This watch tells time, these are the opening words for the new apple watch series 5 ad. With my love of fitness, it made logical sense to add the apple watch series 5 to my smart tech collection. The sole purpose was to use it at the gym connecting to the technogym equipment. There are plenty of apps on the dedicated apple watch app store to download. I waited over 9 months for the new apple watch series 5 and I’m glad I did. I owned many Fitbit’s beforehand and went through many models the zip, charge HR and finally the blaze. The 30,000 steps in one day was a massive milestone for me. I spent well over the £200+ mark and the blaze was starting to fall apart.
Apple watch series 5
I pre-ordered the apple watch for £399 through curry’s PC world and it arrived on the release date of the 20th September. There’s an option to purchase the GPS plus cellar for an extra £100. My current mobile provider three does not have a sim ready for the watch. The series 5 key features are the always-on retina display, the added compass instead of GPS but the rest of the features and technical specs is identical to the series 4. Such as fall detection, ECG monitor, and period tracker. The unboxing of the apple watch series 5 is glorious itself, to the construction of the packaging box and unravelling the watch from the velvet pouch.
I spent a good month with the apple watch series 5, the first few days before two software updates. The battery life was poor, and the smart watch needed to be charged twice a day. I was used to doing 10,000 steps with the Fitbit system. Apple has an activity app, that you need to close the rings, you can set a number of calories you want to burn, 30 minutes of exercise and stand for a minute 12 times a day. I like how there is a gentle reminder before the hour to stand.
apple workout app
The watch should auto-detect when you’re working out but I find when I do light exercise like yoga and Pilates, I need to open the workout app. The workout app stays open during the exercise until you are finished. Whereas the Fitbit would accidentally end my workout when the side button was pressed.
heart rate monitor
My heart rate is not always being constantly monitored, but I like seeing the in-depth view of the heart rate during a workout, the resting rate, walking average and recovery.
construction and materials
The construction of the Apple Watch Series 5 is very well made. Buying the cheapest one for £399 it is made out aluminium material. The 40mm retina display is scratch-resistant, the heart rate sensor on the back is easy to clean with a swipe of a clean cloth.
The digital crown and haptic feedback give gentle feedback, the all app view looks clunky finding an app can get difficult.
apple pay
Apple pay is one of the other benefits of the smart watch, instead of getting my iPhone out the bag I just double click the side button to bring out the wallet with my stored cards and just tap with the contactless payment system.
apple ios apps
The most frequent apps I use on the watch are citymapper it has step by steps for my commute, even alerting me when to get off for my stop.
Dark sky has become my favourite weather app, it gives the most accurate weather reports even telling me the exact time to expect rain, how long it would be and the amount of rain. It is also one of my complications on my customised watch face.
Water reminder, yes, I do need an app to remind me when to drink a glass of water. You can easily miss the 2litres a day mark and this app helps spread the drink reminders throughout the day.
Cleaning
I found the Apple Watch 5 a breeze to clean, unlike my Fitbit dirt and old skin cells was hard to clean around the heart rate sensor. I simply can use a q-tip to clean around the apple’s heart rate sensor and the slots for the watch straps. The screen has no scratches whatsoever.
Cons
The only real con is that you need to stick to the Apple iOS system to use the series 5 watch. If I was to move to an android system the watch will become redundant.