Apple Watch (1st generation) vs Apple Watch Series 10

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Watch (1st generation) compared with Watch Series 10
AppleWatch (1st generation)AppleWatch Series 10
Overview
ReleasedApril 2015September 2024
Display
Case sizes38 mm or 42 mm42 mm or 46 mm
PanelOLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness–2,000 nits
Always-on displayNoYes
Display detailRetina display with Force Touch; OLED panel, 272 x 340 pixels on 38mm or 312 x 390 pixels on 42mm (iFixit)Always-On Retina LTPO3 display with wide-angle OLED, up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle; 374 x 446 pixels (42mm) or 416 x 496 pixels (46mm) at 326 ppi; 970 or 1,196 sq mm display area; 1 nit minimum brightness
Screen protectionIon-X glass on Sport; sapphire crystal on stainless steel, Hermès and EditionIon-X front glass (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium cases)
Health and fitness
ECGNoYes
Blood oxygenNoYes
Skin temperatureNoYes
Sleep apnoea alertsNoYes
High blood pressure alertsNoYes
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoYes
Crash detectionNoYes
GPSNoneSingle-band
Water resistance–50 m
SensorsOptical heart-rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and ambient light sensor; Digital Crown, Taptic Engine, speaker and microphoneElectrical heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; temperature sensor; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer (up to 256 g); high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor; depth gauge to 6 m; water temperature sensor
Health featuresHeart-rate monitoring and Activity ringsVitals app (heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and sleep duration); irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; low cardio fitness notifications; sleep stages and sleep score; Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates; Medications; Mindfulness with state of mind tracking; Noise
Fitness featuresWorkout tracking; route and distance measurements use the paired iPhone's GPS (TechRadar)Custom workouts; Training Load; Heart Rate Zones; Race Route; Pacer; stride length, ground contact time and vertical oscillation; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; offline maps with custom route creation; pool and open-water swimming with SWOLF and automatic stroke detection; snorkelling to 6 m with the Depth app; cycling power zones and cadence with Bluetooth accessories; GymKit
Safety features–Emergency SOS; international emergency calling; Check In; Backtrack; torch; noise monitoring
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 18 hoursUp to 18 hours
In low-power mode–Up to 36 hours
Mobile data optionNoYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS1S10
Storage8 GB64 GB (better)
Battery life detailRechargeable battery; maker's up-to-18-hour rating varies with use and configurationAll-day figure tested over 18 hours with 300 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music (GPS + Cellular model with 4 hours on LTE); built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
ChargingMagnetic charging cableFast charging to 80% in about 30 minutes; 15 minutes for up to 8 hours of normal use; 8 minutes for up to 8 hours of sleep tracking
ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 4.0; Apple Pay; requires iPhone 5 or laterL1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and BeiDou; 4G LTE and UMTS (GPS + Cellular models); Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip; Apple Pay
Storage8 GB onboard storage and S1 system-in-package identified by iFixit–
Design
Weight (lightest version)25 g (better)29.3 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materialsAnodised aluminium with composite back (Sport), stainless steel with ceramic back (including Hermès), or 18-carat yellow/rose gold with ceramic back (Edition); IPX7 splash and water resistance under IEC 60529, not for submersion100% recycled aluminium case, or polished grade 5 titanium case (95% recycled titanium); metal and sapphire crystal back; water resistant to 50 m (ISO 22810:2010), for swimming and snorkelling; IP6X dust resistant
Size38mm case is 38.6 x 33.3 x 10.5 mm; 42mm is 42.0 x 35.9 x 10.5 mm. Case weights are 25/30 g (Sport), 40/50 g (stainless steel), 55/69 g (yellow-gold Edition) or 54/67 g (rose-gold Edition), for 38/42mm respectively42mm is 42 x 36 x 9.7 mm, 30 g (aluminium, GPS), 29.3 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 34.4 g (titanium); 46mm is 46 x 39 x 9.7 mm, 36.4 g (aluminium, GPS), 35.3 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 41.7 g (titanium); lightest is the 42mm aluminium GPS + Cellular
BandsSport Band, leather straps, Link Bracelet and Milanese Loop; Hermès Single Tour, Double Tour and Cuff joined the range in 2015Fits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)
ColoursSport in Silver, Space Grey, Gold or Rose Gold; stainless steel in polished steel or Space Black; Edition in yellow or rose goldAluminium in Jet Black, Rose Gold and Silver; titanium in Natural, Gold and Slate
In the boxWatch, band, 2 m magnetic charging cable, 5W USB power adapter and quick start guide; Edition also includes a magnetic charging case and Lightning to USB cableApple Watch Series 10, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)

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