On Test: Apple Watch 4

We spend some time with it

Bigger screen 12 new workouts Auto-start/stop workout Pace alerts Mark segments Rolling mile metric

How it tested

The difference made by the extra 2mm of screen space, coupled with brighter graphics, is significant – your stats now ping out at you instantly on the run.

You can set pace alerts so it gives you a haptic nudge (that is, a light tap on the wrist) when you go too fast or too slow; it’s intuitive and simple to use.

Until now, the Apple Watch only offered average pace stats, but the new ‘rolling mile’ function tells you how quickly you’ve run the preceding mile to the point you’ve just reached. Why Apple doesn’t simply offer a ‘current pace’ option remains a mystery (we did ask) but this is a useful compromise.

While you can’t yet plug in planned segments (say, for a track session) it was easy enough to double-tap the screen at the end of each rep, which would then record that as a lap – with the data viewable posttraining via the Activity app on your phone.

One remaining irritation is the stop function: you have to first swipe right, then hit the cross. It’s one interaction too many and it doesn’t always swipe first time if you have sweaty fingers or the screen is wet from rain.

But the yin to that yang is the new auto-start and -stop feature. If you forget to hit start at the beginning of a session, the watch will work out what you’re doing (running, cycling, swimming etc), ask you to confirm and allow you to hit ‘yes’. It then ‘backdates’ the data from when you started. On average, this kicked in five minutes after starting and the data capture was accurate when measured against a Garmin worn on the other wrist. Similarly, if you don’t hit stop when you get back to the house, the watch will ask if you’re done, adjust the data and stop the session. We loved the feeling of freedom we got from just starting to run and not having to anxiously check at the end that we’d hit the right buttons.

RW verdict

If you’ve been hankering after the design chic but have been waiting for the Apple Watch to become genuinely runner-friendly, this is the first iteration where we can say: go for it. It lacks the nerdy detail of data provision provided by the likes of Polar and Garmin – so we still wouldn’t use it for important races or complicated training sessions – but this is a very competent exercise and running buddy that combines beautiful looks and ease of use with reassuring robustness. ••••••••