I’d been debating for a long time whether or not to get an Apple Watch. Until now, I had an old Fitbit Charge, which was neither particularly practical nor comfortable. I’ve since decided on the Apple Watch Series 9 and have been wearing and using it for a few weeks.
First off, I have to admit that I’ve never really been a watch person. I own a watch or two, but I rarely wore them. Mainly because just telling the time wasn’t enough of a benefit for me to wear something on my wrist. So, I’m not used to having a watch on. And that has carried over to the Apple Watch. I often found myself pulling my smartphone out of my pocket to check the time instead of just looking at my watch. But I think that’s just a matter of habit.
But the Apple Watch is too impractical for just telling time. It wants to be fed with power every two days at the latest. Thanks to the MagSafe charger, this is surprisingly straightforward, at least with the included USB-C version. For on the go, I (unintentionally) bought the old USB-A version. It works, but it’s a bit fiddlier because you have to find the right position first. Even though charging is easy, it would be nicer if it were necessary less often. It’s already happened to me twice that the watch went into a deep sleep on the go due to a lack of power. Then, at the press of a button, it still shows the time, but that’s it. At least there’s that.
But even though the device has the word “Watch” in its name, it’s not really a watch. It’s a smart device meant to take over, expand, or supplement functions from the smartphone. The health functions are definitely expanded and supplemented. Regular pulse checks, a more precise step counter, and who knows what else. As a former couch potato, I have no clue about any of it. What does what mean? Why should I track my workout at the gym? How does that help my training? I have no idea yet, but I’ve also invested very little time in it. That’ll come. After all, that was one of the reasons for buying it. At least I don’t seem to have any major heart problems. As an overweight smoker, that’s quite reassuring.
However, what I’ve described so far can also be done by a sports watch from Garmin; the difference is the integration with iOS and the apps. The notifications from messengers are very handy. You can read messages, view received images, and reply to them. This also works with voice messages (which I loathe). You can also make phone calls, with my non-4G version, as long as the smartphone is nearby. But how good the notifications are depends on the app. Discord is very basic on the go. Text yes, replies yes, images only blurry, anything with voice no. YouTube Music doesn’t allow downloads to the watch, and neither does the Podcast app.
I’m disappointed with the apps. They either just control an app on the iPhone itself, or they’re simply poorly made. On the other hand, the display is also very small. It’s not easy to offer meaningful functions on such a small surface. Many therefore still rely on an iPhone app as the actual base and offer a few of its basic functions on the watch. A better example is Todoist, which is almost completely usable on the watch. But it’s also extremely fiddly, and in the end, I quickly reached for my smartphone. As in almost every situation, except for checking the time and writing very short replies. At least the display reliably turned on when I wanted to look at the watch.
Conclusion
The larger Apple Watch Series 9 costs just under €400. That doesn’t make it cheap, but it’s not more expensive than a Garmin either. Garmin is probably better when it comes to fitness functions, but its appearance also screams “sports watch.” The Apple Watch is more discreet here. On the other hand, for this price, you can also get a good model from Citizen—not smart, but with a much longer battery life.
The fitness functions of the Apple Watch are well-done, as is the health monitoring. I actually like the notifications too, but I still have to get used to them. However, it hasn’t established itself as a replacement for other apps for me yet. There are hardly any good apps for the watch. Do you know any that are so easy to use on the watch that you wouldn’t rather use them on your smartphone?