Apple The Apple Watch Series 4 represents one of the best redesigns since the smartwatch’s launch three years ago.
All You Need To Know About Apple latest Watch Series 4
The Apple Watch Series 4 now comes in two sizes – 40mm and 44mm. But for those who, like me, have a stash of Apple Watch bands, fret not – the old 38mm watch bands will work with 40mm Series 4 and the 42mm watch bands will work with the 44mm Series 4.
The new smartwatch now comes in only aluminum and stainless steel cases. The aluminum models use Ion-X glass to protect the watch face, while the stainless steel models use the more scratch-resistant sapphire crystal to do so. The back of all Series 4 models is made of black ceramic and sapphire crystal for the improved cellular reception.
The Apple Watch Series 4 GPS models are priced from $599 and the Apple Watch Series 4 GPS + Cellular versions start from $749.
Compared with the Series 3 watches, the new watches have screen sizes that are over 30 percent larger. The watch case is slightly taller and wider, but thinner and smaller in volume.
This is achieved by having thinner bezels and curving the screen’s corner to match the shape of the watch. The new watches look sleeker than their predecessors, and my review unit felt great on the wrist.
The user interface and apps have been re-designed to fully utilize the bigger screen. The text has become larger, making it easier to read.
The complications in the corners are also optimized for curved edges while showing more information than before. For example, it will not only show the current temperature but also the day’s temperature range using a curved line.
Other interesting watch faces include the Vapor watch face, which displays cool dynamic animations when lit up. The only downside? The watch still does not support third-party watch faces.
The Series 4’s Digital Crown now comes with haptic feedback for a more mechanical and responsive feel. You will feel the incremental clicks as you scroll with the crown, which is unlike the lifeless scrolling action of previous models. You will also notice that menu interface changes will correspond to the clicks of the crown – a neat touch.
Speaker volume is now 50 percent louder and – according to friends I called using the watch – crystal clear even when I was talking while walking along the road.
One of the best features in Series 4 has to be the improved heart rate monitor. Apple has added a new electrical heart sensor, made up of electrodes that are built into the Digital Crown and the back’s sapphire crystal, to complement its existing optical heart rate sensor.
But what is available now is the fall detection feature. “Falls can have serious effects, so we designed this feature to automatically connect users to emergency services when Apple Watch detects a hard fall,” Mr. Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, told The Straits Times.
In terms of steps tracking, the Series 4’s readings were very close to those of my calibrated Series 2 watch, with a difference of only 2 percent. That’s not bad for a smartwatch that was not calibrated.
Apple said the watch can last a whole day. But in my test, in which I paired the watch to my phone all day with notifications turned on, and with a 5km jog thrown in, it still has around 60 percent battery life left when I put it to charge at bedtime.
Read More: Disney will bring MCU’s lesser-known characters to it’s streaming service!
