The improved performance also helps Siri react faster, and considering the slightly dodgy voice-assistant is still a big play here, that’s a bonus. Siri can be initiated by either holding down the Digital Crown or raising the watch and saying, “Ok, Siri.” It’s a masterful combination of design; genuinely useful features and an impressive ecosystem. Apple’s ability to push categories like phones and laptop forward has diminished over recent years, but this wearable is so far ahead of competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Wear OS releases from Fossil that it almost seems unfair. Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch SE require iPhone Xs or later with iOS 17 or later.

The basis of this Activity app is three rings, each of which you’re encouraged to fill up during the day. One is Movement, another Exercise and the final, Stand. When you first set-up the Apple Watch you’ll be prompted to enter some basic details – gender, height, weight etc – and then it’ll give you suggested targets for each, You can, of course, alter these manually afterwards. As an example, I selected 800 calories burned in movement, 30 minutes exercise and to stand at least once every hour throughout the day. There’s still no way to include flights of stairs climbed as part of your daily goal, something Richard Easton requested in his Apple Watch 3 review. The Apple One free trial includes only services that you are not currently using through a free trial or a subscription. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. Restrictions and other terms apply. Charge times are from 0–80% and 0–100% using the included Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charging USB-C Cable. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2022 using preproduction Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS) and Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular), each paired with an iPhone; all devices tested with prerelease software, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charging USB-C Cable (Model A2515), and Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter (Model A2305). Charge time varies with region, settings, and environmental factors; actual results will vary. It is quite annoying having to always the remember the proprietary Apple Watch charger though and it feels like Apple should have, by now, come up with a simpler solution. AirPower – a charging mate that’d juice up AirPods, iPhones and Apple Watch simultaneously – seemed like the solution, but has yet to materialise. Why buy the Apple Watch 4? Requires an iPhone and Apple Watch with second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.A subscription is required for Oceanic+. Available on the App Store. Always follow diving protocols, and dive with a companion and have a secondary device. Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a water resistance rating of 100 meters under ISO standard 22810. It may be used for recreational scuba diving (with compatible third-party app from the App Store) to 40 meters and high-speed water sports. Apple Watch Ultra 2 should not be used for diving below 40 meters. Water resistance is not a permanent condition and can diminish over time. For additional information see support.apple.com/HT205000. Apple defines its restrictions on harmful substances, including definitions for what Apple considers to be “free of”, in the Apple Regulated Substances Specification. Every Apple product is free of PVC and phthalates with the exception of AC power leads in India, Thailand (for 2-pin AC power leads) and the Republic of Korea, where we continue to seek government approval for our PVC and phthalates replacement. Apple’s vision of this watch is clearly something you wear during the day and plonk on the magnetic charger at night. That’s fine by me, even though I would appreciate it eventually becoming a multi-day wearable.

Case and band combinations can be made within collections (Apple Watch and Apple Watch Hermès) only. The Watch 4 also comes with an alert system if your heart rate goes too low or high: should your heart rate spike or fall hard for no reason for a long enough period (around 10 minutes) you'll get an alert telling you all is not well, and maybe you should see a physician. Case and strap combinations can be made within collections (Apple Watch and Apple Watch Hermès) only.

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Emergency SOS requires a cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling with an internet connection from your Apple Watch or nearby iPhone. I still have a big complaint, though, and it’s the same complaint Richard Easton levelled at the Series 3 – why is there no always-on display option so I can constantly see the time? This is something just about every other high-end smartwatch we’ve reviewed this year has implemented and it’s sorely missing here. I understand this would heavily impact battery life and Apple wants to ensure everyone’s watch makes it through the day, but there’s nothing wrong with giving consumers the choice. The difference became much more apparent after using the Series 4 for a few days. You can see more information at a glance, which makes reading easier, especially when it comes to text messages and app notifications. And you can now fit eight complications—applets that do something other than tell time—on a watch face, up from five. The additional screen real estate also helps animations stand out. The effects in the Fire and Water watch face, for instance, are truly mesmerizing. Apple Watch Series 4 is not only the most impressive Apple Watch yet, but is comfortably the most fully featured smartwatch I have ever tested. It’s Apple’s best, most thought-out release in years. The Apple One free trial includes only services that you are not currently using through a free trial or a subscription. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled. Restrictions and other terms apply.

ECG app is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later (excluding Apple Watch SE) and can generate an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram. Intended for use by people 22 years old and over. This is also the first Apple Watch to play about with the sizing, replacing the 38mm and 42mm sizes with 40mm and 44mm. I was initially sceptical about the 44mm size (this is one I have been using during the review period) as there were times when I felt the 42mm size was a little on the large side for my wrists, but really the difference is negligible and just leads to bigger displays. Another improvement is processing power, thanks to the new S4 chip with dual 64-bit processor, which really shows in app loading times.Being able to stream music directly to the watch and take any incoming calls means you can head out for a 10km run with just your watch and some AirPods. When you’re running you’ll also get heart rate data – again this data was comparable to both the older Apple Watch 3 and a Fitbit Charge 2 I was using as a comparison. Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch SE require iPhone Xs or later with iOS 17 or later.