Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 6 is n’t a huge upgrade over the Series 5 , but it does enough to keep Apple ’s wearable firmly in the lead .
Best Prices Today: Apple Watch Series 6
While there are plenty of decent options out there , include Apple ’s own SE , the Apple Watch Series 6 is the only existent choice when corrupt a smartwatch . You might not need all of the things it does right now , but if you ’re going to spend a few hundred Buck on a smartwatch , it pay to futurity - substantiation your articulatio radiocarpea .
I ’ve been testing quite a few watches and bands recently — theFitbit Sense , Apple Watch SE , Fossil Carlyle Gen 5 , Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 , even the Amazon Halo band — and the Apple Watch Series 6 is the undisputed leader of the pack . Yes , you ’re paying more for a Series 6 than any of those devices , but the surplus money is so well spend you ’re undecomposed off await for a sale to buy one rather than settling for a cheaper scout , even the SE .
There are a whole bunch of novel sensors on the underside of the Apple Watch Series 6 .
There are a whole bunch of new sensors on the underside of the Apple Watch Series 6.
That said , the Series 6 is n’t quite pure . The battery animation still ca n’t match Fitbit ’s impressive lengths . Sleep tracking is extremely fundamental . And the new Sp02 sensor is overly sensitive when take on - need reading material . But even with those flaw , you ’re not going to find another smartwatch that as tight , featured , fashionable , or just plain sport .
Apple Watch History
This Apple Watch has since been replaced with a newer modeling , and you’re able to line up links to all our Apple Watch reviews below . Do remark that we ’re bear to seeApple Watch Series 10 , Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3rd generation , runningwatchOS 11 , set in motion in September 2024 at the company’sGlowtime event(seehow to watch the September upshot ) . If you ’re in the food market for a new Apple Watch , see ourApple find out buying guide , round - up of thebest Apple Watch deals , and advice on whether you shouldbuy Apple Watch now or wait . You might also be interested in what othernew Apple productsare coming this year , and when is thenext Apple event .
A timeless design that still feels fresh
There may amount a clip when Apple changes the design or even the shape of the Apple Watch , but that ’s not the font with the Series 6 . It ’s essentially identical to the Series 5 and not all that different than the original if you happen to be upgrade . Dimensions number below .
42mm:42.0 x 35.9 x 10.5 mm
44mm:44 mm x 38 mm x 10.4 mm
There are a whole bunch of new sensors on the underside of the Apple Watch Series 6.
However , Apple ’s done just enough to keep it fresh . The new colors are a nice tactile sensation and will probably compel more than a few upgrades from Series 4 or 5 . The blue color I try is a lot obscure in person than on Apple ’s website , but it ’s definitely a nice addition to the classic silver , space grey , and Au aluminum . If anything , the newfangled colors exemplify just how little of the Apple Watch ’s body is actually visible while wearing it .
You ’ll need to have your wrist in just the good brightness level to see how gentle the new color is .
No matter which colour you choose , however , the Apple Watch ’s square shape is idealistic for a smartwatch , and there is n’t much about it I ’d switch other than making it substantially thinner . To be comely , the Series 6 and SE are the thinnest watches Apple has ever made and makes its competitors look positively lumpy l , but the profile is still plenty loggerheaded compare to a regular wristwatch .
There are a whole bunch of new sensors on the underside of the Apple Watch Series 6.
First-gen issues
But there ’s a lot go on inside its skeleton . Along with the ECG sensor , always - on altimeter , and a second - generation optical heart sensor , new to the Series 6 is a blood - oxygen detector to in conclusion bring it up to speed with Fitbit ’s devices . The carrying out is a bit unlike here , but the sensors are very similar , measuring the reflection of red and infrared brightness to approximate the oxygen chroma in your blood .
In improver to background reading throughout the day , you’re able to also use your Series 6 as a pulse oximeter to get an on - demand reading using the unexampled Blood Oxygen app . It only takes 15 s , which is half as long as it admit to get an ECG reading material , and in true Apple mode , the animation during the mental test is very foxy and does well to keep your focus . But the whole process will likely take double or three times as long since you need to stay incredibly still to get an exact reading .
If you do n’t keep perfectly still , you ’ll get erroneous blood - atomic number 8 readings .
You’ll need to hold your wrist in just the right light to see how blue the new color is.
The app recommends you rest your arm on a table or in your circle , and in my testing even the little movement get striking fluctuations in readings . Readings go bad from 100 percent when resting my arm on a table to as low as 92 per centum when plainly holding it as still as I could . Background Reading were more consistent , but the app does n’t give much in the way of feedback as to whether the interpretation are satisfactory or alarming .
you could see a chart of your day-by-day readings in the Health app , but it wo n’t be particularly useful unless you ’re a MD or used to using a pulse oximeter . And while you could add a complication to most sentinel faces , it ’s only a shortcut to the app rather than an updated reading . Apple is n’t even using parentage - atomic number 8 to augment its new nap tracking as Fitbit does .
That will probably improve with watchOS 8 , but for now , sleep tracking is extremely canonical . Your watch will fundamentally tell you how long you slept with little to no insight into the quality of your sleep . you could see some advanced stats in the Health app but none of it is as straightforward or detailed as Fitbit ’s Sleep Stages . It ’s both surprising and disappointing that Apple took five long time to fork out such rudimentary sleep trailing , but hopefully , it ’ll improve without needing to buy a newfangled watch .
If you don’t keep perfectly still, you’ll get erroneous blood-oxygen readings.
The always - on display is much more seeable in lustrous luminance ,
What wo n’t improve with future software update on the Series 6 , at least not in a meaningful manner , is battery life . The Series 6 lasts about as long as every Apple Watch that came before , which is to say it ’ll get you through most days with temperate use . Apple calculate 18 time of day but you ’ll plausibly get a petty more than that , even with the always - on show combat-ready .
That ’s nowhere near the multi - daytime battery lifetime that Fitbit provides on the Versa and Sense , and it ’s easily the Apple Watch ’s heavy shortcoming . If you wear it to track quietus , you ’ll postulate to develop a commove routine , and you ’ll need to have it off your carpus for about an hour and a one-half to fulfil it up . Even though Apple claims the Series 6 charges “ fast ” than the Series 5 , it ’s still quite dull and nowhere near Fitbit ’s young fast - lodge that do up a 24-hour interval of use in just 12 minutes .
The always-on display is much more visible in bright light,
The rest remains the best
As for the umpteen other things the Series 6 can do , it ’s only stellar . If you ’re raise from an older role model , the new watch will feel like a refinement of what you already know . Apps will be quicker , Siri will be smarter , warmness - charge per unit trailing will be more immediate , and the altimeter will deliver veridical - time elevation .
Typography is a simple yet elegant face .
But if you ’re coming from a contender , like the Fitbit Versa or Galaxy Watch , the Apple Watch will palpate like a Book of Revelation . Apple has break a system that ’s chic and simple while still being powerful and unnoticeable . The amphetamine of the Apple Watch Series 6 ’s S6 processor might seem unnecessary until you tack to a WearOS watch or Fitbit Versa or even a Series 3 and realize how meaningful each schism - second make when you ’re interacting with your articulatio radiocarpea .
Typography is a simple yet elegant face.
For example , the Apple Watch ’s ECG sensing element is pretty singular . For one , it ’s in a staring spot on the Digital Crown ( versus the edge of the physical body on the Fitbit Sense ) and it ’s not intimately as finicky as the blood - oxygen sensor .
But the good part of the Series 6 is the always - on presentation . It ’s not categorically different than Series 5 so it might not seem like much if you ’ve been using a Series 4 watch or in the beginning , but from both a fashion and a routine standpoint , the always - on display build the Series 6 a worthy upgrade from the SE . It ’s bright than the Series 5 , so you wo n’t struggle to use it alfresco , and it turns the Apple Watch from a musical composition of technical school into a piece of jewellery . Apple ’s raise - to - wake gesture is immediate than most other spotter , but the always - on presentation takes the effort out of it .
The blood - O sensing element might not be that utile now , but it will be in succeeding watchOS updates .
The blood-oxygen sensor might not be that useful now, but it will be in future watchOS updates.
you may quibble about the lack of third - party watch faces , but based on my experience with Fitbit and WearOS , that might be for the best . Apple has put a tremendous amount of effort into the intention of each watch cheek , and while the newest ones on the Series 6 are quite round-eyed , the Typography and Stripes faces have quick become part of my gyration . And since Apple has opened up watch case starting and double complications in watchOS 7 , developers have more option than ever .
Still , it seems likely that at some point before long Apple will admit for third - party faces with stern UI guidelines like iOS 14 ’s widgets . The best part of the Apple Watch is how niggling you need to interact with it , even if your face of selection simply displays the fourth dimension . From notice to steps to heart - pace to blood - oxygen and eternal rest , you’re able to easy go through a whole day without really touching your Apple Watch . That might seem jolly counterintuitive for a $ 399 saucy machine , but when you strap it on you ’ll apace realise that ’s what makes it so worthful .
Should you buy an Apple Watch Series 6?
The Apple Watch Series 6 is no doubt an expensive smartwatch , even if you stick to to the cheap choice ( $ 399 for the 40 millimetre aluminum model with a silicone band ) . But the extra money is deserving it . The Series 3 may be half the price , but you ’re get a very slow vigil that ’s likely to be obsolete within a year , and you ’re giving up some significant features with the $ 279 SE , namely ECG , a blood - oxygen sensor , and an always - on display , plus a couple of colors you may only get on the Series 6 .
Even for $ 120 more than the SE , you ’re get a herculean set of feature article and detector both for now and old age from now . The Apple Watch Series 6 is n’t just Apple ’s best smartwatch , it ’s the good one you could find anywhere at any Leontyne Price . You ’ll be able to get good battery life or log Z’s tracking with other vigil , but those watches ca n’t really assess up to the loads of things Apple Watch does so well .
