Apple Watch Series 6 first look - a smarter oxygen sensor watch

Design

Apple knows how to make beautiful products, and the Watch Series 6 is no exception. This time the watch is available in five colors. Red and blue were added to the already familiar black, white and gold. We're testing a 44mm gold version and it looks great on a man's hand. A more compact 40 mm model may be suitable for girls.

Photo: Artyom Bagdasarov / Lifehacker

Apple promotional materials

Complete silicone monobracelet - to match the watch. You can buy a strap to your liking, their choice is simply huge. We replaced it with a Nike counterpart.

The body is made of recycled aluminum. Steel and titanium versions are also promised, but they will not be sold in Russia. This is a shame, because many people perceive the Apple Watch as a premium accessory, and not just a wearable gadget.

The inner side of the watch is made of ceramic. Here the main difference from the fifth series is noticeable - the redesigned sensor system. It includes four groups of LEDs and the same number of optical sensors.

On the left is a very loud speaker by the watch's standards, as well as a microphone for answering calls - the gadget works like a Bluetooth headset for a smartphone. There is also a version with eSIM, but in Russia it will not be appreciated at its true worth: our operators still do not work with this technology.

The controls remain the same. On the right side there is a rotating Digital Crown and a power button, which, when pressed, also opens a menu of basic functions. But the watch lost support for Force Touch: the screen can no longer recognize the force of pressing. However, it hardly affected the usability.

Although the Apple Watch is made of aluminum, it still feels expensive. The build quality is excellent. The protection against water according to the WR 50M standard has not gone anywhere either. You can safely take the device with you to the pool.

Screen

Before the official announcement, analysts assumed that the Apple Watch Series 6 will receive an innovative display made using MicroLED technology. However, the forecast did not come true: the screen remained the same as that of the previous generation watches.

There is nothing wrong. The OLED display with rounded corners occupies almost the entire front side and provides a stunning picture. The matrix resolution is 368 × 448 pixels, which is enough to display detailed dials and interface elements.

In addition, the screen of the new model is brighter than the Series 5. Apple itself attributes this to an energy efficient processor. The protective glass almost does not glare in the sun, there is also a light sensor. Finally, the Always on Display function has appeared, which almost does not beat the autonomy of the watch.

Possibilities

The Apple Watch Series 6 is based on the Apple S6 dual-core processor, made using a 7-nanometer process technology. The cores of the chip are similar to those used in the A13 Bionic for iPhone 11. It is not surprising that the novelty works with lightning speed.

Along with the new watch, the company released the watchOS 7 operating system. It includes customization of watch faces, a sleep tracking mode, new types of workouts and many small improvements.

The major innovation of the Series 6 is blood oxygen measurement. The new sensor system records the shade of the liquid in the subcutaneous capillaries, and then concludes that it is saturated. However, journalists have already questioned the accuracy of the measurements taken with the clock.

Another difference from the fifth generation was the always active altimeter, which practically does not affect the autonomy. Climbers will definitely find this feature useful.

Also, the engineers promise increased battery life and fast charging, which will fully replenish the battery in less than 1.5 hours. Included is a magnetic USB docking station, but the charging adapter has been removed from the box.

As before, some functions will not work in Russia: ECG, U1 chip and LTE-module with eSIM. In this regard, it is worth taking a closer look at the Apple Watch SE: they will offer the Russian user the same set of capabilities, with the exception of measuring the oxygen level and Always on Display.

Subtotals

The sixth generation Apple Watch isn't a huge upgrade. The design is the same, the new screen was not delivered either. But they updated the hardware, making the watch faster and more autonomous. It's too early to talk about the usefulness of measuring the oxygen level: suddenly the accuracy will be improved by software updates. But even then, the novelty will not become a sensation. However, no one expected this. Apple has once again released a product that is beautiful and enjoyable to use, and that will be enough for many.