By Kate Kozuch Review Source
The Apple Watch Series 6 may seem like an incremental upgrade, but the introduction of blood oxygen monitoring is a game-changer. And the brighter always-on display is welcome.
The Apple Watch 6 was the best smartwatch you could buy. It spoils users with buttery smooth performance, velvety haptics and trouble-free setup. Everything about the Apple Watch experience is almost obnoxiously seamless, and that’s a big reason why it owns about half the market.
The Apple Watch 6 offers blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, a brighter always-on display, an always-on altimeter and a faster chip. Rival smartwatch manufacturers seem to be taking larger leaps forward with their products, while Apple sticks to its incremental process (and it’s 18-hour battery life).
The watchOS 7 software update bought some useful tools, too, including Apple Watch sleep tracking. With the newer watchOS 8, users get a Mindfulness app and other clever upgrades. So long as you’re jumping to the Apple Watch 6 from the Series 4 or older, the combination of refreshed hardware, software and accessories supplies a more significant upgrade.
However, the Apple Watch 6 has been replaced by the Apple Watch 7, bringing a brighter screen and faster charging. See our Apple Watch 7 vs. Apple Watch 6 face-off for the biggest differences.
What I like
Blood Oxygen app: I’m happy to report both that I received 99% blood oxygen levels readings (above 95% is considered normal, although my father, a former EMT, says he wouldn’t want to see me below 98%), and that the Blood Oxygen app is pretty thorough. It offers a brief blood oxygen synopsis and walks users through taking on-demand readings.
Brighter always-on display: Indoors, it’s obvious that the Apple Watch 6’s display is brighter than the Apple Watch 5’s, as advertised. Outside, in direct sunlight, the difference is less noticeable. However, when I looked back at some side-by-side images it seemed the Apple Watch 6’s screen in fact shined brighter.
New watch faces and third-party complications: Apple launched all-new watch faces that will actually make you ditch Infographic. I’m a fan of the Typograph face’s bold design, although the Stripes, Memoji and Artist options are great for showing off your personality, too. The good ‘old modular faces are better than ever thanks to added support for third-party complications, though.
Design and always-on display
The Apple Watch 6 looks like the last few Apple Watch models, squircle shape, Digital Crown and all. It looks as svelte as we've come to expect — there are still few competing smartwatches that sit as flush to your wrist as an Apple Watch. As for finishes, the Apple Watch 6 comes in exclusive blue and Product Red casings. I’m a big fan of the Apple Watch entering the colorful tech realm, although the silver, gold and space gray are still sleek. A rumor switch from OLED to microLED displays didn't materialize, although the screen once again offers an always-on setting that lets you catch the time at a glance. Apple says the always-on setting is over twice as bright this time, and it holds up from my visual observations. It’s not worth trying to quantify, but it certainly looks sharper than the Series 5 in side-by-side comparisons.
Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring
Blood oxygen sensors can measure the oxygen saturation level of your blood. As a form of pulse oximetry, SpO2 monitoring in the Apple Watch 6 will let users know their blood oxygen concentrations with 15-second on-demand readings, as well as periodic background checks. Apple says a measurement of 95%-100% is considered ideal. Below-normal levels of blood oxygen concentrations are often indicative of underlying health issues such as sleep apnea. It can also be a symptom of silent hypoxia, a life-threatening condition that can escalate the effects of respiratory illness. When I told my dad, a former EMT, about the Apple Watch’s Blood Oxygen app, he acknowledged the importance of pulse oximetry. He says it’s the first reading he’d take while responding to a call because it’s less subjective than pulse or blood pressure stats. Apple is by no means the first company to integrate SpO2 monitoring into its health features, but you can bet if it's ready to release its own implementation, the company believes it got it right. I recorded 99% or 100% blood oxygen levels, which matched the readings I received from a traditional, finger-based pulse oximeter. See how to use the Apple Watch 6 Blood Oxygen app.
Sleep tracking
No longer will you need one of the best Apple Watch apps for sleep tracking. I’ve spent several weeks with Apple Watch sleep tracking. It's not as insightful as Fitbit's snooze-monitoring software, but it successfully emphasizes the benefit of setting sleep goals and establishing a bedtime routine. If you’re the kind of person who loves closing your activity rings, you’ll appreciate the challenge that comes with achieving 7 hours of sleep. As I’m sure you, reader, can relate, spending most of my time at home the past months has sabotaged my sleep schedule in ways I never thought possible. But Apple Watch sleep tracking reminds me to wind down for bed at the same time every night, and I’m finding I get more restful zzzs.
Other watchOS 7 features and Apple Fitness Plus
Where Apple is gaining an edge over the best fitness trackers is in its preset workout library. The watchOS 7 update adds Dance, Functional Strength Training, Core Training and Cool Down activity tracking to the Apple Watch arsenal. It also supports Apple Fitness Plus, which become available to Apple Watch customers towards the end of 2020. The workout subscription service offers 10 types of classes taught by real instructors. A hand-washing timer, mobility metrics and watch face sharing are among the other notable watchOS 7 upgrades. I don’t find that the hand-washing timer performs well. The mobility metrics are excellent for helping older users keep tabs on things like walking speed, stride length and step asymmetry. Watch face sharing is neat, although I’m not getting close enough to anyone these days to see (and steal) their screen setup.
Battery life
The Apple Watch 6 is rated for the same 18-hour battery life as the Apple Watch Series 5, Series 4 and Series 3 before it. Although, as expected, I didn’t even get a full 18-hours on days I did GPS-guided workouts. We really would have liked to see some improvement in this area, but for now the daily change is still needed. On the bright side, the Apple Watch 6 can be charged to full in 90 minutes. It takes my Apple Watch 5 closer to 2 hours to fully charge.
Verdict
Yes, there’s not much different from the Apple Watch 5 to the Apple Watch 6, but the SpO2 monitor is a tool you might find worthwhile, especially with the growing emphasis on personal health.
Thanks to its clean software, slim design and seamless ecosystem integration, Apple continues to get away with gradual Apple Watch upgrades. Users don't seem to care if Apple isn't first to every feature, so long as the convenience is there.
The competition is more convincing than ever, though. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Fitbit Sense are just a few of the recent Apple Watch alternatives with SpO2 and ECG worth your consideration. Even the Apple Watch SE — a somewhat stripped down version of the Apple Watch 6 — is attractive, though you’ll miss out on many of the marquee sensors.
Our smartwatch buying guide can help you assess your needs to determine which of this year's wearables is right for you, too.