Google’s abject failure with Wear OS and the Wear OS watchmakers themselves has meant that Apple pretty much reset the benchmark when it comes to smartwatches. Every year, even the most incremental updates take the Apple Watch even further in what is already an impregnable advantage. This year, the Apple Watch, now the Apple Watch Series 6, keeps many things as they were with the Apple Watch Series 5 but, more importantly, it takes the capabilities up a notch. The headline changes: blood oxygen monitor, sleep tracking, always-on display, and watchOS 7 news. As always, the Apple Watch Series 6 remains exclusive to Apple iPhone users, but to a much lesser extent than before. If you use the Family Settings feature, you can even have someone at home use an Apple Watch without an iPhone. Let’s take a look at the wide range of Apple Watch Series 6 that has gone on sale in India. There are five main umbrellas under which the Apple Watch Series 6 can be easily categorized to help you choose the one you want.
First, the aluminum case options. They are available in silver, gold, space gray, as well as the new blue and red color options (PRODUCT). Each watch gets the corresponding color combination for the sports band. These are all priced at Rs 40,900 for the 40mm size and Rs 43,900 for the 44mm size. Second is the Apple Watch Series 6 line with Nike sports bands; your options are the Silver Aluminum Case with the Pure Platinum and Black Sport Band or the Space Gray Aluminum with the Anthracite and Black Sport Band; These are also priced at Rs 40,900 for the 40mm size and Rs 43,900 for the 44mm size. Third, the stainless steel case options with a sport band. They are available in silver, gold and graphite colors, with the corresponding sports bands; Here, Gold gets the Cypriot Green Sports Band. Prices start from Rs 69,900 for the 40mm and Rs 73,900 for the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6. Fourth, the stainless steel case with the magnificent Milanese Loop. These are priced above Rs 73,900 for the 40mm and Rs 77,900 for the 44mm. And finally, there is the Apple Watch Edition Series 6 which sees the titanium case paired with a Charcoal sport loop priced at Rs 79,900 for the 40mm and Rs 83,900 for the 44mm, as well as a Space Black titanium case. with the Inverness Green Sport Loop option.
Those are a lot of options for you to choose from, and that’s even before you get to the ever-growing selection of sports bands, the sports band, the Solo band, the braided band, leather, and the Milanese band. The fact that we now have the Apple India online store means that you will be able to see the full range, in all color and finish options, without having to leave the comfort of your home.
Everything is very familiar, in new colors.
Design-wise, the Apple Watch Series 6 is still pretty much the same to look at as the Apple Watch Series 5. That is, unless you have the new blue or red color options. These two add a hint of royal color on the wrist. You still get this in the 40mm and 44mm sizes, in all the different finish options that I’ve tried to simplify above. Between the Apple Watch Series 6, the Apple Watch Series 5, and even the Apple Watch Series 4 for most intents and purposes, you won’t find differences visible at first glance. Unless you have the Blue or (PRODUCT) RED color options, which is when your friends will know you have the newest Apple Watch. Keeping the same design has its significant advantages. For example, the existing line of straps you may have will work perfectly. But that’s where the similarities end.
Health and wellness tracking gets another set of updates
The Apple Watch Series 6 has a new blood oxygen sensor and an altimeter, as far as major feature updates are concerned. The blood oxygen sensor does a 15-second calculation to give you a reading. At this point, the Apple Watch Series 6 uses the sensor that is a combination of four LED sensors and four photodiodes, as well as a redesigned glass to calculate the amount of light that is reflected. The data is then processed through complex algorithms to calculate the color of the blood, which is indicative of the oxygen level in the blood at that time.
Your arm should be resting at the time of reading and the Apple Watch Series 6 should be worn snugly. This, Apple has made clear time and time again, is a wellness feature and not for full medical diagnostics. This will not alert you the way the heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch does, if it detects an abnormality. This is also not intended for any early warning system, but it should be noted that these readings can be helpful in case you are suddenly not feeling well. In the era where COVID certainly dictates our lives, these readings can and will be more accurate than those ultra-cheap and often unreliable bloody oxygen monitors. Until your doctor can make a professional diagnosis.
In my experience, based on my use, blood oxygen (SpO2) readings ranged from 97 to 100. The former is the most common reading range when taking readings after wearing a mask for an extended period of time, and the second is usually the range when you are at home and without wearing a mask. The readings you get from the Apple Watch Series 6 SpO2 sensor) will depend a lot on your health and there will be variations, and you only need to be concerned if it is below 93 percent.
You must be careful about the location of the hand. The reading will be incomplete and the Apple Watch Series 6 will display an error if there is hand movement or the hand is not in one place. Always keep it stable on a table or rest it with your hand near the elbow if no other surface is available at the time. The Apple Watch Series 6 will also take background readings periodically.
The rest of the health tracking is fantastic, as always. The watchOS 7 update plays its part in that. The coolest new addition is the automatic hand wash detection and timer which insist on you washing your hands properly for 20 seconds. Apple calls it Automatic Hand Washing Detection. This is a great habit to instill if you haven’t already, perhaps with the COVID scare something very real; After all, studies over time have suggested that we need to wash our hands properly for at least 20 seconds in order to wash. all germs, viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Apple Watch Series 6 uses on-device motion, microphone, and machine learning sensors to automatically detect hand washing movements and sounds. For me it effortlessly detected handwashing activity, after about 3 seconds of starting to wash my hands under running water. At this point, the watch starts a 20-second countdown timer that you can see on the screen. If you finish washing your hands too soon, a pop-up window will appear urging you to continue washing. If you wash your hands well, they will congratulate you on a job well done.
Electrocardiogram or ECG capabilities continue to be as robust and helpful as ever. This is still the single lead ECG that needs you to touch the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch Series 6 to complete the link and record 30 seconds of waveform. The ECG app will warn you if it detects any irregular heart rhythms, also known as atrial fibrillation, which can be the first indication of potential major problems later on.
The Apple Watch Series 6 also has sleep tracking. If you are comfortable wearing a smartwatch around your wrist all night, you will get complete statistics on how long you slept, sleep quality, duration of deep sleep, and more.
More power under the hood
In terms of usability, experience and application performance, the Apple Watch Series 6 gets its power from the new S6 SiP chip. This is a 64-bit dual-core chip that is 20% faster than the S5 chip in the Apple Watch Series 5. In the real world, that doesn’t make any difference for two reasons. First, the S5 in the Apple Watch Series 5 was not far behind, and second, the Watch apps are anyway optimized to be as frugal as possible on system resources. The Apple Watch Series 6 also has Apple’s W3 wireless chip and U1 ultra-wideband chip that will allow smoother handover, for example for music with other devices that also have the same chip. Like the new HomePod Mini.
Detailed fitness tracking, workout customization and goals, cycle tracking, and your wellness stats to go along with it are still extensive. There are predefined workouts or open goals, totally your wish. If you wear the Apple Watch for your regular training routine, you’ll have detailed metrics complete with trend guidance, as well as advice on what to miss. On that front, the experiential update is that the always-on Retina display is now 2.5 times brighter than before. This will be great for outdoor exercise routines, when the sunlight can be bright and you want to quickly take a look at the Apple Watch to see how well it is doing compared to your goal. The great hardware addition is the new altimeter that will record elevation changes, whether it’s a flight of stairs or a hike up the hills.
Battery life remains the same as before. Depending on how much you use the Apple Watch Series 6 for fitness tracking with location and more, the battery will last anywhere from one day to two days on a single charge.
The last word: time has not changed anything, it is still the benchmark of Smartwatch
The Apple Watch Series 6 is not making any changes to the way you know or already use an Apple Watch. What Apple is doing instead is adding new capabilities to what was already there. The blood oxygen calculations, the brightest always-on display, sleep tracking, and altimeter make sense for fitness enthusiasts who will really be able to use them, particularly the last two functions, to the fullest. Having said that, if you don’t have it and you already have an Apple Watch Series 5, for example, the updates will be incremental. You may not have to rush out to buy a new one right away. Unless you really want sleep tracking. Then everything is fine!
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