In a long video, The Quantified Scientist decided to show us an interesting experiment: he tested different sensors of theApple Watch Ultra against other devices.
Highly efficient sensors
He starts by comparing the Apple Watch to a belt Polar H10, a heart rate sensor that fits around the chest. In its measurements, the results are very close between the two devices, indicating that the watch is very accurate. It is one of the most effective products in its tests, clearly ahead of other watches and bracelets.
He compares the results with different types of exercise: indoor, outdoor cycling and outdoor running. In the first two cases, the watch is actually at heart rate, but for running it is not. During this type of exercise, the measurements differ significantly, while the Apple Watch Series 8 remains very close to the Polar sensor. The videographer suspects a variation linked to the weight and the bracelet chosen.
Sleep tracking was compared to a dedicated device for this purpose, the Dream 2. The detection of deep sleep is close to that of the sensor, just like for light sleep. The effectiveness on REM sleep is a little less good, like the detection of awakening, but the whole remains quite conclusive for the videographer, especially compared to the 43 other watches tested on this point.
On the accuracy of the GPS, it only checks several plots, which are quite consistent, with a watch that starts the measurements very quickly. It indicates that Garmin watches are better on this point, without further details.
Finally, it compares the watch’s oximeter to a digital model in two specific cases. The first is at home, in a classic environment, the second in an airplane, where the readings must be lower because of the lower pressure. The watch tends to give a slightly lower value than the dedicated sensor at ground level, but the whole remains consistent.
But a watch with flaws
On the defects of the watch, he obviously pushes two open doors by talking about the price and autonomy, but puts his finger on one of Apple’s concerns: the Health application. Because even with reliable and efficient sensors, the watch remains somewhat handicapped by a presentation that is difficult to read and not always very practical.
Apple Watch Ultra review: ultra good or ultra bad?
