the hours, minutes, and seconds for precise timekeeping. In addition, over 20 watch faces are updated so users can see a ticking seconds hand without raising their wrist.
  • A new one-handed wrist flick gesture to easily dismiss notifications, stop a timer, or silence an alarm, joining the double tap gesture to allow users to do even more on Apple Watch when their other hand is occupied.
  • Smart Stack hints, proactive prompts that provide actionable, immediately useful suggestions based on contextual data, sensor data, and data from a user’s routine.
  • Live Translation in Messages with Apple Intelligence, allowing incoming texts to be automatically translated into a user’s preferred language, right on their wrist, when Apple Watch is paired with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone.10 Additionally, for users whose device language is set to English, Apple Watch will intelligently suggest relevant actions using the context of a conversation in the Messages app, like starting a Check In when a friend asks a user to share when they arrive home, or using Apple Cash11 when a user is asked to contribute to a group gift.12
  • The Notes app, which allows users to create or access notes right on their wrist.
  • Hold Assist and Call Screening, which come to the Phone app when iPhone is nearby.13 When a user is waiting for a live agent, Hold Assist recognizes once a live agent is available and notifies the user to return to the call. Call Screening helps users manage incoming phone calls from unknown numbers more efficiently by collecting a name and reason for the call before their phone rings, so they can make an informed decision on whether to pick up, decline the call, or ask for more information.

Lineup

  • Apple Watch Series 11 is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes in jet black, rose gold, silver, and new space gray aluminum cases. Apple Watch Series 11 is also available in polished titanium in natural, gold, and slate.
  • Apple Watch Hermès is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes in silver titanium.

Bands

This fall, the band lineup features a beautiful new palette of colors, including forest, neon yellow, anchor blue, purple fog, and more.

In addition, the Nike Sport Band and Nike Sport Loop feature a new set of colors, and the Nike Sport Loop now has reflective yarn seamlessly woven into the fabric.

The Apple Watch Hermès collection includes the new Faubourg Party knit band, along with a matching, whimsical animated watch face set in the house’s iconic Paris flagship building, available for 42mm and 46mm sizes. Additionally, a new elegant narrow Grand H metal link band is designed for the 42mm case. The Apple Watch Hermès collection features new colors across the range of bands.

Pricing and Availability

° Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the UK, the U.S., and more than 50 other countries and regions can pre-order Apple Watch Series 11 today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 19.

° Apple Watch Series 11 starts at US$399. New Apple Watch bands will be available to order today from apple.com/store and on the Apple Store app, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 19.

° watchOS 26 will be available for Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) or later, and all Apple Watch Ultra models on Monday, September 15, and requires iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26. 

° Not all features are available on all devices or in all regions. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.

° New subscribers may get three months of Apple Fitness+ and Apple Music with the purchase of Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, or Apple Watch Ultra 3. Offer and service availability varies by region. See apple.com/promo for details.

° Clearance for hypertension notifications from the FDA and other regulators is expected soon, with availability in over 150 countries and regions — including the U.S. and the EU — this month.

° Apple Intelligence is available in beta. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. For feature and language availability and system requirements, see support.apple.com/en-us/121115.

° Customers can choose AppleCare+ to cover their new Apple Watch, or in the U.S., AppleCare One to protect multiple products in one simple plan. Both plans include coverage for accidents like drops and spills, theft and loss protection on eligible products, battery replacement service, and 24/7 support from Apple experts. For more information, visit apple.com/applecare.

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