First impression Apple Watch Series 6: always-on and always on

On September 15, Apple presented the new Apple Watch Series 6. We have already tested this Apple Watch. What does he excel at? What could (maybe) be better? We are happy to share our first impression with you.

What’s noticeable about the Apple Watch Series 6?

Even before you look at all the inner innovations, the first thing you notice about the Apple Watch Series 6 is the new colors. In addition to space gray, gold and silver, the Apple Watch now also comes in blue and red.

If you look inside, Apple is taking a new step in monitoring your health with the Series 6. In addition to your heart rate and heart rhythm, you can now also measure the oxygen content (saturation) in your blood. This is an important indicator of your overall health. Just like your heart rate, you can measure the oxygen level manually, but the Watch also monitors this for you during the day.

Also striking is the always-on altimeter, which will be particularly popular with mountaineers and hikers. Fast charging is also a very handy feature, you can charge the Series 6 to 80 percent within an hour. Completely full only takes an hour and a half. Ideal if you use the Watch as a sleep tracker – more about that later.

What’s good about the Apple Watch Series 6?

We have now had the Apple Watch on almost non-stop since Friday afternoon, and must admit that in daily use we did not initially notice any major differences with the Series 5. Still, Apple has made some very useful improvements.

For example, the new S6 chip is about twenty percent faster than the S5 in Series 5. watchOS responds very quickly to all touches. Especially if you come from a Series 4 or older, you will notice a difference in how incredibly smooth everything feels.

In addition to being more powerful, the chip is also more energy-efficient. The always-on display remains 2.5 times brighter than that of the Series 5 when you put your wrist down. The screen is easy to read at all times. Both Notification Center and Control Panel are now also accessible in the dimmed state. Gone are the days of lifting your arm to do anything on the Apple Watch.

What could be better?

All these health measurements are very handy, but as laymen we still miss the interpretation. What does your heart rate or the oxygen level in your blood really say? Apple is busy with all kinds of health authorities and experts to make the Apple Watch as medically relevant as possible. In the future, we therefore expect you to receive a notification, for example, if your physical condition requires some attention. But we would have liked to have seen that already.

The following has more to do with watchOS 7 than with the Series 6, but we still want to touch on it. The sleep tracker that has taken Apple so long is very hit and miss. Within the editorial staff, experiences vary from ‘it doesn’t work for a meter’ to ‘even that nap on the couch is correctly registered’. If you fall into the first category, your Apple Watch will probably still end up on the charger every night.

When can you buy it?

The Apple Watch Series 6 has been on sale since September. The price depends on the case size and the Watch band you choose. These are the starting prices:

Apple Watch Series 6 (40 mm): € 429
Apple Watch Series 6 (44 mm): € 459

The Apple Watch Series 6 is available for purchase at Apple and stores like Bol.com of Coolblue.

Our conclusion so far

The development of the Apple Watch has always been one of (small) steps. With every new iteration, Apple adds useful features and manages to take performance to the next level. This is also the case with the Apple Watch Series 6. The improved always-on display of this Watch literally excels, saturation offers an extra measuring method for your health and with the new colors you can adapt the Watch perfectly to your personality. Fast charging is also a very welcome addition, because you no longer want to take the Watch Series 6 off your wrist.

If you are satisfied with your Series 5, we see no reason to upgrade. However, are you still walking around with a Series 4 or older and are you ready for a new Watch? Then the Series 6 is an excellent choice.