Apple’s new watch is a heart monitor too

APPLE’S Series 4 smartwatch features the first “over the counter ECG”, which measures the electrical activity of the heart to show if it is working normally.

The watch can take an ECG in 30 seconds, and alert users if their heart rate is slow or irregular. The encrypted data can then be stored and passed on to doctor.

Apple’s Jeff Williams said the Apple Watch had become an “intelligent guardian”.

He revealed the new device has sensors which can detect if a user falls, and notify key contacts if necessary. Prices start at £399, or £499 with cellular, and will be available to order from Friday.

Apple announced a number of new products at the Steve Jobs Theatre in California.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also unveiled three new iPhones, calling the updates the “most advanced iPhone we have ever created”.

The iPhone XS Max is also the biggest. Its 6.5-inch screen is almost double the size of the first iPhone’s display in 2007.

That first iPhone cost £269, while the highest spec XS Max is £1,499.