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Apple Watch Series 11

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Review: Apple Watch Ultra 3 delivers off-grid connectivity as Series 11 extends battery 

When Apple Watch arrived in 2015, there was no way to send or receive data without an iPhone or wifi. Now these things can talk to space. It’s wild.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the first version to include satellite connectivity, a feature introduced with iPhone 14 just three years ago. It comes standard in every Ultra 3 and enables the ability to contact emergency services without a cellular connection.

Over the last few days, we’ve been testing Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11. Check out our early impressions below.

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Apple Watch blood oxygen workaround arrives just in time

apple watch blood oxygen study - ban

With the release of watchOS 11.6.1 and companion iOS 18.6.1, Apple managed to restore blood oxygen readings for U.S. owners of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2.

The method is slightly less convenient, as it shifts processing data and displaying results to the iPhone, but it restores a capability that had been entirely removed since late 2023. The timing works in Apple’s favor.

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