Apple highlights positive reviews of Apple Watch Series 4 ahead of launch

AppleInsider · September 19, 2018 11:07PM

Apple this evening posted a collection of review excerpts on the new Apple Watch Series 4 which is set to launch this Friday. Unsurprisingly, the included reviews are glowing.

It perhaps comes as no surprise that the new Apple Watch is receiving good reviews, it easily stole the show during Apple's Sept. 12 media event. Regardless, Apple hand selected complimentary quotes to feature in its latest roundup, just as it did with the iPhone XS and XS Max reviews yesterday.

Many of the early evaluations have praised the wearable, saying that after four generations, Apple has finally nailed the Apple Watch. The updated screen, which is 30 percent larger on both case sizes, is by far the best new feature, making the Series 3 and earlier feel cramped by comparison.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

The New York Times

"The new Apple Watch is perhaps one of the most significant developments in wearable gadgets in years."

TechCrunch

"Apple Watch is an elegant solution from both a hardware and software standpoint. It walks the key wearable line of being engaging when necessary and fading into the background the rest of the time."

The Independent

"The design is just gorgeous and the bright, vivid display with its narrow, curved bezels, looks sensational. The uptick in performance power is noticeable at every level and the increased health qualities and fitness monitoring are hugely welcome. If you've held back from getting an Apple Watch because you thought it wasn't quite there yet, well, it is now."

Refinery29

"This is the first Apple Watch that really feels like it lives up to Apple's original vision for the wearable. The bigger display, improved speaker quality, gorgeous watch faces, and advanced health and fitness features make the $399 starting price seem worth it."

iJustine

"This screen makes it feel like I'm watching a freaking IMAX movie!"

Read the rest of Apple's cherry-picked review collection in its press release.

Apple Watch Series 4 represents the first redesign of Apple's wearable since the product line launched in 2015. Along with a larger OLED display, slimmer chassis and ceramic back for enhanced radio transparency, Series 4 incorporates an all-new heart rate sensor and electrodes capable of taking ECG readings.

bebe · September 19, 2018 11:15PM

Series 4, here I come … to replace my Series 2. Just have to wait a little longer before I can get it.

wonkothesane · September 19, 2018 11:37PM

Maybe someone could kindly explain to Mrs iJustine what IMAX means....

soli · September 19, 2018 11:37PM

Bebe said:

Series 4, here I come … to replace my Series 2. Just have to wait a little longer before I can get it.

Are you going for the Nike version?

chasm · September 19, 2018 11:40PM

I'd disagree with those reviewers who claim that Apple has "finally nailed" the watch. They nailed it with Series 0 (the original). Mine has performed flawlessly, only just recently -- three and a half years later -- now requiring it be charged every day rather than every other day as it was when I first started wearing it.

Certainly the later ones are better in all directions, but like the original iPad -- Apple "got it right" and exceeded customer expectations (and outclassed all other wearables to that point quite handily) at its debut. The line just grows to match increasing audience sophistication and expectation beautifully with each new iteration, exactly as a well-designed product should do. This latest one might be garnering such effusive praise not because it is (obviously) the best one yet, but because this one managed to genuinely exceed, surprise, and delight its customer base -- and catch the attention of considerably larger new audiences.

larrya · September 20, 2018 1:07AM

I want to know if gps or heart rate monitor accuracy is improved. On a 5 mile run my watch is off by 0.2 miles. The sampling rate is too slow and the watch is probably not really ready (satellite-wise) at the start of workouts. Similarly, I get dropouts in heart rate when go go back and look at workouts. To keep me off of Garmins I would like to see these become priorities.

slprescott · September 20, 2018 1:43AM

Will upgrade from Series Zero,

I like the rectangular design, but it’s interesting that some of the new watch faces are circular. I wonder if that’s setting the stage for a circular design (in addition to rectangular) in the future?

foggyhill · September 20, 2018 1:43AM

larrya said:

I want to know if gps or heart rate monitor accuracy is improved. On a 5 mile run my watch is off by 0.2 miles. The sampling rate is too slow and the watch is probably not really ready (satellite-wise) at the start of workouts. Similarly, I get dropouts in heart rate when go go back and look at workouts. To keep me off of Garmins I would like to see these become priorities.

A lot of people have tested the Apple Watch vs other wrist worn heart rate monitors and they're essentially identical to the best of class (as good as Garmins).

They're not as good as those you strap around your chest though.

As for GPS the delay in acquiring satellite is I think to prevent too much battery usage.

DC Rainmaker had a lot of comments in his review of the 3 (go to his web site).

Once it has acquired the satellite, the 3 it's essentially as good as any other top end watches.

Not sure if they've changed it for the 4; probably would be more a software change than hardware.

As for being off, how did you measure it? On a track.

That's the only way to be sure of distance and even then you'd be off by a few as much as a 20 meters depending if you ran on the inside vs outside of the first lane the whole way for those 20 loops.

bebe · September 20, 2018 2:06AM

Soli said:

Bebe said:

Series 4, here I come … to replace my Series 2. Just have to wait a little longer before I can get it.

Are you going for the Nike version?

I always get the Stainless Steel version (since the original Apple Watch) and Nike version only comes in aluminum.

radarthekat · September 20, 2018 3:33AM

slprescott said:

Will upgrade from Series Zero,

I like the rectangular design, but it’s interesting that some of the new watch faces are circular. I wonder if that’s setting the stage for a circular design (in addition to rectangular) in the future?

I doubt it. The circular design fits with circular mechanical watch movements, but it’s inefficient for presenting data and, strap on any reasonably sized circular watch and then get down and do some pushups. That’s the best way I can illustrate that you wouldn’t have designed a wrist wearable to be circular if you didn’t have to, all those hundreds of years ago. It’ll dig into the back of your hand (the crown certainly will) unless you’re wearing it unfashionably high on your wrist. It’s just not the ergonomic design by any measure.

edited September 2018

soli · September 20, 2018 4:17AM

Bebe said:

Soli said:

Bebe said:

Series 4, here I come … to replace my Series 2. Just have to wait a little longer before I can get it.

Are you going for the Nike version?

I always get the Stainless Steel version (since the original Apple Watch) and Nike version only comes in aluminum.

I asked because I thought the Nike version was the only one that wasn't available immediately this Friday.

strangedays · September 20, 2018 4:37AM

John Gruber’s review here:

https://daringfireball.net/2018/09/apple_watch_series_4

...pretty good, has some good screenshots of how complications work. tho I don’t care about the “it’s not as nice as a nice mechanical watch” aspect. Not my use case, bro. Mechanical watch obsession is a different fetish.

edited September 2018

lolliver · September 20, 2018 5:09AM

larrya said:

I want to know if gps or heart rate monitor accuracy is improved. On a 5 mile run my watch is off by 0.2 miles. The sampling rate is too slow and the watch is probably not really ready (satellite-wise) at the start of workouts. Similarly, I get dropouts in heart rate when go go back and look at workouts. To keep me off of Garmins I would like to see these become priorities.

My experience when running with people using a Garmin is they take longer to acquire a GPS signal and can be less accurate than the Apple Watch if the Garmin wearer starts before the GPS signal is acquired. Even when they start up their Garmin in advance they are no more accurate than the Apple Watch.

I agree that improved accuracy is always welcome though.

soli · September 20, 2018 5:24AM

lolliver said:

larrya said:

I want to know if gps or heart rate monitor accuracy is improved. On a 5 mile run my watch is off by 0.2 miles. The sampling rate is too slow and the watch is probably not really ready (satellite-wise) at the start of workouts. Similarly, I get dropouts in heart rate when go go back and look at workouts. To keep me off of Garmins I would like to see these become priorities.

My experience when running with people using a Garmin is they take longer to acquire a GPS signal and can be less accurate than the Apple Watch if the Garmin wearer starts before the GPS signal is acquired. Even when they start up their Garmin in advance they are no more accurate than the Apple Watch.

That makes sense since the Apple Watch is usually already on and also usually connected to terrestrial antennas that assist in obtaining a location lock faster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS

edited September 2018

chasm · September 20, 2018 7:51AM

I too will at some point later this year upgrade to the Series 4 (probably GPS only though -- my iPhone is always nearby and I don't climb mountains or do anything to not have it reasonably near). It will be nearly four years of daily use by the time this Series 0 is retired and I will always be incredibly glad I took a chance on a new Apple product that was (at the time) outside of my comfort zone and now I can't imagine a day without wearing it.

xbit · September 20, 2018 9:43AM

I think I'll be upgrading my Series 0 as well. My carrier has just started allowing customers to add an Apple Watch to their contract at no additional cost so it seems like the perfect time.

wonkothesane · September 20, 2018 10:19AM

chasm said:

I'd disagree with those reviewers who claim that Apple has "finally nailed" the watch. They nailed it with Series 0 (the original). Mine has performed flawlessly, only just recently -- three and a half years later -- now requiring it be charged every day rather than every other day as it was when I first started wearing it.

Certainly the later ones are better in all directions, but like the original iPad -- Apple "got it right" and exceeded customer expectations (and outclassed all other wearables to that point quite handily) at its debut. The line just grows to match increasing audience sophistication and expectation beautifully with each new iteration, exactly as a well-designed product should do. This latest one might be garnering such effusive praise not because it is (obviously) the best one yet, but because this one managed to genuinely exceed, surprise, and delight its customer base -- and catch the attention of considerably larger new audiences.

I agree. Over at Gruber’s he published an interesting view on the AW.

wonkothesane · September 20, 2018 10:21AM

chasm said:

I'd disagree with those reviewers who claim that Apple has "finally nailed" the watch. They nailed it with Series 0 (the original). Mine has performed flawlessly, only just recently -- three and a half years later -- now requiring it be charged every day rather than every other day as it was when I first started wearing it.

Certainly the later ones are better in all directions, but like the original iPad -- Apple "got it right" and exceeded customer expectations (and outclassed all other wearables to that point quite handily) at its debut. The line just grows to match increasing audience sophistication and expectation beautifully with each new iteration, exactly as a well-designed product should do. This latest one might be garnering such effusive praise not because it is (obviously) the best one yet, but because this one managed to genuinely exceed, surprise, and delight its customer base -- and catch the attention of considerably larger new audiences.

I agree. Over at Gruber’s he published an interesting view on the AW.

alexis · September 20, 2018 11:27AM

Bebe said:

Series 4, here I come … to replace my Series 2. Just have to wait a little longer before I can get it.

Yup yup, same here!

larrya · September 20, 2018 11:28AM

foggyhill said:

larrya said:

I want to know if gps or heart rate monitor accuracy is improved. On a 5 mile run my watch is off by 0.2 miles. The sampling rate is too slow and the watch is probably not really ready (satellite-wise) at the start of workouts. Similarly, I get dropouts in heart rate when go go back and look at workouts. To keep me off of Garmins I would like to see these become priorities.

A lot of people have tested the Apple Watch vs other wrist worn heart rate monitors and they're essentially identical to the best of class (as good as Garmins).
They're not as good as those you strap around your chest though.

As for GPS the delay in acquiring satellite is I think to prevent too much battery usage.
DC Rainmaker had a lot of comments in his review of the 3 (go to his web site).
Once it has acquired the satellite, the 3 it's essentially as good as any other top end watches.
Not sure if they've changed it for the 4; probably would be more a software change than hardware.

As for being off, how did you measure it? On a track.
That's the only way to be sure of distance and even then you'd be off by a few as much as a 20 meters depending if you ran on the inside vs outside of the first lane the whole way for those 20 loops.

It has always been accurate enough for me at 5K and below, but now that I am attempting to expand distance I am seeing significant discrepancies vs Garmin, the standard bearer. DC Rainmaker notes less accuracy for heart rate and GPS, particular at the start of workouts, and attributes this to phone/watch GPS handoff and resting HRM only sampling every 5-6 minutes until a workout starts, so both are starting from nothing. I’ve read elsewhere about a 4 second sampling interval vs 1, which would introduce more error the longer you run if you’re dealing with turns.

georgebmac · September 20, 2018 11:34AM

chasm said:

I'd disagree with those reviewers who claim that Apple has "finally nailed" the watch. They nailed it with Series 0 (the original). Mine has performed flawlessly, only just recently -- three and a half years later -- now requiring it be charged every day rather than every other day as it was when I first started wearing it.

Certainly the later ones are better in all directions, but like the original iPad -- Apple "got it right" and exceeded customer expectations (and outclassed all other wearables to that point quite handily) at its debut. The line just grows to match increasing audience sophistication and expectation beautifully with each new iteration, exactly as a well-designed product should do. This latest one might be garnering such effusive praise not because it is (obviously) the best one yet, but because this one managed to genuinely exceed, surprise, and delight its customer base -- and catch the attention of considerably larger new audiences.

While I cannot argue with what you say about the Gen0 watch (it IS a marvel!), I will anyway!

I had the Gen0 and totally agreed with everything you said -- until it got replaced with a Series1.

I experienced a huge difference -- the Series1 is so much more responsive. It's one of those little things that makes Apple products great.

And now, the Series 4 with LTE can do so very much more....

So, I agree, the Gen0 is a truly great and remarkable product -- until you put it beside a Series4 with LTE, then it looks a little, well, you know....

Apple highlights positive reviews of Apple Watch Series 4 ahead of launch

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