Watch 4 first impressions - ask me anything.

[Smurphy Gherkin]

• 
• It's great, it's noticeably bigger physically and the screen is WAY bigger.
• It is noticeably thinner. So much that the sleeve on the jacket I'm wearing won't catch on the side of it anymore, I have to hold it out of the way! That like a bummer in a good way, won't snag as much.
• It's WAY fast coming from a series 2
• LOUD speaker.
• The larger screen sizes makes control center and passcode entry SO much better for poor dexterity folks like me.

• Complications are highly specific to position for what you have available.
• Stopwatch complication on Infographic faces only corners, NO STOPWATCH on modular. WTF?
• You CAN set digital time WITH SECONDS on the inner middle upper complication on the infographic analog - see screenshot, so this still has more complications than modular.
• Heart complication will only give you last reading on largest inner middle upper - WTF
• I wish you could rotate the crown to get the watch hands out of the way of inner complications.

Questions?

 

[Time Less]

Is the sensor bulge on the back slimmer?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Is the sensor bulge on the back slimmer?

Nope, if anything more prominent to my eye, but I might be imagining it. Apple graphic via Daring Fireball:

 

[Lennyvalentin]

Haptic feedback - is the sensation in the crown itself as it turns or is it simulated by shaking the watch like with solid state home button iphones...?

Gz on getting your delivery btw!

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Haptic feedback - is the sensation in the crown itself as it turns or is it simulated by shaking the watch like with solid state home button iphones...?

Gz on getting your delivery btw!

Thanks, one benefit of being in Australia...

The haptic seems from the whole watch, it doesn't feel like the crown to me. It is very nice for getting a literal feel of how fast you scroll, its great.

 

[jags828]

Can you still use the old single color modular faces?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Can you still use the old single color modular faces?

Yes, the old modular style faces I have are unchanged and have stopwatch. But... argh.

 

[justinf77]

Did you get the 40mm or 44mm? Are you happy with the size you chose?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Heart rate complication from Apple is dismal. Only on large will it show the last reading.

Here is HeartWatch app in four positions and the Apple one on the two left.

But like all third party ones it doesn’t update reliably like Apple one.
[doublepost=1537493210][/doublepost]

Did you get the 40mm or 44mm? Are you happy with the size you chose?

44mm, and extremely happy. I'm six foot four though, with ageing eyes and a heart with afib, so this is a no brainer.

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Homekit complication is missing for all new faces too, and as Philips Hue is not yet updated for complications, controlling lights is not gunna happen as easily from the watch for a little while.

But we have siri shortcuts for that... ahh what a time to be alive eh?

 

[vintagekeys]

did you get the LTE? and do you have a S3 to do comparisons with for us?
[doublepost=1537508286][/doublepost]How does the heartbeat pickup compares between the S3 and S4, is it more sensitive on the S4? is it faster to pickup the heartbeat? shorter time to start recording the increase of heartbeat?

On the S3 it used to be several minutes in between excersises it monitors your heart rate has this been improved on the S4?

LTE, is the reception any better with the ceremic back vs the S3?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

did you get the LTE? and do you have a S3 to do comparisons with for us?

Went from non LTE series 2 to non LTE series 4, so I’m a sad disappointment to you I’m afraid.

 

[vintagekeys]

Went from non LTE series 2 to non LTE series 4, so I’m a sad disappointment to you I’m afraid.

No worries, thanks for that question!

How does the heartbeat pickup compares between the S2 and S4, is it more sensitive on the S4? is it faster to pickup the heartbeat? shorter time to start recording the increase of heartbeat?

On the S3 it used to be several minutes in between excersises it monitors your heart rate has this been improved on the S4? how easy does it detect a excersize and goes into excersize mode?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Heart rate, seems to record roughly the same sampling as before. See attached screens, with a few manual checks. Every 3-5 mins, with the odd 10-15 minute gap depending on activity.

Recording a manual rate seems to take the same time as before, but now sampling every 3-4 seconds rather than around five seconds on the S2.

So far I haven’t seen the problem I used to hate doing a manual reading: first reading would be around say 85, second one a few seconds later 78, third 74. It really took fifteen seconds to get accurate and it always started too high.

Now it seems to land in the middle for first reading which is great.

Haven’t tested auto workout yet, I have heart issues so won’t be running around just yet.
[doublepost=1537509964][/doublepost]Screenshots:

 

[vintagekeys]

Heart rate, seems to record roughly the same sampling as before. See attached screens, with a few manual checks. Every 3-5 mins, with the odd 10-15 minute gap depending on activity.

Recording a manual rate seems to take the same time as before, but now sampling every 3-4 seconds rather than around five seconds on the S2.

So far I haven’t seen the problem I used to hate doing a manual reading: first reading would be around say 85, second one a few seconds later 78, third 74. It really took fifteen seconds to get accurate and it always started too high.

Now it seems to land in the middle for first reading which is great.

Haven’t tested auto workout yet, I have heart issues so won’t be running around just yet.
[doublepost=1537509964][/doublepost]Screenshots:

Thank you so much! take care with your heart! take it easy
ps did you get the 44mm and does it feel heavier or too bulky on the arm?

 

[SnacksGU]

Can I get a picture of the modular face? You have the 44?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Thank you so much! take care with your heart! take it easy
ps did you get the 44mm and does it feel heavier or too bulky on the arm?

44mm and it feels great and sits a fraction flatter. Doesn’t snag my sleeve as much, I’m extremely happy with it, there will be some people for who this just goes a bit too far. So try one on if you can.

I have to say this is a staggering upgrade from series 2 and it feels dozens of times faster. I used to give up tasks on the S2, this is a product really coming of age.

Put it this way, I got the XS Max today too and while great, all my attention is on the watch.

 

[SnacksGU]

44mm and it feels great and sits a fraction flatter. Doesn’t snag my sleeve as much, I’m extremely happy with it, there will be some people for who this just goes a bit too far. So try one on if you can.

I have to say this is a staggering upgrade from series 2 and it feels dozens of times faster. I used to give up tasks on the S2, this is a product really coming of age.

Put it this way, I got the XS Max today too and while great, all my attention is on the watch.

Your tempting me too much...I have the days one original Apple Watch still...

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

Can I get a picture of the modular face? You have the 44?

Yup. Let me know if you want to see any specific complications...

These screenshots are while the timer is going.

 

[TJ82]

When you use the Breathe App, does it record your HRV in the Health App?

 

[SnacksGU]

Are the complication scaled up on the 44MM compared to the 42MM on modular face? Or just more space between them?
[doublepost=1537512779][/doublepost]

Your tempting me too much...I have the days one original Apple Watch still...

I didn't realize you cant purchase stainless steel without getting an LTE Apple Watch. Was that the same for Series 3?

I was tempted to purchase one just now on the fly...but now I must reconsider the additional cost. Bummer!

 

[mrklaw]

Does the timer show the last set time? And does it have that orange bar always? I don’t like too much information on the screen and hoped the timer would just have a number until you activated it and then the bar would show up.

Alternatively if you have the timer/alarm in one of the central locations does it look more like an analog chronograph?

Edit: wait - no stopwatch? One of the screenshots I saw looked just like a chronograph - would be great to have stopwatch/timer in the middle dials. This is why we need third party faces or simply some kind of ‘free’ option that lets you drag any number of complications and shapes onto a face (using the phone app). Limiting which complications per face is super annoying.

I like the digital time at the top too - but you lose a large notification space. Will have a play with it when I get mine.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

How good is the microphone at recognising what you say, when speaking to Siri? Any other Siri related comments to add?

 

[Smurphy Gherkin]

When you use the Breathe App, does it record your HRV in the Health App?

Yes.

Are the complication scaled up on the 44MM compared to the 42MM on modular face? Or just more space between them?

Seems to be spaced on older watch faces. New watch faces need newly made complications. Not many updated apps yet.

I’ll upload screenshots below.


[doublepost=1537512779][/doublepost]
I didn't realize you cant purchase stainless steel without getting an LTE Apple Watch. Was that the same for Series 3?

I was tempted to purchase one just now on the fly...but now I must reconsider the additional cost. Bummer!

Yes, bummer. I skipped S3 so don’t know.

 

[TJ82]

That's your heart rate, not HRV. Did you check the Health app to see if it recorded your HRV?