Looking to buy first Apple Watch.. some questions please : )

[taneff]

S6 has a new sensor and way better accuracy. It looks different and has a new design. In sports world at least, this is considered as a new sensor, but Apple is not that into sports hahaaa. Also take a look at DesFit's video of the S6. He does a lot of mountain biking. A very hard sport for OHR to be accurate because of vibrations etc. It was close to the new Garmin HRM Pro chest strap which says everything. Very, very impressive. If money is not THAT big of a deal, GO WITH THE S6.

 

[makaveli-313]

okay thanks everyone for your help.
It does look like I'll have to spend a some extra and get the S6 instead. Ah well : )..

 

[makaveli-313]

Oops! for got to ask one last question : P

Are the straps universal(S0 to S6) or do I need specific straps for Series 6/SE joints?

Thanks again : )

 

[user1234]

Oops! for got to ask one last question : P

Are the straps universal(S0 to S6) or do I need specific straps for Series 6/SE joints?

Thanks again : )

They all work with the caveat that sizes have changed. For example a 42 mm band from the S3 will fit the 44 mm S4. That can be a bit confusing when looking for older bands.

Some bands also interfere with the compass including most bands released before the S5. There is some info on that here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210324

That page is not updated with the new bands released last week yet.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I don't own an AW but intend to invest in one soon, probably wait for the SE models to land in the Apple Store refurbished section. As such, I've done a lot of research, and believe I can address most of your inquiries.

- Can I put music on the watch locally? i.e. my entire mp3 collection, If so what is the storage space available on the watch.

Yes. There's no official word except a mention of 32GB of total flash storage (for the Series 5, 6, and SE), but from what I've seen in screenshots 24GB available after formating and what's used by the OS and included Apple apps. However, don't forget third-party apps require storage, typically a few hundred MBs.

- Does the watch have Continous heart rate tracking function or does it just 'blip' every few seconds?

On-demand, occasionally, or continuously.

When you use the Workout app, Apple Watch measures your heart rate continuously during the workout and for 3 minutes after the workout ends to determine a workout recovery rate.

- What kind of battery life can I expect if I just use it for 2 hours of workout a day and then take it off till next workout session?

If you use Apple's estimates...

Up to 10 hours indoor workout. Up to 6 hours outdoor workout with GPS.

...Maybe five days before a need to charge.

- I noticed that they no longer will bundle a charger, I have the 18W Type-C to Lightning charger from my iphone/airpods pro.. can I just re-use this or I would have to purchase another charger?

Not as is. As mentioned Apple includes a magnetic charger cable with USB A connector. However, you do have options. You could use/buy nearly any USB-A charger -- Apple was including the 5W version. You could purchase an adapter to use the cable that's included with the watch. Lastly, you could buy the USB-C version of the magnetic charging cable.

- It was mentioned the Series 6 takes 1h 30m to charge from completely dead to 100%... is this fast-charging only available on the Series 6 or the SE model as well?

Yes.

The Apple Watch 6 needs about one hour to reach 80% charge and 1.5 hours to get to 100%. The Watch SE goes to 80% in 1.5 hours, and to 100% in 2.5 hours.

 

[makaveli-313]

(delete)

 

[makaveli-313]

Not as is. As mentioned Apple includes a magnetic charger cable with USB A connector. However, you do have options. You could use/buy nearly any USB-A charger -- Apple was including the 5W version. You could purchase an adapter to use the cable that's included with the watch. Lastly, you could buy the USB-C version of the magnetic charging cable.

If I use my 18W fast-charger with this Magnetic to Type-C puck will it be safe? iirc the standard charger is only 5W

 

[MacCheetah3]

If I use my 18W fast-charger with this Magnetic to Type-C puck will it be safe? iirc the standard charger is only 5W

As far as I’m aware, it should be fine. The watch should only pull as much power as it needs. The following appear to agree.

18W or 30 W charger with apple watch and … - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Additionally, I don’t believe Apple sells a 5W charger with USB-C. So, the fact that they do sell a USB-C magnetic charger cable would suggest/imply the Watch can be connected to a charger greater than 5W.

EDIT: Found this:

You can use any of the adapters listed below to charge your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or iPod.

 

[makaveli-313]

excellent!..
Thank you user1234, MacCheetah3 and everyone else who helped me out.

looking forward to the apple watch experience : )

 

[hirsthirst]

oh for the heart rate tracking function to go with my running and cycling which I started after lockdown, the sitting at home all day seems to have made be rather chubby. Also, to be in the 'fat burning phase' one needs to maintain a constant heart rate within a specific range and currently I have nothing to help with this.
That is the initial intention, I may end up using it for the rest of its features/apps should I end up finding them useful.

I'm in a similar boat, wanting to track activity to shift some lockdown weight, but I do get value from the wider Apple ecosystem integration so chose an AW3 for a test now upgraded to an AW6.

If you are only wanting to track heart rate / GPS etc for short periods then you could / should also look at Garmin watches & HR chest straps too - the clear limitation with Apple Watch is the comparatively very short battery life.

"DC Rainmaker" has a great website & YouTube channel with an insane level of detail in all his comparisons.

EDIT: ... did not read second page of thread, DOH!