Apple Watch Series 11 is revealed: Apple launches a brand new smartwatch packed with health features – including blood-pressure monitoring

Apple^[1] has finally unveiled its latest range of devices at the company’s ‘awe dropping’ event in Cupertino, California^[2].

While the new iPhone^[3] 17 and iPhone 17 Air might have been the centre of attention, Apple has also unveiled two brand new smartwatches.

The tech giant revealed the Apple Watch Series 11, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3.

All the devices are packed with a range of new health features, including one that has the potential to be a lifesaver.

The Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are the first to feature real-time blood pressure monitoring^[4]. 

Although users won’t be able to get specific readings for their diastolic or systolic levels, the watch will be able to issue alerts when there is a potentially dangerous change.

The hypertension alert will review blood pressure data over the last 30 days, giving users a warning if it detects patterns of high blood pressure. 

With this feature, Apple predicts it will detect one million cases of undiagnosed hypertension within the first 12 months.  

Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch Series 11, the first Apple Watch to feature a blood pressure sensor capable of detecting possible hypertension 

Apple Watch Series 11 – $399/£369

The Apple Watch Series 11 will start at $399/£369 in either a 42mm or 46mm size, with the option to include cellular connectivity for an additional price.

The watch will be available in four aluminium colour options, jet black, rose gold, silver, and new space grey, as well as three polished titanium choices in natural, gold, or slate.

When the Apple Watch Series 10 was released last year, it gave Apple’s familiar watch design a major overhaul.^[5]

The Apple Watch Series 11 doesn’t make a big divergence from those earlier changes, but does include a few key upgrades.

The Apple Watch Series 11 is the thinnest and most durable Apple Watch yet, boasting a new glass coating which should be twice as scratch-resistant. 

Versions of the watch with cellular connection will now be able to use 5G networks. 

The biggest upgrade is to the Apple Watch Series 11’s battery life, which can now last for up to 24 hours on a single charge.

The Apple Watch Series 11 will start at $399/£369 in either a 42mm or 46mm size, with the option to include cellular connectivity for an additional price

Using its optical heart sensors, the Apple Watch Series 11 will review historic heart health data to determine if the user might be at risk of high blood pressure 

But the biggest news for Apple Watch fans will be the set of new health features coming to the device.

The watch uses the optical heart sensor to see how blood vessels respond to the heartbeat.

Over time, this will enable the watch to detect possible cases of high blood pressure.

Clearance for hypertension notifications from the FDA and other regulators is expected soon, and the feature will be available in more than 150 countries and regions — including the U.S. and the EU — this month. 

In addition to hypertension alerts, the Apple Watch Series 11 also introduces a new Sleep Score function.

This will collect a range of data, including blood oxygen, temperature and heart rate, to assign a sleep quality score for the user. 

The Sleep Score can be reviewed from the watch itself or tracked in the iPhone’s Health app.  

Apple Watch Ultra 3 – $799/£749

Apple has launched a new version of its premium sports and outdoors watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which starts at $799/£749 and is available in two colours: Natural or black titanium

While the changes to the Apple Watch Series 11 were rather minimal, Apple has reserved its biggest updates for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

After not receiving an update last year, the premium Apple Watch Ultra is finally back with a few big updates.

The new Apple Watch Series 3 will start at $799/£749 and is available in two colours: Natural or black titanium.

By shrinking the bezels around the screen, Apple has given the Apple Watch Ultra 3 the biggest display of any Apple watch. 

The watch also features a hugely boosted battery capacity, lasting 48 hours with regular use or up to 72 hours in low power mode.  

With fast charging, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 can now provide 12 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging.  

In a move that seems directly aimed at rival Garmin, which recently revealed a set of new watches, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will now feature satellite communication.

Using a more powerful antenna, the watch can connect to satellites 800 miles overhead to provide a connection in extremely remote locations.  

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 now features satellite communication, allowing users to send messages, share their location, or alert emergency services from remote locations 

This will allow the watch to stay connected off the grid, even when users don’t have their phones.

Users will have the option to alert emergency services, send messages, or share their location via satellite.  

That makes the Apple Watch Ultra 3 a much more viable option for hikers and climbers who need the option to contact emergency services from anywhere.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will also feature all the health upgrades included with the Apple Watch Series 11.

Apple Watch SE 3 – $249/£219

In a surprising announcement, Apple also unveiled the next generation of their budget smartwatch offering, the Apple Watch SE 3.

Starting at just $249/£219, the Apple Watch SE 3 is by far the most affordable of Apple’s watches.

The watch is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes in the colours midnight and starlight.

Starting at just $249/£219, the Apple Watch SE 3 is by far the most affordable of Apple’s watches

Although it is a more basic option, the Apple Watch SE 3 is a big step up from earlier SE versions.

The SE 3 includes an Always On display for the first time and supports gestures like double-tap and wrist flick.

Thanks to the more powerful S10 chip, the Apple Watch SE 3 is capable of more powerful processing and is more battery efficient.

While it lacks the hypertension notifications of other models, this budget option adds wrist temperature sensors, sleep apnoea alerts, and the Sleep Score function. 

An improved battery gives the Apple Watch SE 3 ‘all-day battery’, capable of lasting 18 hours according to Apple.

The SE 3 also supports fast charging for the first time, giving eight hours of normal use with just 15 minutes of charge. 

AirPods Pro 3 – $249/£219

But it’s not just Apple’s watches which are getting a health-tech overhaul^[6].

Apple has released the AirPods Pro 3, featuring a new heart rate sensor, which allows the headphones to work with health and workout apps 

Apple’s latest generation of the AirPods, the AirPods Pro 3, also features a wide range of health and fitness monitoring capabilities. 

Apple has added heart rate sensing to the earbuds, giving users a way to track their workouts without wearing a watch. 

Data from an in-headphone sensor is combined with accelerometers to give accurate workout data, which can be tracked in the health app. 

Now, when using the Apple Fitness app on iPhone, users will be able to track multiple workouts with their headphones alone. 

In good news for hearing aid users, the AirPods Pro 3 will also feature a boosted battery life, giving up to 10 hours on transparent mode.  

THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE^[7]

1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.

The first product was the Apple I. 

1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market. 

Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.

1981: Jobs became chairman.  

1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.

1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.

1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.  

The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone

2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.

The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.

2007: Apple unveils the iPhone. 

2010: The first iPad was unveiled.

2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.

2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus. 

2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services. 

2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.  

2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner’s face.    

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers. 

2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.

2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus. 

2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced. 

2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system. 

2023: Apple brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands. 

2024: Apple makes its first steps into artificial intelligence with the release of Apple Intelligence. The features are not all released at once with many delayed until the following year.