Apple Watch Series 4 REVIEW: The World's Best Smartwatch Becomes Even Better

REVIEW OF THE APPLE WATCH 4 SERIES • £ 529 as tested

• ADVANTAGES – Bigger screen but still comfortable to wear • Improved digital crown • Better health features • Fall detection and heart tracking could save lives
• THE INCONVENIENTS – No permanent display • Always expensive • Do not follow your sleep

After a slow start to life, the smartwatch revolution is accelerating rapidly.

Apple recently revealed that its notebook is now the most popular in the world and we feel that its latest update will only strengthen this potential.

The Apple Watch Series 4 was unveiled earlier this month with a larger screen, more power and important features for health.

So, is this latest technical timepiece the ultimate smart watch and is it finally time to attach a notebook to your wrist?

Express.co.uk puts it to the test and here is our comprehensive review of the Apple Watch Series 4.

DESIGN AND DISPLAY

By far, it may seem that little has changed on this latest Apple Watch.

But make no mistake, there are quite significant changes that make this device a much better device.

With some clever design tips, Apple has managed to insert a much larger Retina OLED screen in this portable model, without making the overall size much larger.

In fact, the actual viewing area is 30% larger than its predecessor, which is impressive and makes the watch much more user-friendly and functional.

You have the choice between two models of 40 and 44 mm, which now replace the old screens of 38 and 42 mm.

And what new fabulous screens these are.

The extra area means you can receive more notifications, complications and content on your wrist.

The new faces of Apple also mean that a host of data can be displayed on the screen with time, date, notifications, UV levels, heart rate, fitness data and weather.

These new digital screens have mixed opinions, some saying that they are far too busy and colorful, but we are totally converted and love the amount of data you see without scrolling through menus and endless apps.

You may be curious to see that the larger display means that the Apple Watch will be larger on the wrist, but it remains incredibly comfortable to wear, mainly because this device is now thinner than before.

And do not think that the new design of Apple means that your old straps will not fit, all previous versions always fit perfectly in its frame.

Those who buy the cellular version of the Watch with Apple give up the big red digital crown for a touch of more subtle color inside this control wheel come back to the latest design change.

Everything about design and display is first class, but we have a minor minor inconvenience.

Since the original watch adorned our wrist in 2014, we wanted a permanent display, but it still has not arrived.

Having a constant time displayed on the screen would be a good idea and maybe one day Apple will offer us this feature.

THIS NEW DIGITAL CROWN

It's hard to believe that such a small part of this watch could be technically advanced, but the Digital Crown is still an essential part of this notebook.

This complex scroll wheel helps you navigate the screen and this latest version presents a major improvement.

Slight haptic remarks are now passed to the Apple Watch, which means that you can physically feel that the dial is turned.

It's a small addition that makes all the difference and it's actually one of our favorite new features on this new device.

LIFE OF THE BATTERY

Apple says its new watch will last all day, which is certainly true.

During our tests, we had no problem moving from morning to night without the need for recharging.

In fact, there remained on average about 50% of people in the tank when going to bed.

We also tried to spend two days without approaching a cork and we almost managed to do it, the device eventually turning off after about 36 hours of constant use.

We do not have a big problem with the battery life because we always take our watch every night and placing it on a dock next to your bed becomes a routine.

It would be nice to leave for a weekend without having to load another charger in your bag and it is still not possible with the Apple Watch Series 4.

SPEED AND CALLS

The new Apple Watch seems much more fluid to your wrists, which could result from updating the S4 brain hidden in the aluminum and steel hull.

The S4 contains a powerful new 64-bit dual-core processor and a new graphics processor, both developed by Apple to deliver performance up to twice as fast.

And that's not all, as there is also a new wireless W3 chip in which Bluetooth 5.0 technology is faster for a faster experience when downloading content such as music.

In addition to being much faster, the Apple Watch Series 4 is also much stronger.

With the new speakers pumping out the sound with about 50% more volume, it's much easier to hear calls when you make calls via Apple and Apple has also repositioned the microphone, which makes things even more pleasant.

This improved sound has another advantage, as it makes the new Walkie-Talkie mode of the watchOS 5 update a lot more fun.

FITNESS BEFFICIENCY

The Apple Watch has always been very effective at monitoring your daily activities and, with watchOS 5 pre-loaded on this new device, things are getting better.

This upgrade now means that it can automatically determine what you are doing and record the exercise accordingly.

For example, start walking and the watch will ask you if you want this session to be tracked and stored.

It works even when you have started the routine to lose no data.

In reality, the automatic drive detection works well because it almost always recognizes the exercise you are doing.

We had some random results thinking that we used a trainer rather than walking in the street, but these problems were rare.

In addition to running, biking, walking and swimming, the Apple Watch can now follow hiking and yoga.

After using this device for a while, we can not overemphasize its effectiveness if you want to lose weight or just get in better shape.

Apple's unique ring system gives you a quick overview of your performance and the Watch will even encourage you to reach your goals.

Being able to share and even compete with friends adds to the appeal and there is very little opportunity to offer all the features of this notebook.

The only area in which the watch stands out from the competition is sleep tracking.

Some other devices, such as the latest Fitbits, control your sleep and sleep quality.

HEART HEALTH

The Apple Watch Series 4 brings its health capabilities to a whole new level.

Having a heart rate monitor on the back of the device is not new, but that's what Apple can do now with this really impressive data.

This device constantly monitors your body's power source by alerting users if it detects an irregular rhythm or if it beats too fast or too slowly.

This vital information could help detect many health problems, including atrial fibrillation.

Another first-class feature, expected to arrive in the coming months, is the option to register a complete CCT by simply placing your finger on the Digital Crown.

This could help to identify problems with your heart because this chart can be saved in PDF format and sent directly to a doctor.

The United States will have this remarkable feature in the first place with a worldwide deployment that hopefully will come soon after.

We can not tell you if it's working properly, but we'll give you a full update right out of the box.

Take a fall

Another novelty of the latter shows Apple Watch is the detection of falls.

This uses the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope to determine if you have fallen to the ground.

If the worst happens and you do not move for 40 seconds, the watch starts to vibrate and ask you if you are well.

If you do not answer, he will automatically call the emergency services and the contact of your choice.

You can enable the Fall Detection feature in the Watch app on iPhone with the feature enabled automatically for users over 65 years old.

Our attempts to trigger it have failed and it is unclear whether it will work in real life situations.

Apple claims to have tested on many scenarios and confident in its capabilities.

And, if it works as well as Apple says, this feature will really save life and allow the Apple Watch to earn every cent spent.

PRICE

Like all of Apple's recent flagship products, the Apple Watch is not cheap.

Prices for the standard aluminum model start from £ 399, but they can reach over £ 840 for the option with a Milanese strap and access to cellular data.

Apple launched its fully-connected device last year and this technology continues to feature on this latest release.

It should be noted that EE and Vodafone are still the only British networks compatible with Apple's Apple Watch, with connection prices starting at £ 5 per month.

VERDICT

The Apple Watch was already the best smartwatch you could buy.

But Series 4 has just taken this device to another level.

The larger screen enhances usability and updates to the digital crown, the formatting features and the speakers add to the appeal.

The extra power of S4 The chip also allows the watch to browse tasks with extreme ease.

However, although it is more aesthetic, more powerful and endowed with this glorious screen, it presents health benefits that makes the series 4 stands out from the crowd.

The fact that it can monitor your heart and perform an ECG could save your life and that the detection of falls is a guarantee of peace of mind for many.

With all these new additions, it is very difficult to find defects with the 4 series.

Yes, we would like to see a screen always visible and a longer life of the battery that would put the icing on the cake, but other than that, it is a laptop just great.

Last year, we decided not to give five stars to the Apple Watch 3, but this is not the case in 2018.

This smart watch gets the best ratings from us and fully deserves each one of them.