The review unit I received was the Product(RED) 40mm version and I swapped the normal silicon bands it came with for the Deep Navy Solo Loop. With that on and a session at the gym, the Apple Watch gave me about a day’s battery - which is how it is supposed to be. The Apple Watch 6 worked almost through two straight days for me on a single charge but over those two days I didn’t use the Fitness app like I usually do, and I also don’t use the always-on display. However, I rarely wear my Apple Watch (or any other smartwatch) to sleep because I find it uncomfortable. Speaking of sleep data, I really wish Apple would give slightly more in depth readings like light sleep, heavy sleep and REM like Garmin does (even the Mi Watch Revolve for that matter) - but then it’s like having data and no idea what to do with it. Many of us have smart watches, but not many of us have private trainers or physicians/doctors that we can consult frequently for help.
You need a trainer or a doctor to tell you how and what you can read off this data and use it to your advantage. The regular user will never know what to do with the data - be it heart-rate during a workout, calories burnt versus active calories, ECG readings or the new Blood O2 levels. There is an inherent problem with health data on smartwatches, including Apple’s. To be fair, Apple has said that the watch is not a medical device.īut given that we cannot just cavort into a doctor’s chamber nowadays unless strictly necessary, you wouldn’t mint a heads-up on health issues, would you? You can use these readings to reach out to the doctor, but post that, proper medical tests will have to be run. However, like the ECG readings on the watch, the blood oxygen levels are also not something that is medically certified. If you own a pulse oximeter that’s used on the finger, the readings between that and the Apple Watch 6 are only fractionally different.
It also needs precise placement of the watch on your wrist and will fail if the position is changed. I found the app telling me quite a few times that it was unable to take a reading and I ought to try again. To be able to track the levels, you need to keep your wrist flat on a surface and give the app 15 seconds. Unlike the ECG and heart-rate sensors, the Blood Oxygen monitor on the Apple Watch 6 was a hit-and-miss. Readings of blood oxygen levels lower than 95% is a sign of trouble and an indication that you should speak to your doctor. A feature like a blood oxygen monitor is useful if you take readings often enough and know what to do with the data. Given the current pandemic, if a wearable can remind us or alert us about a health issue that needs monitoring, that’s fantastic.
We spoke to a gentleman whose father’s life was saved thanks to the ECG readings on his Apple Watch 5, you can read the full story here.
There’s a case to be made for the Apple Watch’s health features. For those using the Apple Watch 3 or 4, the Apple Watch 6 is a recommendable upgrade, because of the ECG and Blood Oxygen monitor. The Apple Watch 5 already worked so well that it’s honestly hard to understand how one can make a special case for the Apple Watch 6. This makes everything on the watch super smooth to use - from opening and closing apps to navigating through them, along with all other actions the wearable permits.īoth of these improvements make sense on the spec sheet but do not make a noticeable difference. Then, the Apple Watch 6 comes with a new processor, the S6 SiP (system-in-package), which is 20% faster than the predecessor.
This, theoretically, makes it easier to read the screen better under sunlight. (Jhinuk Sen/HT Tech)įor example, the OLED Retina Display is 2.5 times brighter on the Apple Watch 6 as compared to the Apple Watch 5. The Solo Loop is the new addition to the Apple Watch band repertoire, but you have to make sure you get the right size.