Apple Watch - The ultimate guide to all the options when buying

In this article, I am going to give my recommendations and reasoning for the various choices that you will be faced when having decided to buy an Apple Watch (which is a fantastic decision, by the way. You will not regret it). In summary, you have these choices to make: overall model, case material, case color, case size, with or without cellular, and finally watch band - which is the least consequential choice since they are very easily replace - that is part of the appeal of the watch, to have many bands you switch between.

1) Model

When it comes to choosing the overall model, there is a lot of thought you will need to put into it: but honestly, only between picking between Series 10 and Ultra 2. You can safely ignore the other models.

1.1 Apple Watch Series 10

Should be the default choice for most users. It’s the canonical Apple Watch for a reason. This is the primary line of watch and has the newest features.

1.2 Apple Watch Ultra 2

My choice, and the right choice for more buyers than you would first assume. In 2024 specifically, it might not be the best choice as there is not yet an Ultra 3, and Ultra 2 came out in 2023. So the Series 10 is in some ways better than the Ultra 2.

But with the Ultra, you get a bigger display and massively longer battery life which to me alone make the model worth it. You get more than that though. I see it every day on more and more wrists, and have yet to see it on one where it looks anything close to too big - including short/small/petite women. Instead of looking at this as the ”extreme sports” version, you should look at it as simply what it is - it’s the best Apple Watch. Best in terms of features and materials. But of course, more expensive. And larger.

But again, in 2024 the Series 10 is probably the best choice for the majority still.

1.3 Apple Watch SE

Should be picked by very few. If buying to a young kid or elderly parent, maybe. But the lack of some of the health and safety features make me hesitant to recommend it even then. If you are seriously still considering this, it’s almost always a better choice to buy an older Apple Watch Series, so like a Series 6 or 7 or 8.

1.4 Apple Watch Nike

Isn’t different in any way to Series 9, just comes with some unique watch faces at the same price. I don‘t see any real reason to pick it.

1.5 Apple Watch Hermés

Shouldn’t be bought by anybody. No technical difference to Series 9, but again some unique Hermés designed watch faces plus the absurdly expensive watch bands.

2) Material

This is a matter of budget, personal preference and taste, but I find the aluminium watches too “gadget-y” in their look. The titanium ones on the other hand look beautiful and like true works of art - especially now after the reduction in thickness. The difference in person is striking and cannot be accurately reflected in photos online. It really upgrades the look of an Apple Watch to an accessory.

As an additional (massive) benefit, all titanium models always comes with GPS + Cellular so you are not paying extra for that, plus they come with a much more crack and scratch resistant display (sapphire crystal vs glass).

3) Size

Go bigger than you first think. This has nothing to do if you are male or female or if you have big or small wrists. Really. It ain't related. The watch also doesn’t look anywhere near as big on your wrist as it looks when you look at your own wrist. Look at other people instead. See if you think theirs look big. You won’t.

Honestly, I think everybody should go with the larger size. You get a larger display and better battery life - two primary features of the Apple Watch. The bigger the display, the more you will enjoy using it - and more battery life doesn’t need explanation.

But in the end, if you really want to go small - go small. Just really consider this first, and try them out. Don’t just auto-jump to small because of any of the above reasons.

4) Color

Pick something that you like and preferably also a color that goes with a lot of different clothes and bands. I don’t really have an opinion here. If I am picking only for myself, and I had to buy an aluminum watch, I would go with Jet Black for sure. On titanium versions both Natural and Slate are beautiful finishes, and Gold is cool too but not for me.

5) GPS or GPS+Cellular

The additional cost for GPS+Cellular is highly worth it, in my opinion. Part of the appeal of an Apple Watch is that it can act as a very standalone device. It is powerful enough and capable enough to replace much of what an iPhone does. So you are already paying for hardware to enable a lot of this (in the processor), so why not pay to also be able to use it without your iPhone present?

Don’t get me wrong, you can of course use an Apple Watch without your iPhone present. But it’s more limited, if it doesn’t have its own cellular connection. When it does have that, you can just leave home and you will keep getting notifications, calls and text messages as if you were carrying your iPhone (they share the same phone number). You can also make calls, send messages, stream music and podcasts - and just do anything that requires data or a cellular connection. It’s awesome! It’s also a massive safety feature, since you will more often wear than watch than not, it can make 911 calls internationally and anywhere you are.

6) Bands

This is very personal, but I can give some overall guidance.

• Stay away from 3rd party bands. They are not worth the trouble (and their short lifespan)
• Don’t cheap out. The band is a huge part of the look and feel of the overall Apple Watch experience, and it will impact how you feel about using it. Remember, the goal is to get you to wear it as close as possible to 24/7 in order for it to provide you everything it can offer. Then you want it to look good. That said, if your budget is having you forced to choose between cellular and not cellular, vs a cheap vs more expensive band - go with Cellular before you pick the fancier band. The band can be upgraded, the hardware functions cannot.
• Don’t fret too much about band choice. Of course your first Apple Watch band should be something you think looks and feels good, but part of the fun with owning an Apple Watch is the interchangeability of the bands. You will buy others in the future anyways.
• The Braided Solo Loops are awesome. They do require careful measuring of your wrist, but easy enough to do with a printer or if you go to an Apple Store. Functionally the regular Solo Loops are just as good, but the Braided ones are just nicer.
• The Milanese Loop is by far the classiest one. It looks great. And the quality is more than 10x the Amazon copies you can find. Apple does not joke around when it comes to materials:

“Woven on specialized Italian machines, the smooth stainless steel mesh wraps fluidly around your wrist. And because it’s fully magnetic, the Milanese Loop is infinitely adjustable, ensuring a perfect fit. An additional physical vapor deposition layer gives the gold stainless steel its distinctive finish.”

7) AppleCare+

Always get AppleCare+, but get the monthly version so you don't have to pick it at time of purchase. Just remember to activate it shortly after you made the purchase (you can do it from your iPhone).