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APPLE WATCH SERIES 6 AND APPLE WATCH SE REVIEW
WE’RE five years into the life of the Apple Watch and we’ve reached the point where we start to wonder how they can make it any better. This year’s Series 6 brings the kind of upgrades you would expect. There’s a more powerful chip and the always-on display is brighter.
The single biggest new feature is the blood oxygen monitor – the sensors on the back of the watch, which hitherto have only kept an eye on your heart rate – can now measure how much oxygen is in your blood, either automatically in the background, or on demand. Its usefulness may not be immediately obvious. But the Watch’s advancements in monitoring your wellbeing are all about collecting information and presenting it to you in a way that you can understand – all to help you make informed choices about your health and lifestyle.
This time Apple has deviated from its policy of recent years by making a cheaper version of the watch, not just selling last year’s model for less.
The Apple Watch SE drops several features from the Series 6 – including the blood oxygen monitoring, the always-on display, and the electrocardiogram sensor. In doing so Apple has been able to knock around £100 off the base price – the Series 6 starts at £379, while you can get an SE for £269. One new feature shared by both devices is the always-on altimeter – so they constantly measure elevation changes. Software-wise, both devices run the latest watchOS 7 – which brings new features like sleep tracking, again arming you with more information. Apple has also added a feature that can tell when you are washing your hands and start a timer to make sure you do the full 20 seconds.
Added to the Apple Pay features in the Watch – which allow you to make contactless payments without the need for facial recognition so you can keep your face-covering on – this new feature makes the device all the more useful during the pandemic. Find out more at apple.com/ uk/watch