Apple’s back with the Series 11, and at first glance, you might be asking: “Is it just 5G and a little more battery life?” Well, yes and no. Let me walk you through my experience.

By Srijith KN,
Senior Editor

The Look and Feel

The first thing you notice is the design. The Series 11 has a larger LTPO3 OLED Always-On Retina display, slimmer bezels, and a slightly more rounded shape. Apple has improved durability. The aluminum models use Ion-X front glass with a new ceramic coating that makes it twice as scratch-resistant as before. Titanium models, on the other hand, feature sapphire crystal for maximum toughness. Either way, it feels sturdier and more resistant to daily wear and tear.

Performance & Connectivity

Powering the watch is Apple’s new S10 chip, a dual-core processor with a 4-core Neural Engine. Everything runs smoothly, from apps to health tracking. But the real star of the show is 5G connectivity. Thanks to a redesigned antenna system, the Series 11 offers stronger, more reliable coverage—useful when you’re away from your iPhone or in an emergency.

Battery Life

This time, Apple finally bumps the “all-day” rating from 18 hours to 24 hours of normal use. In Low Power Mode, you can stretch it up to 38 hours. It’s still not multi-day like Garmin or Fitbit, but it does give you breathing room—you won’t feel like you’re chained to the charger every night.

Health & Sleep

Health tracking continues to be a big part of the Apple Watch story. The Series 11 offers:

• Heart rate monitoring & rhythm notifications
• ECG app
• Blood oxygen measurement
• Hypertension notifications
• Wrist temperature sensing for cycle and wellness insights
• Sleep Score

To be fair, wrist temperature tracking and many of these health features were already on the Series 8 and up. The new additions here are hypertension alerts and sleep score. Personally, I don’t enjoy wearing a watch to bed, so sleep tracking isn’t for me—but if you do, the data could be really helpful.

Sizes & Build

The Series 11 comes in 42mm and 46mm case sizes, with options in aluminum or titanium. The titanium version gets sapphire crystal glass, while the aluminum version uses the new tougher Ion-X glass.

It’s water resistant up to 50 meters (WR50), so swimming and showering are no problem. Built-in GPS means you can head out for a run, bike ride, or walk without your phone.

Everyday Stuff

I’ll admit—I wasn’t a fan of the Apple Watch until I actually started using it. The fact is that it’s the glue that ties your Apple ecosystem together. It lets me unlock my Mac without typing a password, approve MFA logins in seconds, keep track of noise levels, and, surprisingly, stay off my iPhone far more than I expected. And honestly, it just makes life a little simpler when I’m out biking, walking, or even scootering—I don’t have to keep pulling my phone out for reasons that really doesn’t require to do so.

Should You Upgrade?

If you already own a Series 10, I’d say hold off unless 5G and a longer battery life are must-haves for you. But if you’re coming from a Series 6 or 7, this is a huge upgrade in design, durability, performance, and features.

For first-time Apple Watch buyers, the Series 11 is an easy “yes.” It’s the most refined Apple Watch yet and gives you the full experience with enough polish to feel fresh for years.

My Verdict

I wasn’t a believer in smartwatches at first. But after using this Apple Watch, Series 11 for a while now, I get it. It won’t blow your mind with radical changes, but the combination of small upgrades—better glass, 5G, improved battery, and health refinements—add up. And now, I can’t stop glancing at my wrist.

Today, CMF announced the launch of the CMF Headphone Pro, its first set of over-ear ANC Headphones. The new CMF Headphone Pro brings a pop of color to the legacy over-ear Headphones Category. The headphone is the earliest of personal audio, and today CMF reimagines this legacy category to bring the beauty of cutting edge engineering in a wonderfully designed form factor that is sure to bring joy and smile to the faces of anyone who gets to play around with it. CMF brings a touch of true personalisation, starting from the customisable cushion design to the Intuitive on-device controls and sound personalisation using the Nothing X app.

Remix Everything with CMF Headphone Pro
Headphone Pro features a unique modular design which brings both the beauty of modern playful aesthetics with the three fun colorways, Light Grey, Dark Grey and Light Green, but adds on to the modularity with swappable ear cushions that can allow users to completely change the look of their headphones and to customise sound according to their personal needs. What makes the Headphone Pro truly standalone are the intuitive controls on the headphones. The feeling of physical buttons that respond to your actions is irreplaceable, and hence we’ve implemented that on the CMF Headphone Pro in the shape of a Roller that helps control volume, ANC, and Play and Pause. Along with this comes for the very first time an Energy Slider which helps you switch between varying levels of Bass and Treble that can be adjusted based on the energy of the song that you’re listening to. These along with a customisable Button makes the CMF Headphone Pro a truly unique visual and tactile experience.

It brings Active Noise Cancellation implemented with a comfortable seal and highly power efficient chip. The Hybrid ANC brings up to 40dB of noise cancellation. CMF’s engineering teams have implemented adaptive noise cancellation that detects the level of ambient noise and adjusts ANC accordingly to provide the best experience.

CMF Headphone Pro brings high fidelity sound in the palm of your hands, with a custom-made 40mm driver along with Hi-res and LDAC. The whole setup is powered by custom-made 40mm Nickel Plated Drivers providing a high-fidelity, low distortion listening experience. CMF Headphone Pro also brings Personal Sound that adapts itself to each individual’s ear canal shape to provide a truly personalised experience.

CMF’s engineering teams have attained an incredible feat with the CMF Headphone Pro, bringing an unparalleled power efficiency to the battery. The Headphone Pro can provide up to 100 hours of playback on a single charge. Allowing for a worry-free listening experience that can last for days on end.

Modular Design
Interchangeable Cushions
CMF Headphone Pro brings personalisation to the forefront with interchangeable ear cushions that lets every listener make it truly their own. More than just a functional detail, this design transforms headphones into an extension of the user’s personality – giving them the freedom to adapt colours, reflect moods, and create a look that’s uniquely theirs.

Tactile Controls
Headphone Pro puts precision at your fingertips with intuitive, responsive controls. The Energy Slider lets you shape sound in real time, adjusting between bass and treble levels to match your mood. The Roller makes volume, playback, and noise control seamless with simple scrolls and presses. And with a customisable Button, you can access features like Spatial Audio or one touch access to AI instantly – smart control designed around you.

Immersive listening
Hybrid Adaptive ANC
Hybrid Adaptive ANC automatically adjusts to your surroundings, shifting between three levels of noise control. With up to 40 dB noise reduction it cuts chatter and everyday distractions so every detail comes through with clarity and comfort, all while reducing listening fatigue.

Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio makes movies and music feel more real by surrounding you with sound. Cinema mode widens the stage for clear dialogue and effects, while Concert mode brings the depth and energy of live music.

Precision Sound
LDAC + Hi-Res Certified Audio
Stream music in high resolution, wired or wireless. LDAC ensures highest fidelity Bluetooth audio up to 990 kbps, and dual Hi-Res certifications ensure consistent clarity and precision across formats. Every note sounds detailed and true.

40mm Custom Drivers
CMF Headphone Pro uses 40 mm drivers with nickel-plated diaphragms for reduced distortion and sharper clarity. A 16.5 mm copper voice coil, precision bass duct, and dual-chamber design deliver deeper, fuller sound with rich texture and punch.

Personal Sound
Everyone hears differently – not just in preference, but in the way each individual’s ear canal is shaped and their hearing sensitivities affect sound perception. That’s why CMF Headphone Pro uses Audiodo technology to build a Personal Sound profile unique to you.

100 Hour battery
Headphone Pro delivers up to 100 hours of playback and up to 50 hours of talk time on a single charge. Even with ANC on, you’ll get up to 50 hours of playback, giving you long-lasting performance without interruptions.

Charge on the go
A quick 5-minute charge gives up to 4 hours of listening, while a full recharge takes under 2 hours via USB-C. You can even top up directly from your smartphone on-the-go, simply connect your smartphone with the CMF headphone pro using a type-c to type-c cable, keeping Headphone Pro ready with zero downtime.

Price & Availability:
CMF Headphone Pro will be available in three color variants, Dark Grey, Light Green, and Light Grey for AED/ SAR 369 in all key retail partners such as SharafDG, Jumbo, Jarir Bookstore, Lulu Hypermarket, Al Haddad and many more.

By Srijith KN

The iPhone Air is the talk of the season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the buzz lasts all year. From the moment I got my hands on it, I’ve been excited. It’s thinner—and that alone makes it a delight to have one! Apple’s past few releases haven’t really excited me, but this design has just clicked! If you look at the journey from the first iPhone to iPhone 6, the devices got thinner with every release. After iPhone 6, Apple started going thicker—and that made sense, since we were in that era where companies were competing to make phones become our primary computers, and they finally succeeded.

The Air has the potential to change that pattern. It brings back the lighter, sleeker feel of the classic old-school phones in a good way without completely sacrificing modernness.

Usability in Daily Life

I’ve been using bigger phones for a while now, and honestly, I’ve even had trouble just pulling them out of my pocket. On top of that, my screen time keeps increasing, and the bigger batteries with all their mAh equations haven’t really helped much. Perhaps that’s why the iPhone Air struck me to put this write-up together. Despite its slim profile, it offers the same battery life as the 16 Pro—which is impressive. Apple claims it’s durable too, thanks to the titanium shell, and I’m willing to bet on that.

Since I’m not a big photographer, I don’t need the massive camera setups. I usually have a cameraman with me for work, so other than snapping a quick photo at the store to check with my wife and some picnic pictures, I really don’t use those big lenses. What I do need is a phone that handles music, calls, and constant calls that keeps my journalism on track—and the Air fits that bracket perfectly.

Performance & Features

The iPhone 17 Air runs on the A19 Pro chip. Heavy gamers probably shouldn’t look elsewhere, but for everyday tasks and anything more than that, it’s flawless. And if you pick up the magnetic power battery attachment, perhaps your battery anxiety will be gone as well.

The Pro has its advantages—a bigger camera lens, a larger battery, and a new cooling chamber—but it’s chunky. The Air, on the other hand, strikes a balance between practicality and aesthetics.

The Verdict

Here’s the bottom line: the Air is gorgeous, lightweight, and fun to use. Yes, it’s compromised—a smaller battery, one less camera—but it delivers exactly what it promises. For those who want power and tech-heavy features, the iPhone 17 Pro is the answer. But for anyone who values aesthetics, a minimalist feel, and a premium outlook in a lighter, smaller package, the Air is the smarter choice.

If you’re tired of carrying heavy devices and don’t care about the extra tech YouTubers hype, the iPhone Air 17 makes perfect sense as the Apple device to get right now.

Quick Take Rating

Everyday Usability: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Design: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Performance: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Battery Life: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Camera: ★★★★☆ (4/5)