Apple Watch Series 4: an overview of innovations

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The life hacker tested the "apple" smart watch and tells what has changed in it compared to the third series gadgets.

The interface and controls have not changed - more about them in the Apple Watch Series 3 review. In this article we will compare the fresh model with last year's and tell you whether it is worth updating.

Design and dimensions

The watch has become larger, but thinner. The 38mm version was replaced by a 40mm version, and the 42mm version was replaced by a 44mm one. The changes are minimal, but still felt immediately.

Apple Watch Series 3 on the left, Apple Watch Series 4 on the right

Left Apple Watch Series 3, right - Apple Watch Series 4

At the same time, the watch retained compatibility with straps from previous generations of Apple Watch.

The holes of the speakers and microphones have moved, the design of the wheel has become more complex. The rear panel with sensors looks completely different.

The equipment and packaging of the device have been redesigned: now the watch comes with a velvet, pleasant to the touch case, which completely covers the display. If you take off your Apple Watch often, you can throw it straight into the key compartment with this cover - nothing will happen.

There is a new modification to match the iPhone XS - Apple Watch in gold color. Watches with a steel case are not sold in Russia; models of all colors are made of aluminum.

Display

The displays on the mini and maxi versions of watches have increased by 35% and 32%, respectively. The new 40mm Apple Watch is now higher resolution than the 42mm version of last year, meaning the small watch screen is now larger than the larger Apple Watch Series 3.

If we compare the third and fourth Apple Watch mini-format, then the increase in the display diagonal is immediately striking.

I've been wearing an Apple Watch Series 4 for a few days and won't get used to having a mini version on my wrist. Everything seems to be larger, just like on the big watches of the previous series.

The bezels have become narrower, and the corners have become rounded - now the display follows the shape of the watch case. This can be called a major change affecting the experience of the new model: both beautiful and functional. It fits more on such a screen, but the watch still does not look bulky.

My only concern is related to the work of external applications on the Apple Watch screen. It is unlikely that all of them have adapted to the new shape of the display, and it is not very clear how they will work: will some of the information be lost in the corners, or the application screen will shrink to a classic rectangle. We will find out, while I did not find such problems.

Dial "Infograph"

The Steam, Water and Fire, and Liquid Metal watch faces, although introduced this year, are supported by any watch with watchOS 5. The only new display only available on Apple Watch Series 4 is the Infograph watch face. It takes full advantage of the enlarged displays and accommodates eight widgets.

Here you can customize the display of multiple time zones for travelers or widgets for key applications. If the application does not have its own widget for Apple Watch, it will appear as an icon and will open when you click on it.

"Infograph" can accommodate everything that is useful to most users. If I had not experienced problems with quickly reading the time from a round dial, I could have limited myself to only it.

Health

A few words about the main innovation of the Apple Watch Series 4 - the ECG function. Apparently, it works great: it has been tested by reputable doctors, and work is underway to certify the device as a medical device in the United States. In Russia, the function is not available, and its future is even more vague than the prospects for the e-SIM standard. Blocking is at the regional level, which means that even if you buy an Apple Watch in America, the ECG function will not work here.

But there is also a functional innovation - low heart rate recognition. If the heart rate remains below a certain mark for 10 minutes in the absence of activity, the watch will sound the alarm.

The optical sensor has been updated - the pulse should be measured more accurately. This has not yet been verified.

Fall recognition

Apple Watch Series 4 received an improved accelerometer and gyroscope. All this allowed us to add a new interesting function - fall detection.

It works like this: you fall, the clock informs you about it, starts vibrating and suggests calling the emergency service. When you call 112, information about your fall and whereabouts is sent to a trusted contact via SMS. If you fall and do not show signs of activity for a minute, the watch itself calls the emergency service. This is for when you can speak but cannot move. For this to work, you must first enable fall detection in the Watch app and assign a trusted contact in your Apple Health.

Whether this function always works and how accurately is unknown. But it is not so easy to deceive the sensors: out of dozens of attempts to simulate a fall, the watch reacted only to one. We are waiting for the coming winter with icy conditions - probably, the statistics of detections will be replenished.

Wheel

The Digital Crown wheel has been completely redesigned - it is it that is responsible for reading the ECG. One innovation that is relevant for us is the tactile response of the crown. Now she "chicks" when scrolling through menu items like a mechanical one. You already felt something similar when, for example, you set the timer time on the iPhone. Nice little thing.

Iron

Apple Watch Series 4 received a new dual-core S4 chip, which, judging by the promo texts, can be up to two times faster than the processor of previous versions of the watch. The heart rate sensor has been updated, the accelerometer and gyroscope have become better. These innovations are not felt - for most users (and me) it doesn't mean anything. But, probably, without these incomprehensible specifications, everything would work worse.

Check it out: The watch now has twice the internal storage - 16GB for your music and podcasts. And the speakers got louder. This will delight those who actively use Siri, talk on the phone using the Apple Watch, and love the new watchOS 5 "Walkie Talkie" app.

New in watchOS 5

Updates to the operating system can hardly be called a feature of the Apple Watch Series 4. Still, they are relevant in all models with fresh software. But we will list them, assuming that only the computing power of the new watch allows us to use all the chips to their full potential.

• New dials "Steam", "Water and Fire" and "Liquid Metal". Useless, but very pretty, especially on the Apple Watch Series 4 display.
• Application "Walkie-talkie". An alternative to voice messages on Telegram and a way to feel like an employee of a special forces squad. The phrase "Nightingale, I am an Arrow, a technique", said on the wrist, is worth a lot.
• Automatic workout recognition. The watch will now guess that you started a workout but forgot to turn on the appropriate mode. They will offer you to choose the type of activity yourself and will start counting from the moment you started exercising.

• New workouts. For example, hiking, yoga, or swimming.
• Introducing pace to running workouts. Now you can set the pace at which you are going to run, and the watch will tell you if you slow down or speed up too much.
• Seven-day competition with friends. Friends with Apple Watch can challenge sports, and at the end of the week, the watch will count points and tell you who won.

• Siri feedback on wrist rotation. It's a shame that Siri is still dumb. But the feature usually works, saying "Hey Siri" is optional.
• Loading podcasts into the watch's memory. Now you can upload not only music to the built-in memory, but also your favorite lectures and programs. Apple is talking about integrating the standard Podcasts app with the watch, but we checked: other podcast managers, for example, Overcast, have a similar feature.
• Setting up a control center. Do not add new icons, do not delete old ones. But you can arrange them as you like.

Price

Increased. The 40mm version will cost 31,990 rubles, and the 44mm version will cost 33,990 rubles.

Prices for watches of the previous generation fell slightly over the year - by a couple of thousand rubles. The 38mm version of the Apple Watch Series 3 costs 22,990 rubles, and the 42mm version costs 24,990 rubles.

conclusions

A year ago, we were not given the LTE version of the watch. Now we have been deprived of the EKG - a chip on which the developers made the main bet. Apple may have nothing to do with it, but in this situation, there is no reason or mood to talk about significant innovations.

However, the Apple Watch is still the best watch for iPhone owners, and the fourth generation is slightly better than the third. The gadget, in my opinion, has become more beautiful and received a truly impressive display. Apple Watch Series 3 also has vital features, so if you're happy with it, you don't need to update.

There are no revolutionary functions here, all important innovations remain somewhere in the field of sensory experience. The device causes really new sensations: at first you want to endlessly tap on the big screen, change and combine dials, just turn the wheel. But is it worth the money - a question to which everyone will answer for himself.

Apple Watch Series 4 →