Apple Watch 2024 holiday shopping guide: Series 10, Ultra 2, SE 2

Holiday shopping for an Apple Watch and don’t know where to start? Look no further than our Apple Watch 2024 holiday shopping guide as we take you through every option, key differences, and buying tips.

Buyer’s note: Shop Apple on Amazon for discounted prices that you can’t find directly from Apple.

Apple Watch Series 10 is the newest Apple Watch. It features a larger display and the thinnest design yet. If you’re shopping for an Apple Watch, chances are this is what you’re after. Priced from $399, Apple Watch Series 10 includes the full suite of health and fitness features:

The larger displays come in 42mm and 46mm case sizes, and these displays are 40% brighter when viewing from angles. They can even drop down from 2000 nits peak brightness to just 1 nit in low light environments. The best part? A few watch faces can even show the seconds updating in always-on mode. Fast charging delivers 80% battery in just 30 minutes, and low power mode extends usage from 18 hours to 36 hours.

Apple Watch Series 10 also offers the most variety in material and color options. Aluminum comes in jet black, rose gold, and silver; titanium comes in slate, gold, and natural. Go for the cellular + GPS model if you want the ability to use phone, messaging, and streaming audio without an iPhone nearby.

Apple Watch Series 10 review

For those who want the most battery life, there’s Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple introduced this model in September 2023 and didn’t change the hardware in 2024. Instead, Apple added a beautiful space black titanium option to the natural titanium version in the lineup.

So how much battery life are we talking? How about double? Apple Watch Ultra offers up to 36 hours in mixed use compared to 18 hours on Series 10 and SE 2. Low power mode extends that to up to 72 hours. The trade-off? Ultra 2 is also the thickest Apple Watch, which can be appealing for fans of rugged watches, and fast charging to 80% takes twice as long as Series 10 (1 hour versus 30 minutes).

Ultra 2 is especially made for enduring extreme workouts. It has a 49mm case height with the brightest display (3000 nits versus 2000 nits on Series 10). Ultra 2 also features a built-in Siren function, an Action Button for jumping into specific tasks like starting a workout, and support for high-speed water sports and recreational scuba diving to 40 meters.

Every Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes in one size of titanium with built-in cellular for $799. The optional decision to make is which color and which band configuration.

Hands-on with the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 color

Apple Watch SE 2, or Apple Watch SE (second-generation), is typically presented as simply Apple Watch SE. Introduced in September 2022, SE 2 is the most affordable Apple Watch in the lineup.

With a $249 starting price, Apple Watch SE 2 is generally defined by which features it lacks. For example, SE 2 doesn’t have an always-on display, ECG (electrocardiogram), temperature sensing, or sleep apnea notifications.

The display on SE 2 is the least bright, maxing out at 1000 nits, compared to 2000 nits (Series 10) and 3000 nits (Ultra 2). The screen is also smaller with 40mm and 44mm options.

However, Apple Watch SE 2 is a great product for customers trying their first smartwatch. Useful features include notifications, Apple Pay, workout tracking, and more. Apple Watch SE 2 also features heart health tracking, fall and crash detection.

While the current lineup consists of Series 10, Ultra 2, and SE 2, some previous models are still around. For example, Best Buy still offers the Series9 new-in-the-box. Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy each have refurbished models of older generations for a discount.

watchOS 11, the software that runs on Apple Watch, works with these models:

For the best experience, it is highly recommended to stay away from models not listed. In terms of future proofing, the processors inside Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 are the most performant.