Apple Watch Series 10 features new speakers that support music and podcasts for the first time. To eliminate any confusion, its predecessor also had a speaker, but it was only used to emit beeps, alerts, and take calls from loved ones and friends.
However, the new generation Apple Watch Series 10 can actually play music. This recently released smartwatch features new sleep apnea detection, larger size, thinner chassis, faster charging, brighter and clearer viewing angles, and is comparable to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro series. Echoing new titanium casing, and stunning new colors — But it was the new music-playing speakers that piqued my interest the most.
Why?
Because when I hear “Apple Watch is playing music,” I immediately think: “Oh my gosh, I can take this to the shower and play my favorite music!”
Photo credit: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable
Yes, I’m one of “those people” who brings their phone into the bathroom—and Stand under the waterfall in the shower and blast their favorite Apple Music playlist. Sue me! I know I’m not the only one who does this.
The best solution for music-loving showerers is a waterproof Bluetooth speaker — Like these JBL speakers from Amazon. But the question is, can the Apple Watch Series 10 be an alternative? I tested it.
Apple Watch Series 10: How does it perform in the shower?
I set up my Apple Watch Series 10 and eagerly clicked on the Apple Music app.
Apple Watch Series 10
Image source: Rentalhunters/Shutterstock.com
I played a radio station curated just for me and it featured a classical music piece called “Piano Sonata No. 18 in D Major” by Yeol Eum Son. Since the Apple Watch Series 10 is so small and compact, I expected a faint metallic sound.
To my surprise, the song sounded richer, smoother, and more gorgeous than I expected. I don’t know how I could have expected anything different. If there’s one thing Apple does right, it’s delivering warm, rich, balanced audio, whether on a MacBook, AirPods or iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Mix and match speed of light
But keep in mind that I tested this in a quiet room, so my expectations for this quick experiment were still high.
Before showering, I decided to switch gears and play some Frank Ocean. (Before getting an Apple Watch Series 10, I recommend putting together a shower playlist so you can easily play your favorite songs from your wrist.)
I put on “Miss You”, swayed to the cool tunes, turned on the faucet and started taking a shower. I walked in but noticed a tiny Small problem: The water droplets falling on the shower floor drowned out Frank Ocean’s crooning.
Even if I tried turning the Digital Crown to max out the volume, I could barely hear the song in the shower. How bad!
The Watch Series 10’s speakers aren’t tiny, but they really Quiet. So if you’re planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 10 to take to a party (yes, you can get it wet, since it’s waterproof), you need to temper your expectations.
It can handle a wide variety of environments, but environments involving loud water splashes simply aren’t one of them.
Apple Watch Series 10: What is the music player speaker for?
We’ve established that the Apple Watch Series 10 isn’t great for dancing in the shower, but the question is, what able What do you use it for? I’ve put together a list here:
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Quiet, relaxing bath
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walking on treadmill
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dance in front of mirror
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Listen to podcasts in a quiet room
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Fall asleep to music that puts you to sleep
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Doing housework in a low-noise home
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floor exercises
You get the picture here.
As long as you don’t have any noise in your environment, the Watch Series 10’s speakers for music playback are pretty good.
For anything else, like jogging on a noisy street, or in a noisy room with kids, the smartwatch’s quiet music doesn’t stand a chance.
Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 and will be available on September 20.
