Apple Smartwatch with many health features. The Apple Watch 6 fully convinced us in the test. Apple is consistently following the health trend in the industry and is now giving the Apple Watch 6 a blood oxygen meter or pulse oximeter.
Apple Watch Series 6 Review
This is new to Apple, but some competitors have had this feature for a while. In terms of operation, the Apple Watch also scores very well, but you are welcome to get a few tips from Samsung.
However, it is a bit of a shame that the battery life of the Apple Watch is only on par with the previous model. Because of the excellent features, the Apple Watch 6 is still a top recommendation.
Advantage
- Top performance and display
- Rich functions and features
- Pulse oximetry
Disadvantage
- Short battery life
- Superficial sleep phase analysis
- Superficial training recognition
Test data for Apple Apple Watch Series 6 LTE 44mm
| Product: | Apple Apple Watch Series 6 LTE 44mm |
| Display form: | rectangular |
| Display type: | OLED |
| Display pixel density: | 330 ppi |
| Display resolution: | 368 x 448 pixels |
| Display size: | 1.8 in |
| Display colors: | 24 bit |
| Sim card slot: | No |
| eSim: | Yes |
| LTE module: | Yes |
| WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS: | Yes |
| Bluetooth: | Yes |
| GPS: | Yes |
| NFC: | Yes |
| Mobile Payment: | Yes |
| Accelerometer: | Yes |
| Position sensor: | Yes |
| Compass: | Yes |
| Altimeter: | Yes |
| Brightness sensor: | Yes |
| Heart rate monitor: | optically |
| Fall detection: | Yes |
| EKG: | Yes |
| Oxygen saturation: | Yes |
| Pedometer: | Yes |
| Control smartphone music player via smartwatch: | Yes |
| Inductive charging: | Yes |
| Waterproof: | suitable for swimming (50m) |
| Random access memory: | 1,024 MB |
| Flash storage space: | 32 GB |
| Speaker: | Yes |
| Microphone: | Yes |
| Bracelet material: | plastic |
| Easy to change bracelet: | Yes |
| Operating system: | watchOS 7 |
| Dimensions: | 38 x 44 x 10.4 mm |
| Weight: | 66 g |
| Battery capacity: | 304 mAh |
| Battery runtime measurement: | 25:42 hours |
| Battery charging time measurement: | 1:33 hours |
| Test date: | 09/21/2020 |
Apple Watch Series 6 in the test: available in two sizes
Apple doesn’t dare to experiment with the form factor. Like its predecessors, the Apple Watch Series 6 comes in two case sizes – 40 and 44 millimeters. Once again, you have the choice between a watch with and without cellular support.
The standard variant in the aluminum jacket is available in Apple’s usual space gray, silver and gold. With the Apple Watch 6, the company is now introducing two new colors: blue and red.
The latter looks very harmonious and is a stylish eye-catcher, especially with bracelets in contrasting colors. The stainless steel models are also a feast for the eyes with the new graphite color. With the right budget, the well-known titanium case version is also available.
Apple Watch Series 6: Performance King with “Always On Display”
Inside the Apple Watch Series 6 is the brand new S6 chip, which in turn is based on the A13 processor, which powers the 11-generation iPhone. That sounds like more on paper than it is in everyday life, after all, the Apple Watch 5 was anything but slow.
Although one or the other app is ready to use half a second faster, it doesn’t really make a difference. The new chip should be more efficient. The “always-on” screen is now brighter in standby than before.
The Apple Watch Series 6 supports WiFi networks in the 5 GHz band and has the U1 chip and ultra-broadband (UWB) antennas integrated. With this technology you can unlock some cars without having to pull your smartphone out of your pocket. Apple is already planning further uses for this interface.
In the always-on mode of the smartwatch, the Apple Watch permanently displays the time. To do this, the brightness of the clock is dimmed and the refresh rate is reduced.
Should the battery run empty, the Watch Series 6 automatically switches to a special power-saving mode in good time and continues to display the time – like a classic watch. Incidentally, the case is still waterproof up to 50 meters.
Under the very good, 368 x 448 pixel sharp OLED display, 32 GByte flash memory and 1,024 Mbyte main memory are available for the potent S6 chip.
The Apple Watch Series 6 has a new, more accurate altimeter that now includes GPS and WiFi information. Thus, the Watch Series 6 should be able to detect even the smallest changes in height of 30 centimeters.
Apple Watch Series 6 fitness functions
The fitness functions of the Apple Watch 6 are no different from those of previous models. There are still various training modes for amateur athletes. If you want to record your workout, you can select the right training from the app on the smartwatch.
The watch continuously shows the most important data, including heart rate and duration, via the always-on screen. The Watch 6 automatically detects a lot of activities, but already stops tracking with small breaks, or does not reactivate automatically.
Some competitors can do that much better. The newly introduced sleep tracking also only scratches the surface of what is possible.
The decisive innovation among the functions is the pulse oximetry for oxygen measurement. In everyday medical practice, this is part of the standard repertoire, whether in the hospital or the emergency services. Small clips are usually used for this, which are attached to the finger.
These measure the oxygen saturation in the blood – also known as SpO2 – using light. The Apple Watch Series 6 also uses this principle. The watch’s blood oxygen sensor works by the sensor on the back emitting red and infrared light into the back of the wrists and detecting the reflection.
The technology is not exclusive to Apple and has been in some of the bracelets and watches from Garmin, Fitbit and other Android-based smartwatches for years.
Nevertheless, it is a very useful addition to the electrocardiogram (ECG) already introduced with the Apple Watch Series 5 for the detection of dangerous cardiac arrhythmias and fall detection with emergency call function.
With the new Apple family configuration, you can use the LTE versions of the Apple Watch (from Gen. Series 4) for family members without an iPhone.
It is sufficient if only one family member has an iPhone. This then sets up the smartwatch. Parents track the location of their offspring – with the children’s consent – and enable telephony with selected contacts.
The operation is unchanged: the touchscreen and crown react quickly and sensitively to inputs and enable precise control. For us, only the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 can be operated a touch more elegantly.
As is common with Apple, there is one crucial difference that sets the Watch Series 6 apart from the rest of the competition: The watchOS 7 operating system does many relevant everyday tasks faster and more reliably than Google’s WearOS, Samsung’s TizenOS or Huawei’s system. There are also more native apps to choose from and the watch is perfectly integrated into the Apple ecosystem. Among other things, you can use the clock to unlock your MacBook, control Homekit lamps or stream music to the AirPods.
The battery remains OK
The downward slide in battery life for new Apple Watches seems broken. Because in our battery measurement, the Series 3 lasted for over 30 hours, the Series 4 had around 27.5 hours and the number 5 only had a battery life of just over 24 hours.
The Apple Watch Series 6 can go up a bit here and reaches 25:42 hours. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 is clearly ahead with 43:01 hours. After all, the Apple Watch is back to 100 percent battery capacity after 1:33 hours on the Mag-Safe cable or on the induction charging mat.