Apple Watch Series 4 Review | The best smartwatch takes a leap forward

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APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 REVIEW: DESIGN AND FEEL

Instead of 38mm and 42mm heights, you have 40mm and 44mm versions, with bigger screens that nearly reach the edges (it's very iPhone XS, just without the notch). The Series 4 is also a tad thinner, meaning that the overall volume of the Watch has decreased. We have the 44mm version, which does feel a little different on the wrist compared to the 42mm Series 3. The extra width and height is noticeable on a device you're used to looking at day after day. On thinner wrists, it can tip it over into feeling maybe even too chunky. Given that the screen on the smaller 40mm model is actually larger than the one on the old bigger 42mm model, we think some people who previously went for the extra readability of the bigger screen might prefer to stick to the smaller model this time. The change in thinness is only a tiny amount (not even a millimetre), but the new Watch does feel less hefty when you bend your wrist. We think Apple may have changed the curve of the Watch's rear at the same time as thinning it, giving your skin a little more room to manouevre before it hits the case. The difference is subtle, but noticeable – this is good for sports. As part of the changes to the back, the entire underside is now ceramic, instead of just the heart-rate sensor. This is great in terms of making it as hypoallergenic as possible, and with the new extremely sci-fi-styled heart sensor, looks pretty badass. Not that you'll ever really see it. It feels the same as before – very comfortable.

Apple has added haptic feedback to the Digital Crown too, so when you're scrolling through items on-screen, you feel a little click for each item, which makes it easy to navigate at speed if you know how far you should be going. It's a really nice little quality-of-life addition. When you're scrolling something that doesn't divide so neatly, it makes rapid clicks, just to give you some feedback.

One change we're not so sure about is that the side button is now essentially flush with the case. It's easy to press (it clicks in a tiny amount, but enough to comfortably feel), but is a little harder to find without looking, and to press rapidly or in motion, since your finger can't use the edge for purchase any more.

It's not hard to find (it takes up most of the edge that isn't Digital Crown, after all), but you're just more likely to slip off it instead of pressing it if you're doing it awkwardly. If you're trying to quickly double-press for Apple Pay while carrying bags or something, it definitely doesn't feel like an improvement, even if it looks nice. 

And, in a somewhat less common occurrence (hopefully), this is also the button you use to trigger Emergency SOS, so making it more difficult to press in any way for the sake of aesthetics isn't ideal.

We've got the silver stainless steel Apple Watch Series 4, complete with cellular connectivity built-in. It also comes in 'Space Black', which is a great super-dark finish that's a lot like looking into an ethereal abyss, but in a good way.

Most importantly, there's now a gold stainless steel finish that's absolutely gorgeous. This isn't gaudy gold, like the, uh, actual gold watch Apple used to make. It's somewhere in between traditional gold and brass, and when paired with the matching milanese loop, it's striking without being OTT.

APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 REVIEW: SMARTS AND WATCHOS

Speaking of Siri, let's go into the smart features of the Watch Series 4. Anticipation is a big area of improvement for smart features in watches and phones (and tends to be touted as AI, even though it isn’t really), and feels especially useful on smartwatches, where you only really want to be tapping to accept or reject something, rather than diving into apps all the time.

Apple has done a load of work in this area in watchOS 5, and this is mostly visible in the Siri watch face. It’s not really a looker or especially exciting on the face of it, but it does things like warn you that you need to leave early for your next appointment because the traffic is bad, or display when rain is due to start, so you’re not caught out.

The travel stuff is actually just part of general work Apple does when you put an appointment into its calendar with a location, so it’s not unique to the Watch – but the point of the watch is to make it easy for you to be warned that you might need to leave early, and not miss the notification because you left your phone while in a meeting or something.


More importantly, the Siri face learns about other habits over time. If you have a driving playlist for your commute home, it will suggest that when you come to the end of work. It will suggest HomeKit scenes as you near home, so you can turn all the lights on before getting into the house. 

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APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 REVIEW: HEALTH AND FITNESS

One new, very useful, smart feature in watchOS 5 is automatic detection of workouts. If you start jogging without remembering to start a Workout in the app, it will pop up with a message saying that it thinks you’re out for a run, and would you like to start a Workout? Say yes, and it will turn out to have been tracking you since the start, so you don’t lose the first few minutes. It worked for us for lots of things that have a consistent movement element, but didn't spot when we were doing weights-based exercises, even though it obviously had spotted our elevated heart rate when we looked a the data later. So it can be very handy, but not universally smart just yet. There are lots more upgrades when it comes to health and fitness, though. For a start, there are better running features, which start to nibble at Garmin’s lead in this area. Pace alerts are great for those in distance training, helping you avoid drifting away from your target as you get tired and lose focus. Cadence (AKA steps per minute) is also a really useful metric, since it helps you hit the most efficient levels for longer runs, and avoid over-exerting yourself (keeping injuries at bay). They’re both great to have for people who are really getting into their running, but they’re still fairly basic as far as ‘advanced’ running data goes. A Garmin system can include ground contact time, stride length, vertical oscillation (i.e. ‘bounce’) and loads more the provide upgrades to your entire technique. It’s nice that Watch models get closer to this, and for a lot of people it’s probably a good balance for the amount of data (enough to help them improve, but not enough to be confusing), but it’s still not at the front of the pack. Other new fitness features include specific workout tracking for yoga and hiking, and more competition options with your contacts.