Product test

Apple Watch Series 4: The Hui watch in review

9.10.2018

Translation: machine translated

The new Apple Watch comes in 52 different versions. I tested one of them. Although I'm one of those people who don't quite see the point of smartwatches, I was impressed by Apple's watch.

It's Thursday evening. I'm listening to Spotify's new autumn playlist in my flat. A few rays of sunshine still find their way through the kitchen window. I don't like the next song on the playlist at all. I can simply skip it with a tap on my wrist. A few moments later, the watch vibrates slightly: the timer for my pear cake has expired.

This is roughly what my everyday life with the Apple Watch Series 4 looks like. I could manage everything from my wrist and leave my smartphone - which has to be from Apple to use the watch - at home.

Although I don't particularly like smartwatches, I have to say that the watch looks really good. With the stylish OLED display, the watch is a real eye-catcher. It's much better than other smartwatches, but the Watch 4 isn't quite perfect either.

Smartwatches

Apple Watch Series 4

44 mm, 4G

The Apple Watch is available in 52 versions. There are different wristbands, versions with 4G, versions without 4G, versions with a stainless steel case, versions with an aluminium case, the Nike+ editions, two different sizes and so on. Our Category Management gave me one of the 4G versions. This means I can use this model to make calls and send messages while the iPhone is a few kilometres away on the kitchen table at home.

The predecessor of the Watch 4 was already capable of 4G. I still find it fascinating - you get all notifications on the Watch, no matter where your phone is. To do this, I first had to switch on an eSIM with my provider - I'm with Swisscom. It costs five francs a month and I could cancel it after thirty days.

Setting up the eSIM was less fascinating and more of a hassle. First, I had to change my mobile plan because it wasn't eSIM-compatible. Then the option was active, but didn't connect to the watch. What felt like a hundred restarts and logins to the Swisscom Cockpit later, it worked for me too. At this point, I'll admit right away that I haven't made any calls with the watch apart from this test. I still find it strange to talk to a watch. But that will certainly be different in a few years' time. Making calls with Bluetooth headphones and the watch works quite well and is actually the same as making calls with your phone and headphones.

The watch is the display

The Apple Watch comes in two new sizes. You can choose between 44 mm and 40 mm. I have the larger version, which just fits my rather narrow wrist.

Unlike most other smartwatches, the Apple Watch has no frame and no indentation. The entire watch consists of a display with a simple frame. The frame does not cover the display, but the surface is completely flat. Even after a long time, I still enjoy this. By the end of my test, the hardened Ion-X glass and the aluminium frame had not been scratched once.

The new dials can utilise almost the entire surface right up to the edge. This is practical and also looks nice. With other smartwatches, I have often found that the apps were not customised to the display - i.e. they had edges or were round instead of square. I haven't seen this with any app on Apple's Watch.

The icons fill the display almost without borders

With a glance at the watch face, I can see my activity for the day with specific numbers, upcoming appointments, today's weather including the UV index, the date, the timer and, of course, the time. I find so much information in just one view remarkable.

The new vs the old

In contrast to its predecessor, the Apple Watch 4 is larger and almost a millimetre thinner. This makes it Apple's second thinnest watch. The original was about half a millimetre thinner. The fact that the Watch has become larger is somewhat noticeable: my 44 mm version is three grams heavier. Nevertheless, I find it very light, especially compared to smartwatches from other brands. I could even leave the watch on with the sports strap when I was sleeping without it bothering me. I always had to take other watches off.

It also looks good switched off

According to Apple, the new display has made the screen 30 per cent larger. This is particularly noticeable in the new watch faces. They show eight different pieces of information instead of the previous four. The new watch faces are only available for the Watch 4.

Another new feature is that the microphone is now on the front right of the watch and that about half of the left side consists of speakers. When I was on the phone, the quality of the speakers was fine and the person on the other end of the line understood me. You can also make calls without having to hold the watch in front of your nose.

The digital crown, i.e. the crown you use to set the time on conventional watches, no longer looks like a clown's nose on the 4G version, but now only has a small red rim. And it now provides haptic feedback, which you will notice when you turn the wheel to scroll or when listening to music to adjust the volume. The feedback makes it easier to recognise how far you need to scroll.

However, Apple has made the most changes in the area that you can't even see when you're wearing the watch. Because there's a lot new on the underside: the Watch has been given an electric heart sensor. In the USA, you could soon use it to create an ECG. However, this function has only been approved by the health authorities in the USA. With an electrode on the underside and a second in the crown, the ECG should actually be possible on the wrist instead of at the doctor's.
Unfortunately, it is currently unknown when the function will be available in Switzerland.

Apple has improved the sensor for recognising acceleration. The Watch can now recognise 32 times the acceleration of gravity. This allows the watch to recognise when the wearer falls to the ground. Of course, this only works if you have the watch on. If you are not wearing the watch on your wrist and it falls to the ground, no fall alarm is triggered. And yes, I have tried the fall of the watch without wearing it and no, I have not tried a fall with the watch on my wrist.

If you lie motionless on the ground for more than a minute, the watch sends an emergency call with your location. This function can save lives. Especially for older people such as your grandma. If it is a false alarm, you can of course still stop the emergency call.

For the better you

Apple advertises with the slogan "For the better you". I usually find Apple's advertising slogans quite over-the-top and exaggerated marketing talk. But here I have to agree with Apple. The watch really does make me "better" in a certain sense. Because the watch reminds you to get moving when you've been sitting around for hours again. It worked for me, the watch got me, a lazy sod, to get moving. I'm also much better organised with the watch. Appointments that you enter in your calendar also appear immediately on the watch, the latest one even on the watch face. I really managed not to forget anything during the test period.

The watch also brings peace of mind. You can put your mobile on silent all the time, but thanks to the slight vibration and the display, you'll know when someone calls you or you receive a message. The messages always appear on the watch at the same time as on the phone. I didn't experience any delays. And the display reacts to the slightest touch. You can touch the small icons on the home screen. You can also use the app to reply briefly to messages. But long replies are too tedious.

With the Watch, I spend much less time on my mobile and just look at my wrist from time to time.

With the activity rings, the app on your watch or phone shows you exactly what a lazy sod you are - or praises you when you've done enough exercise. You can also quickly and easily set yourself exercise goals and the watch will then show you at the end of the day whether you have achieved them.

Jogging with the Watch

Going for a run with the Watch is of course great, as I can leave my phone at home anyway thanks to the eSIM. Even if you go swimming, for example, you can just leave your phone at home. With the LTE connection, the battery lasted just under four hours for me. The watch is charged quite quickly, in an hour and a half you already have 80 per cent, which will easily get you through the day.

Unfortunately, you can't yet listen to Spotify without your mobile, only with the watch. However, Apple promises that this will soon be possible, as the interfaces for app suppliers have been opened up with WatchOS 5.0. I tried it via Spotify Webplayer, but that didn't work either and I had to run with Apple Music.

You can easily set goals in the training app

As soon as you start running, the watch recognises this and starts the training app so that the training you have already started is also taken into account. If you stop running, it reminds you to finish your workout
.
What initially annoyed me a little: breaks - i.e. when I have to stop at a traffic light - are not taken into account. The time then continues to run and "distorts" the statistics. However, you can adjust this in the general settings under Training. The watch stops the training as soon as you stop. And it works reliably.

Almost everything perfect

The Apple Watch 4 is a great watch: other smartwatches have usually annoyed me during pairing. Or at the latest when they lost the connection again for unknown reasons and then messages were simply not displayed. That was different with Watch 4. Pairing is so easy, even my four-year-old cousin could have managed it. And I never lost the connection to my smartphone during the entire test period. Apps open quickly and work reliably. And it looks smart too.

However, it must be mentioned that the watch is many times more expensive than other smartwatches.

If you're considering an Apple Watch anyway, I can only recommend it. If you already have a newer smartwatch, the upgrade may be worthwhile for you if you are very interested in your health and want more information and small detailed improvements.

All in all, for me the Apple Watch is a complete package of sport and lifestyle, where you don't have to choose between the two. The watch is good in all areas, but also comes at a high price. <p

23 people like this article

Livia Gamper

Editor

livia.gamper@digitecgalaxus.ch

Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.

Search