Apple Watch Series 4 Review

In the space of four product generations, the Apple Watch has gone from cool curiosity to Apple's hottest device. I don’t think you can quite call it a must-have - wearables aren't for everyone - but you should definitely consider picking up an Apple Watch if you're an iPhone owner who isn't averse to wearing a computer on your wrist.

The Apple Watch Series 4 might not immediately seem too different from its predecessors, but the combination of a larger display, faster processor, and thinner design make it a very meaningful upgrade.

New, inside and out

The Series 4 is the first major redesign the Apple Watch has seen since it was originally unveiled back in 2014. It still looks like an Apple Watch, but it's a little thinner and has a larger display. You've got a choice of 40mm or 44mm screens, up from 38mm and 42mm in past models. The Watches themselves are still roughly the same physical size, so your 38mm watch bands will work with the 40mm model, and your 42mm bands will work with the 44mm model. You won't have to go and rebuy any favourites if you're already invested in the Apple Watch ecosystem.

In use, the larger displays mean apps feel less cramped, notifications are more useful, and watch faces can be customised to show so much more information. I've got my default watch face set to show the time, UV index, current temperature, the day's minimum and maximum temperature, my next calendar appointment, my fitness metrics for the day, battery life, and short cuts to the timer app and heart rate app. It might sound a little overwhelming, but it means you get so much information at a glance.

The Apple Watch Series 4 display also has a new shape. Rather than being rectangular with squared off edges, it now has rounded corners that match the body of the Watch. It's a small change, but I love it. It makes the Apple Watch Series 4 feel a bit less like a computer, and more like a proper timepiece.

In terms of internals, it's hard to overstate how much of an impact the Apple Watch's upgraded processor makes. The Apple Watch Series 4 is just as fast as a modern iPhone in most cases. Apps now open almost instantly, even if you don't have them designated as a favourite. They're more responsive in use. There's just a lot less waiting involved. When combined with the larger display, the Apple Watch Series 4 is a more holistic device; you rarely get the feeling that pulling out your iPhone would have been easier.

Always connected

As with its predecessor, you can pick up an Apple Watch Series 4 with an eSIM and 4G connectivity. This ostensibly makes the Apple Watch a completely independent device; while it still needs to be paired with an iPhone, you've got access to every single bit of functionality regardless of whether you've got your iPhone on you.

Wearing the Apple Watch makes me feel more comfortable leaving my phone on my desk or in another room. If it's important, I'll get a subtle alert on my Watch that doesn't interrupt whatever it is I'm doing. 4G takes this to the next level. It makes it easy to duck out to the store or go on a run without your phone while still being connected. 

While it's easy to throw around phrases like 'smartphone addiction', the Apple Watch's 4G capabilities are more like an insurance policy rather a worsening symptom. Many of us are guilty of wanting our phones on us at all times 'just in case', and a 4G Apple Watch is a happy compromise. It provides just enough functionality to let you make a call, send a message, or book an Uber without being a device that demands your full attention.

And hey, the 4G capabilities have been a godsend when I've been out for longer than expected, and had my phone go flat. My Apple Watch has saved me more than once. Although, in some cases, it's been from boredom. Thanks, Apple Music. 

It is however worth noting that you'll need AirPods or some other form of Bluetooth headphones to get the most of out 4G functionality, especially if you want to make calls or listen to music on the go. You can always speak directly into the Watch, Dick Tracey style, but then everyone else can hear your conversation too.

Actively using the Apple Watch's 4G can melt its battery life - sixty minutes of talk time will drain it entirely - but this becomes more acceptable if you think of it as more like a backup. Using Apple Music over 4G isn't quite as battery intensive, thankfully. Apple says you can stream tunes for about seven hours straight before you run out of charge.

There are a few other costs associated with 4G. An aluminium 4G Apple Watch Series 4 attracts a $150 premium over a model without cellular connectivity (although 4G comes standard on the pricier stainless steel models). Your telco will also bill you an extra $5 per month if you want to use eSIM functionality. And at this time, only Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone offer eSIM support, and only on postpaid plans. You're out of luck if you're on prepaid or have a plan with an MVNO.

Thankfully, Apple Watch companion plans can be turned on and off on a month-to-month basis, so if you decide the 4G functionality isn't worth it, you don't have to keep paying for it.

Features you hope you won't need

If there's one defining thing that keeps me coming back to the Apple Watch, it's the impressive array of health, exercise, and wellness features. Thanks to the Apple Watch, I'm now exercising to the point where I'm apparently one of my gym's top 10 most active members. I don't quite know how that happened. 

While the standard exercise tracking functionality isn't anything new - the Apple Watch has been doing this since the first model - the Series 4 is equipped with some new features that could genuinely save a life.

Previous Apple Watches could already detect high heartrates, and Series 4 will also give you notifications if your heartrate is too low, or - pending regulatory approval - it picks up signs of an irregular rhythm that suggests atrial fibrillation. 

You can also use the Series 4 to take an electrocardiogram (ECG) by putting your finger on the crown to close a circuit. Apple says you'll get a reading in about 30 seconds, after which you'll be told whether the test showed irregular rhythms. Your results will be recorded in the Health app on your iPhone, so they can be shared with a doctor later. 

As with irregular heartrate detection, this functionality isn't available at launch. While these features have FDA approval in the US, Apple needs to work with relevant authorities on a market-by-market basis.

The Apple Watch Series 4 can also detect falls and trips by analysing wrist trajectory and acceleration. If you fall, you'll get an alert asking if you'd like to call emergency services. If your Watch doesn't detect any movement for a minute, it will place the call automatically and send a message with your location to your pre-defined emergency contact.

Even if you're not in the market for a wrist-based ECG or fall detector, the more conventional health features are still great. As aforementioned, the Apple Watch has done an excellent job of getting me more active; I'm addicted to 'closing the rings'. For those not familiar with the ring concept, the Apple Watch tracks three key metrics: kilojoules burnt, active minutes, and each hour in which you've stood and moved around for a couple of minutes. 

You choose your own goal when it comes to kilojoules (and the Watch will give you recommendations as to whether you should change it at the start of each week, based on the previous week's activity), while the other two are set: 30 minutes of exercise, and 12 hours where you've stood and walked around for at least a minute.

These are represented as three rings that fill up as you progress towards them. It's always easy to see the progress you're making toward your fitness goals, and means that whenever I check the time, my Watch subtly guilts me into exercising more.

The latest version of the Apple Watch software makes it easier than ever to log your exercise, with automatic tracking available for the times you forget to start your workout on the Watch. However, this results in notifications asking if I'm working out whenever I walk to work. I guess I kind of am, but it's not the kind of activity I'd actually log as exercise. You've got the option to turn off 'start workout reminders', but it's an all or nothing situation. You can't just disable them for an individual workout type.

One health related metric the Apple Watch doesn't track out of the box is sleep. There are third party apps available that can help with this, however.

Lots to learn

While this isn't inherently a problem with the Apple Watch, it's a gadget you're mostly using passively. There's no instant gratification. You might wear your Apple Watch Series 4 every day, but you're typically only actively engaging with it for seconds at a time.

This means it can take some time in getting your head around everything the Apple Watch has to offer. The operating system watchOS 5 is the simplest version of Apple's wearable OS to date, but if you're not committed, there are some Apple Watch features you might never discover. For example, apps hide extra functionality behind a 3D Touch (triggered by pressing a finger down hard on the screen), although it's not necessarily always obvious what's there.

To get the most out of your Apple Watch, you really need to spend some time exploring outside of what would be considered 'normal' usage.

Who is the Apple Watch Series 4 for?

The Apple Watch Series 4 is a classic case of success through constant refinement. It's taken a few iterations, but there's not much I'd change about Apple's latest wearable. Previous models' best features have been improved, while flaws have been sanded away. The Apple Watch Series 4 is a highly polished wearable with very few caveats, other than the high starting price.

You're looking at a minimum of $599 for a new Apple Watch, $749 if you want 4G, and over $1,000 If you'd prefer a stainless steel body. That's a lot to spend when the Apple Watch Series 4 is fundamentally a luxury. A useful luxury, but a luxury nonetheless.

But if you're a wearableless iPhone owner at all curious about fitness tracking, smartwatches, or just about cool new gadgets, Series 4 makes the Apple Watch easier to recommend than ever before.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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