Apple Watch Review

Update: You can now read our Apple Watch Series 2 review!

Introduction

Back in 2007, the smartphone world was turned upside down with the introduction of the original iPhone. In just a matter of a couple of hours, it undoubtedly pushed things forward into new heights that hadn’t been obtained before – seemingly putting all other smartphones before it in the dust; outdating them in the process. That, of course, was a monumental moment in our technologically driven society.

Since then, we’ve seen Apple move into other new areas that led them to become yet again the dominant force. Take the iPad as an example. Even now, with competition ranging the gamut, it’s still widely regarded as the premier tablet for its impeccable design and tablet-centric apps ecosystem. Conquering that market, Apple is eying its focus on yet another budding segment that demands meticulous overseeing in order to prove to consumers that there’s a viable place for its presence. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s none other than the smartwatch market.

Enter the Apple Watch, the company’s ambitious take on the modern smartwatch, which has yet to see a champion that rises above all others. Indeed, we can mention a few models from the Android Wear camp that have piqued our interest, but for the most part, there’s still not a single, dominant one that can transform the smartwatch’s reputation from a want, to a necessity. Can the Watch achieve that? Knowing Apple’s track record, we’re confident that it’s plausible, but at the end of the day, it’ll need to prove to all of us that it can.

Our package contains:

• Apple Watch
• Wall charger
• Black sports band
• Magnetic conductive charging disc
• User's guide

Design

A humble looking design that covers the gamut, it’s far more customizable than most smartwatches.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s first explain the various models that are available with the Apple Watch – Sport, Watch, and Edition, which are offered in either 38mm or 42mm casing options. In terms of pricing, the base 38mm Sport aluminum model starts at $349 (42mm is $399); the middle-ground stainless steel one goes for $549 for the 38mm case, and $599 for the 42mm one; and finally, there's the luxurious Edition version with 18-karat gold body that starts from $10,000 for the 38mm case and $12,000 for the 42mm case. For our review, we have the 38mm Sport model that comes with a standard black fluoroelastomer band.

While the Apple Watch isn't an 'instantly mind-blowing design' type of thing, it’s one of the more favorable looking smartwatches we’ve seen – boasting a concoction of simplicity, modernism, and premium into one. Constructed from what Apple refers to as 7000 Series Aluminum, with our unit sporting the Space Gray color (there’s also a Silver option) and a matching black fluoroelastomer band, it certainly has a pleasant uniform look, but of course, a higher contrast can be achieved by picking up any of the handful of colored bands that Apple sells.

Versus other smartwatch designs, this one is an undeniably favorable one with its sturdy feel, but at the same time, it’s not something we’d classify as class-leading. It could be attributed to its square shaped watch face style, which we don’t feel as stylish as some of the round faced designs we've seen.

Worn on our wrist, the 38mm Apple Watch Sport might look a little small for most men, but it’s something that many women feel to be better sized for them. Of course, the 42mm model is more proportionally correct for those with bigger wrists, but frankly speaking, it’s a nice looking watch either way. That’s partly due to how the edges of the Apple Watch are rounded, offering a uniform look – while the glossy front helps to contrast the aluminum casing. And then there’s the fluoroelastomer band, which is rubbery in texture and offers great fidelity with physical activities thanks to its water resistant properties. Adjusting the strap is a cinch too, as all that’s needed is to find the correct cutout.

While the Watch Sport model targets active individuals, the Watch and Edition models exude a higher degree of premium with the Watch’s stainless steel case – and the 18-karat rose or yellow gold casings with the Edition. Add in the various straps that Apple sells, like the link bracelet, modern buckle, Milanese loop, classic buckle, and much more, there’s significantly more personalization achieved by the Apple Watch than anything else around. Depending on which one you go with, obviously, the final price of the Apple Watch can jump significantly – so bear that one in mind.

Along the right side of the Apple Watch, there’s the so-called Digital Crown - that’s a modern twist on a classical feature. Much like what you find on a standard watch with a crown, it can be rotated and pressed – where the former function allows us to scroll through certain lists or zoom, while the latter is used to turn it on, move between the homescreen and apps tray, and act as the ‘back’ function. Honestly, it’s pretty smooth and responsive, and we’re really impressed by how precise it is with its movement.

Below the Digital crown is yet another button, one that’s flatter and oval in shape, which acts to turn on the display and cycle between the watch face homescreen and favorite contacts when it’s pressed – while long pressing gives us the option to lock the watch, power off, or place it in power reserve mode. Over on the left edge, the only two things there are the internal speaker and microphone. For Dick Tracy fans out there, they’ll be especially pleased to know that the Apple Watch can be used to make and receive phone calls – plus, there’s also Siri access as well.

On its underside, the circular sized mid-section juts out from the casing, which packs the Apple Watch’s new, custom heart rate sensor, to gently rest over our wrist. By just a cursory inspection, one might presume that this design choice might make for an awkward fit, but that’s hardly the case. Finally, another two buttons flank the heart rate sensor – their purpose is to release the strap from the case – it’s a simple and effortless procedure, which makes installing various straps a breeze.

Designated with an IPX7 certification, it means that the Apple Watch is water resistant – not waterproof. Essentially, it can withstand immersion in water up to 1 meter deep for 30 minutes at the maximum. However, you should know that not all of the bands are resistant to water either, so you’ll need to be aware about that. Even though it’s safeguarded against sweaty workouts, washing our hands, and even being caught in the rain, it’s not meant to be used prolonged for activities like showering or swimming.

All told, while it’s not the most unique looking smartwatch on the market, Apple treads the course cautiously by designing a very practical looking watch – one that’s precisely crafted and embodies the qualities of Apple’s meticulous approach to design. It’s not cheap looking or feeling, thankfully, but it also doesn't tend to be exorbitantly eye-catchy either.

Display

Impressively, it’s one of the best looking displays on a smartwatch – and it goes the extra step with Force Touch technology.

The centerpiece of the 38mm Apple Watch Sport is its 1.32-inch 272 x 340 OLED display, which is the first time we’ve seen the company dive into the world of OLED screens. And boy does it make a compelling splash! Interestingly, Apple classifies the screen’s pixel density figure of 272 ppi as being a Retina Display. Regardless, while we certainly have no qualms about its detail and sharpness, the 42mm variant gets treated to a slightly larger, 1.5” display panel with better resolution - 312 x 390 pixels.

We won’t deny that the screen is utterly beautiful, arguably one of the best we’ve seen in a smartwatch thus far – meeting and maybe eclipsing the LG G Watch R’s screen in the process. Impressively enough, the screen pops magnificently and gracefully with its potent brightness and vibrant colors. Topping it off, too, is the fact that the Sport edition is safeguarded by a layer of Ion-X strengthened scratch resistant glass, which is similarly employed by the iPhone 6. Meanwhile, the Watch stainless steel and Edition version are protected by the even tougher sapphire glass. From various angles and lighting conditions, we’re astounded by the screen’s ability to maintain its clarity – so colors don’t distort, nor is there much glare.

Already employed in its new Macbook line, Force Touch technology makes its presence known in the Apple Watch – where the screen is capable of differentiating a tap from a press. While it’s only supported by a few apps at the moment, it’s remarkable at how well it works. For example, if we want to change the homescreen clock face, we can gently press into the display for it to ‘minimize’ the panel, and from there, scroll to the watch face we want to use. Normally, something like this would be done by just doing a long press on the screen, but Force Touch works exquisitely to differentiate a tap from a press.

Interface and Functionality

Embodying the foundational qualities of iOS, the interface very much mimics the operation of its smartphone counterpart – simplicity is delivered with great pride.

Running a variation of Apple’s iOS, the Apple Watch dives right in with a comprehensive user interface that’s powerful right from the onset . Okay, to a certain degree, even veteran iPhone users will still need some adjustment getting used to the software, but it’s something that can be achieved in about a day. For those unfamiliar with iOS, obviously, the experience might seem a little bit overwhelming – more so when interacting with the UI can sometimes be done in multiple ways (digital crown, touch, and voice).

Simplicity, that’s the core foundation of Apple’s experiences – whether it’s the Apple TV or the iPhone, having a simplified experience is what they’re always after. Pressing either of the physical buttons on the Apple Watch, or rotating our wrist so that we see the display, the first thing we’re greeted to is the watch face homescreen, which of course, can be changed and customized to fit your liking. From conventional ones that merely show the time, to utility centric ones that provide weather and calendar information, and even the animation style of Mickey’s tapping foot, there’s a decent amount of options to choose from.

Pressing on the digital crown from within the clock face homescreen transports us into the apps tray, which resembles an almost honeycomb-like layout. Of course, moving around can be done by swiping on the screen – while rotating the digital crown allows us to zoom in/out for a more precise look at the collection of apps. As we’ve said previously, pressing on the digital crown also acts as the back function, but a long press gets us access to Siri.

Siri

Yes, we can long press at any time to get Siri’s attention, but she can also be summoned by speaking “hey Siri” at any time when the screen is on – it won’t work if it’s locked or the screen is off. Just like what we get from Siri on the iPhone, we’re able to accomplish a handful of tasks. From asking what’s the weather condition, getting directions to a destination, and even answering trivia questions, Siri works rather well in being a useful personal digital assistant on our wrist – though, she doesn’t speak, so it’s more about the visuals here.

Glances

Swiping up from the clock face homescreen reveals a feature called Glances. As its name implies, they’re best described as a collection of mini apps/widgets that are arranged in a carousel. The important ones like the connectivity options, battery capacity, and fitness overview are there from the start, but in addition to them, we can set it up to show third party apps. Specifically, we can set the Twitter app to show recent tweets from friends – or go between radio stations with Pandora. Now, as much as we appreciate these Glances, it would’ve been more beneficial if they were accessible at any time – not just from the watch style homescreen.

Notifications

Not surprisingly, the notifications system follows the same procedure as other mobile devices – where they pop in as they arrive. However, if we want to access them afterwards, they can only be seen by swiping down from the homescreen. Indeed, this implementation is discrete, but it’s also deep as well, because for most of them, we can make actionable choices – like replying to text messages. When multiple notifications arrive, however, it becomes a bit overwhelming because there’s no way to clear all of them simultaneously.

Organizer

Almost every smartwatch is capable of handling all organizer functions, so it’s no surprise that the Apple Watch can do the same. Whether it’s the calendar, stock, or timer apps, they all function in the manner we expect – though, it’s just a matter of getting adjusted to interacting with them through such a tiny-sized screen.

Using the Phone app, we can use the Apple Watch to get in touch with our contacts through other unconventional means. With the aid of the Apple Watch’s Digital Touch feature, we can send finger paintings, taps, and an animated emoji to other people in our phonebook that are using an Apple Watch too. Even better, for that personal touch, we can send our heartbeat to them – where the Taptic Engine inside of the watch, a linear actuator, delivers a human touch of providing haptic feedback. It’s cool, though with relatively limited use.

Messaging

No folks, you’re not going to text by typing using the tips of your fingers on some sort of on-screen keyboard – that’s just not practical, of course. Instead, when it comes to replying or composing messages, the Apple Watch provides some common phrases and emojis to choose from, but the best result is relying on Siri to compose the message for us. In our experience, the dictation is pretty spot on!

Alternatively, there’s the mail app that displays all our emails in one universal inbox. Unfortunately, it can’t be broken down or separated into their individual accounts – nor is there a way to respond or reply, so you’ll need to do all of that through your iPhone.

Apple Pay

Slowly and steadily, we’re seeing many more retailers offering Apple Pay as a form of payment. And of course, the Apple Watch aims to streamline the process of paying for goods and services even easier. Looking through the apps tray, there’s an icon for Passbook, which not only allows us to access the existing set of cards in our catalog, like the Starbucks one that displays our scannable membership number, but also the credit card we’d like to use for payment. Well, it needs to be set up again, even if it’s activated and working on our iPhone.

Health and Fitness

In addition to being a versatile companion that offers us some of the basic functions of our iPhone, the Apple Watch is also a motivator with its health and fitness services. First, let’s talk about the Activity App, which is also a separate app that’s installed on our iPhone apart from the standard Apple Watch app. Talk about simplicity again! The Activity app is a simple and effective tool that visualizes our activity through the day by representing data through the ‘move’ ring. Gathering the data from the Apple Watch’s sensors, it’s able to tell us how frequently we’re moving, the amount of time spent on exercising, and the total time we’ve spent standing up.

It’s really ingenious, as the Move Ring visualizes our progress, but the data s further dissected by swiping down to see the information represented in a graph bar. Better yet, there’s a motivational aspect where various achievements can be unlocked based on our progress. And finally, too, if we’re not moving as much as the Apple Watch would like us to be, it’ll nudge us with a notification to stand up and move.

Aside from the Activity app, there’s a dedicated Workout app too that’s recommended for the more physically active user. With it, we can select what particular type of workout we’re going to be doing, whether it’s an indoor or outdoor run, so it can be set in the proper mode to achieve the best and most accurate measurements – like our distance covered, pace, amount of calories burned, and heart rate levels. Honestly, though, we find it to be a bit basic in its current iteration, but we imagine that it’ll be expanded more down the road. It’s no Fitbit app yet, but it’s a starting point nonetheless.

Processor and Memory

From swipes, taps, presses, opening apps, and much more, it’s nice to see that fluid performance that we all experience with Apple’s products.

Dealing with a finite amount of precious real-estate, the Apple S1 chip is touted by the company as an engineering marvel due to the fact that they’re able to put an entire computer system into a such a small chip – that consists of the memory, storage, application processor, wireless radios, and sensors.

Superficially, the Apple Watch performs much like the gamut of Apple’s device portfolio – buttery smooth with simple operations. There’s no arguing about its smoothness navigating and running apps, but we’ve experienced, on a handful of occasions, just a little bit of delay. It’s not bad to the point of stopping us dead in our tracks, but still noticeable enough to the eye. In comparing it with some Android Wear watches, we’ll certainly say it exhibits a similar performance to some of the more notable, high-end models.

Billed as having 8GB of internal storage, that tally translates to 6.2GB out of the box – where up to 2GB of it can be allocated to music, while another 75MB can be put aside for photos.

Internet and Connectivity

Sorry folks, as much as some users may like to surf the web on the Apple Watch, it’s not something that it offers. Well, that makes perfect sense to us, mainly because it’d be a nightmare trying to navigate web pages on such a tiny screen.

Since this is an extension for the iPhone, rather than being a dedicated thing like the Samsung Gear S or upcoming LG Urbane LTE, the Apple Watch needs to be tethered to an iPhone to gain its full usability. While it does have Wi-Fi support, the Apple Watch relies on its Bluetooth 4.0 LE connection as its primary means of connectivity to our iPhone. Therefore, not only are we able to receive text messages through the Apple Watch, but we can also handle phone calls too. From what we’ve experienced, the connection is maintained up to as much as 30 feet before being severed.

Camera

The Apple Watch acts as your iPhone’s viewfinder, so that shots can be framed perfectly.

Looking into the apps tray, there’s obviously an icon with a camera on it – yet, there’s no physical camera on the Apple Watch itself. Well folks, the Apple Watch merely acts as a remote shutter for your iPhone’s camera. Not only do we see the viewfinder through the Apple Watch, but we can take a snapshot at a moment’s notice by pressing on the corresponding button on-screen. It’s not something new, as many Android Wear watches offer this too, but it’s nice that touch focus and burst mode controls are offered.

Naturally, we can achieve some slick compositions with the help of the Apple Watch – like better selfies, just because that enables us to use the rear camera for the occasion. Once a snapshot is taken, it’s transferred and then accessible through the iPhone’s photo gallery app.

Multimedia

After choosing what folder in your iPhone you want to associate with the Photos App on the Apple Watch, content will start to appear in your standard grid-like layout. At first, it might be tough trying to discern them, but using the digital crown to smoothly zoom allows us to better visualize them. Viewing and zooming are basically the extent of the app’s function, so don’t expect to be doing any sharing.

If you happen to own an Apple TV, you can make good use out of the Apple Watch’s remote app. Either that, or go to your computer that’s running iTunes and associate it with that too – so you can control what’s playing in your library or iTunes Radio.

With the Music app, however, it not only acts as a remote too, but it’s a full functioning app that permits us to select a song that’s stored in our iPhone’s catalog. In staying true to the platform’s foundations, the Music app boasts a simple interface that breaks the categories down to artists, albums, songs, and playlist. Not only can we select something, but once it’s playing, we’re given music controls and volume adjustment.

Even though it’s probably capable of doing it, video playback isn’t something we’d think as being practical for the Apple Watch. Well, it seems like Apple certainly agrees – leaving that experience with the iPhone instead.

Call Quality

Love that we can handle phone calls, dislike that it’s a trying experience at times.

It’s been done before, a long time ago in fact by other smartwatches like the original Samsung Galaxy Gear, but the Apple Watch, too, is enabled for handling phone calls. Just as you’d imagine, we can initiate phone calls using the Phone app.

As much as we admire having this feature, it’s something you’ll only be using effectively in quiet conditions. Due to the weak output of its internal speaker, voices are easily subdued by background noise and disturbances. On the other end of the line, our callers struggle to make out our voices, which could be due to how close or far away the microphone is from our mouth. Sure, there’s a cool factor lifting our wrist near our mouth to handle phone calls, but at times it can be a meddling experience.

Battery

It’s average, just enough to get us through a day – and that’s all.

From what we’ve seen with most smartwatches, a typical result is a single-day of usage from a full charge – with few models exceeding that. The Apple Watch, much like the many notable Android Wear smartwatches floating around, produces a typical one-day of battery in our experience with its 205 mAh battery. By the end of the day, it’s typically running under the 15% mark, which is still commendable, but nothing spectacular.

Although inductive charging isn’t new, Apple packs in an inductive magnetic charger with the Apple Watch, which latches onto the charging disc with the help of magnets. No doubt it’s secure and whatnot, but it’s just another charger we’ll need to remember bringing if we go away. Nevertheless, we find it better than the handful of detached, proprietary chargers.

Conclusion

Almost hard to believe, the modern day smartwatch category has been around for quite some time – fostered by companies such as Pebble and Samsung with the Galaxy Gear a few years back, only to be expanded even further by the handful of Android Wear smartwatches the last year. In all of that time, we have yet to still see one clear smartwatch worthy enough to earn the prestigious honor of being a necessity, rather than being merely a want product. Some have come close to perfecting the current formula, like the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R, but there has yet to be a clear winner in the space.

So, where does the Apple Watch fit into all of this? First, we can’t neglect to talk about its pricing, which starts at $349 for the base 38mm model of the Apple Watch Sport. Already, even without any upgrades to the band or anything else, that’s one expensive price point that makes the $250 and below priced Android Wear smartwatches considerably more affordable. There’s a deliberate reason why it’s priced so much. It’s mainly because they’ve developed and employed some new technologies that make for one clever interaction, and it also helps that the software experience is already at a good depth from the onset.

Aesthetically, we’re not totally won over by its design, despite the fact that there are models with more premium finishes and bands – it’s still a bit too conventional for our taste. Quite frankly, it doesn’t have the futuristic appeal of the Moto 360, or the elegance of comparable smartwatches like the Asus ZenWatch and LG Watch Urbane. For what it’s worth, though, it's still a stylish piece of accessory, plus we can't deny the fact that it has been designed with an efficient, unisex style in mind.

Functionally, like we said earlier, the Apple Watch is in a good position out of the gate. For starters, there’s a decent support for third-party apps, Siri’s voice activation is spot on, and the ability to handle phone conversations gives it great depth. And it helps too that iOS users can adjust to the platform’s operation in just a matter of a day, so there’s no complications regarding its use.

Ultimately, though, this is still a want more than a need. Yes, it’s a useful thing to use when it’s just not appropriate or comfortable to be using your phone, but it’s still just an extension – where its usability hinges on support not only from Apple, but from app developers as well. It’s a good first try, better than most others, but we can visualize something extraordinarily better with version 2.0.

Software version of the review unit: 1.0