Apple Watch Sequence 2 Review (As Written By A Marathoner)

Apple Watch Sequence 2 Review (As Written By A Marathoner)

I prefer it as a smartwatch; less as a sports watch.
From $369+
When the Apple Watch first came out last yr, Engadget revealed not one however two critiques. There was the "official" assessment , which offered an overview of the gadget's features and, more essential, attempted to clarify who, if anybody, can buy it. Then there was a chunk I wrote , focusing specifically on the watch's capabilities (actually, drawbacks) as a running watch. Although we knew that many readers could be considering that side of the gadget, we had been cautious of derailing the overview by geeking out about marathoning.
This year, we needn't fear about that. With the brand new Apple Watch Series 2 , the company is explicitly positioning the gadget as a sports activities watch. Particularly, the second generation brings a built-in GPS radio for extra accurate distance tracking on runs, walks, hikes, bike rides and swims. Sure, swims: It's also waterproof this time, safe for submersion in up to 50 meters of water.
Beyond that, the opposite changes are efficiency-related, together with a quicker chip, longer battery life and a significant software program replace that makes the watch easier to make use of. Even so, the primary-gen version, which is able to continue to be sold at a lower price, is getting upgraded with the same firmware and dual-core processor. Meaning, then, that the Sequence 2's distinguishing options are mostly about health. And if you don't fancy your self an athlete, we are able to consider an even smarter buy.
Engadget Rating
watchOS three feels way more intuitive
Waterproof design means you can take it swimming
Constructed-in GPS is good for walkers, hikers and casual joggers
Display screen is greater than twice as bright
Works with the identical bands as the primary-gen watch
Cons
Average tempo calculations in exercises are sometimes off the mark
Distance monitoring in running falters for those who stop to walk
Exercise app is lacking features you may discover in different fitness apps
Extra watch faces, please
The Series 1 watch gives many of the same options for $one hundred less
Abstract
The Series 2 is the very best smartwatch you should purchase, but it surely's not the most effective sports activities watch. Even with the waterproofing and constructed-in GPS, it's best should you consider this as a fitness tracker - albeit, a very stylish, function-wealthy fitness tracker. The tempo calculations are often incorrect, which will annoy athletes training for occasions where pace matters. Walkers, hikers and leisure users might be much less bothered. Even so, the Collection 2 is similar enough to the cheaper Collection 1 that most people won't have sufficient of a motive to purchase the more expensive mannequin. You'd should either be a swimmer, or just keen on the concept of monitoring your miles each day.
Design
For all intents and purposes, the Series 2 is similar to the original. Apple says the brand new models are 9-tenths of a millimeter taller, permitting them to accommodate greater batteries. This was information to me: Once I first saw a tableful of the Series 2 watches on the firm's launch occasion earlier this month, I used to be positive the scale had been unchanged. The display sizes are otherwise the identical - 38mm and 42mm - which implies the respective bands will match both era of the machine. So in the event you're one of the few who's already upgrading to your second Apple Watch, you may maintain no matter bands you own.
The watch is out there in the identical finishes as before too, besides that an all-white (and apparently very sturdy) ceramic mannequin has changed last 12 months's 18-karat gold model as Apple's highest-end "Edition" offering. Most of us are likely to go for the aluminum version, which comes in gold, rose gold, silver and area grey and starts at $369 ($399 for 42mm), or the chrome steel mannequin, which is obtainable in two colours and is priced from $549.
Gallery: Apple Watch Series 2 assessment 15 Pictures
If you're looking for one thing completely different, a special-edition Nike+ version of the Apple Watch is popping out subsequent month. It is available in four decisions of sporty bands, that are comprised of the same elastomer as Apple's personal Sport strap, but are lighter-weight and easier to fasten. You may also get two exclusive Nike watch faces and support for Siri voice instructions - one thing you will not in any other case see in Apple Watch apps made by third-occasion builders. Speaking of the kind, Nike's run app comes pre-put in, although it's also obtainable in the App Retailer for anyone to download on any iOS or watchOS system. It's going to begin on the similar value as the Collection 2. Which is smart: It is basically the Sequence 2 with a couple of Nike extras thrown in.
Throughout the lineup, the Sequence 2's display screen is greater than twice as bright as earlier than, with an option to go as much as 1,000 nits. However as long as you will have auto-brightness turned on, you are unlikely to see the panel get that vibrant on its own - not until it's actually, really brilliant outside. Finishing our tour, you still have the rotating "digital crown" on the upper-right edge, with another physical button under that. Those buttons every work barely differently than they did before, but I am going to get to that in a moment, within the software program part.
For now, this is the very last thing I am going to say on the "recap" entrance earlier than I get to the new stuff: I counsel girls and thinner-wristed folks go for the daintier 38mm model. Yes, it still appears to be like like you will have a computer strapped to your wrist (you do!), however I discover it is small enough that it blends in with most outfits.
As a sports activities watch
As I write this, I am training for my seventh marathon. When the primary Apple Watch came out, I was unable to jot down Engadget's official review as a result of I used to be on "vacation," running the Paris Marathon. I do know a factor or two about operating.
And, because it occurs, I even have sturdy feelings about sports activities watches. I don't really ask much from them, though. Greater than anything, I need correct distance and pace monitoring, as well as enough battery energy to last by way of my slow 5-hour marathons.
The primary Apple Watch wasn't so good on the entire distance-tracking factor. But I had high hopes for this new model, which has its personal GPS and GLONASS radios inside, which means you no longer have to deliver your cellphone with you to attain the most accurate results. Although the GPS radio would not need to go through a calibration process, the constructed-in accelerometer does get smarter over time.
Actually, Apple doesn't suggest trying an indoor run earlier than logging not less than 20 minutes of outdoor operating. That's as a result of the watch needs time to learn your arm swing (and by extension, your stride). This would possibly come in useful throughout some of your outside runs too: In the event you happen to lose your GPS sign, the accelerometer will help fill in the blanks, however it'll have a neater time doing that if it is aware of how you move.
Indeed, when I tested the Sequence 2 alongside my trusty Garmin Forerunner 225, the gap hole was usually very slim. At some point, I ran the three.35-mile interior loop of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, and the 2 gadgets had been off by 0.03 miles: three.39 on the Garmin, and three.forty two on the Apple Watch. At first blush, this does not seem uncommon: Once I run with my training group, my buddies' devices usually present barely totally different numbers on the end of a run.
The problem is, even a seemingly minuscule distance hole can translate into a big difference in pace, by which I imply my common pace per mile as calculated on the finish of the run. Within the case of that 3.35-mile route, Garmin said I ran a ten:20 mile; Apple claimed my pace was 10:12. For sure, as a result of Garmin did a better job estimating my distance around the park, I belief its pace calculation extra too.
That tempo gap grew each time I allowed myself to walk. On one exercise the place I did walk/run intervals, the Series 2 and my trusty Garmin Forerunner 225 have been off by 0.eleven miles over roughly two hours and quarter-hour, or nine seconds on pace. The discrepancies widened further when I did these walk/run intervals on shorter routes. In one roughly forty two-minute exercise, the 2 watches were zero.09 miles off, resulting in a whopping 17-second difference in the common pace. Throughout, Apple's readouts advised I ran farther and sooner than I believe I did. (Replace: Corrected for a 1.2-second difference in total time, the distinction in tempo for that forty two-minute run was sixteen seconds, not 17. Nonetheless, not good.)
The Collection 2 and Garmin Forerunner 225 continuously disagreed on how briskly I ran. (Corrected for a 1.2-second distinction in elapsed time, the pace hole is sixteen seconds, not 17.)
Interestingly, Apple's calorie-burn estimate was at all times similar to that of both the Garmin and the treadmill at my health club. The guts-price readouts throughout my cross-coaching classes had been also on track (meaning: in the range I expected). I discovered all of this was true of the original Apple Watch too.
In any case, as a result of the issue here is the tempo calculation, and not whether I ran just a few hundredths of a mile less than the watch said I did, the Collection 2 might nonetheless be a very good fit for walkers, hikers and informal cyclists. It might even work for sometimes-runners who simply need a rough idea of how far and fast they are going. But I'd not suggest it for somebody like me who trains for occasions the place speed issues. I wish to know: Am I able to holding the tempo I would want to break my marathon record? I don't want Apple giving me false hope there.
Consider me, I am just as upset as you might be. Especially because the distance and pace monitoring appear to endure when I switch to walking. A few of the fastest, fittest runners I know slow down or stroll typically. Any sports activities watch value its salt should take that under consideration.
Talking of which, I know I sound like a damaged record repeating this in each story I write about the Apple Watch, however wouldn't it kill the corporate so as to add a run/stroll mode? Or interval exercises of any sort - even distance? These seem to me like pretty common, in-demand options, and what's extra, you can find a whole lot of them on cheaper gadgets. Anyhow, if you'd like them badly enough, you will obtain a 3rd-celebration working app, like RunKeeper, which are sometimes extra full-featured.
Gallery: Apple's Activity iPhone app 8 Pictures
The battery life right here is at the very least decent. Apple says the watch can last by means of five hours of continuous GPS exercise. Having executed some testing, though, I consider that's truly a conservative estimate. After a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute run with auto-pause and no heart-rate monitoring, I used to be right down to 78 p.c. That may have been lots to final me by the remainder of the day and into the night, and then it was simple enough to recharge whereas I was in the bathe. Just as essential, the truth that I misplaced only 22 p.c of my charge throughout such a long run means perhaps I actually might end a 5-hour marathon with out depleting the battery.
I additionally like Apple's slick-wanting Exercise app for the iPhone. As on other working apps, you possibly can see a map of your route, together with the weather conditions you ran via that day. Right here, though, you additionally get colour-coded strains displaying where you sped up and slowed down. It's a good contact, however can we get some mile markers on the map too, Apple? Oh, and an elevation chart would be nice. Heck, if Apple wanted to study established gamers like Garmin, it might even throw in things like minimum, maximum and common cadence and steps per minute. Nike, meanwhile, is known for its cool photo function. Some kind of picture tool seems like a no-brainer right here, especially with the iPhone's cameras being as good as they're.
I'm not saying the common person will demand all this stuff, however without them, why would a critical (and model-loyal) runner like me switch? Particularly in the event you might get a more feature-wealthy sports activities watch for the same price or less?
Swimming
There's one factor I can not argue with: The Collection 2 watch actually is waterproof. Whereas final year's mannequin was splash-resistant, the new mannequin can deal with immersion in up to 50 meters of water. Engadget's senior cellular editor Chris Velazco took one for a dip on the Jersey Shore, and he did not break it. The watch is still "ticking," so to speak.
What's extra, Apple added two swim workouts - pool and open-water-swimming - which the company mentioned it examined on 700 swimmers of various skills, for a complete of around 1,500 workouts. Relying on the sort of workout you choose, the Apple Watch makes use of totally different methods to trace your distance. In a pool, you'll be able to program the length of the pool, at which point Apple can detect while you've rotated for an additional lap. In open-water swimming, the watch's GPS radio pulls in your location each time your hand is above water to trace the place and how far you've gone. In addition to counting pool laps, the watch can calculate your average pace and even detect the type of stroke you are doing. That last half matters because it has a bearing on calorie burn. There is a purpose most of us don't benefit from the butterfly: It is onerous!
Whatever the swim exercise you choose, the watch will robotically lock the display screen to stop unintended "touches" (water can typically register as a faucet). Once you're out of the water, rotate the digital crown to unlock the display and eject water from the speakers. What occurs there may be that the audio system use their very own vibration to push out any remaining water. It is a neat solution, considering the audio system have been the one a part of the machine that could not be completely sealed. You may in all probability also benefit from the retro arcade-esque beeps that the watch emits while releasing water. However, you may also be disenchanted to find that the water would not burst from the watch's orifices like an open hearth hydrant. You might not even see a trickle.
As a smartwatch
The Series 2 arrived about the same time as watchOS 3, the third and finest version of Apple's smartwatch software. And by the most effective, I mean that is the operating system the corporate should have launched on the original Apple Watch.
Along with being quicker, watchOS three has a much more intuitive person interface, with a revamped layout that generally requires much less swiping and tapping than it used to. Now you possibly can press the aspect button to open a brand-new "Dock," the place you possibly can swipe horizontally via thumbnails of latest and favorite apps. Simply as handy, these previews refresh within the background. So if it is my Exercise Rings I'm after, I can see them at a glance and get a tough sense of how I'm doing. Relying on how a lot element I would like in that second, I might not even must open the app.
That aspect button serves a second goal, by the best way: An non-obligatory "SOS" function allows you to hold down that key to call emergency companies in no matter nation you happen to be in. In contrast to another options in watchOS three, this is one you really should choose into to make use of. That's in all probability a very good factor - we wouldn't need anybody by accident and unknowingly calling the police.
Another intuitive thing: You can swipe right and left on the house display screen to cycle by whatever watch faces you've loaded onto the gadget. Certainly, there are some new faces on provide, and you will discover them all in a brand-new face gallery in the Watch app. Including and removing faces is intuitive, as is reordering them and choosing different accent colors (oh, the choices there). My only grievance right here is that typically when I might swipe left and right on the house display, my swipes would not register at first; I might should try again earlier than I may get to the watch face I wished. Additionally, although I like the watch faces accessible, I wish I had more choices. Why not open this function up to exterior builders?
Gallery: watchOS three screenshots 12 Images
You will have gathered already that Exercise is considered one of my most-used Watch apps. And it's not simply because I'm a bit of a fitness nut. Even on days when I am not operating, there's one thing addictive about finishing my three color-coded Activity Rings. On days when I forget to put on my watch, I regret that I do not get credit score for all my New York pace-walking.
All that stated, there was apparently room for the app to get higher. With watchOS three, Apple added social sharing, so you possibly can see how far alongside your friends are in assembly their every day fitness goals. Once you've sent a connection request and your pal has accepted, you can check out them by swiping left to a second display screen in the Exercise app. You will be notified when your buddies finish a exercise, earn an achievement or shut their rings. It's also possible to ship textual content messages from contained in the app, with so-known as Smart Replies designed specifically for activity sharing (and smack talk). Lastly, the Activity app is now optimized for wheelchairs, with an choice to trace wheelchair push counts instead of steps.
In the same vein as the Exercise app, watchOS 3 ushers in a new "Breathe" app that encourages users to stop what they're doing and breathe deeply. Simply take a minute to inhale and exhale as you watch an on-display graphic contract and increase. Although I used to be aggravated to find that Breathe notifications can't be completely disabled, the app did turn out to be useful on a latest subway commute, where I used to be in any other case feeling irritated by all of the pushy people around me. If meditating is your cup of tea, you possibly can alter both the target respiration rate and the length of the session. If it isn't, you can dismiss the notifications - for the day, at the least.
Meanwhile, in Apple's Exercises app you, can now assign names to miscellaneous exercises in order that you don't have to accept the "Other" label. Think: yoga, stomach dancing, et cetera. There's that auto-pause function I discussed earlier, which works for both indoor and outdoor runs. (You'll feel a "tick" on your wrist when the stopwatch pauses itself.) Additionally, you'll be able to mark segments in any exercise by double-tapping the display. And you may hit Fast Start for your most typical workout types - another example of how watchOS 3 usually requires fewer faucets than it used to.
Quite a lot of the other new stuff in watchOS three matches what you will find in iOS 10. In Messages, you'll be able to ship so-known as Tapbacks, which allow you to reply to a message by adding a thumbs-up, coronary heart or different pictorial reaction by tapping moderately than hitting "reply." That is significantly useful on a watch, the place you can't sort something and probably want to minimize scrolling by means of dozens of lines of emoji.
Talking of replies, you also get a "Scribble" function, which is precisely what it appears like: You can draw letters and hearts on the display screen along with your finger. For now, that feature is out there solely in English and Traditional and Simplified Chinese language, but it surely wouldn't surprise me if Apple incrementally added assist for more languages. Rounding out the checklist of Messages features, you get entry to those animated full-display screen effects that make texting so addictive on iOS 10.
Other options borrowed from iOS (and even macOS): a new House app, where you may control any sensible home gadgets based on Apple's HomeKit commonplace. There's a new Reminders app and complication. Discover My Buddies is now on Apple Watch for the primary time. And, as I mentioned in my macOS Sierra evaluate this week, you should utilize watchOS 3 to unlock your Sierra Mac. In concept, setting this up merely requires having two-factor authentication enabled and checking off a box in your system settings, however I wasn't in a position to get the function to work till I reset my iCloud password. Hopefully you will have better luck there.
Performance and battery life

All through, the Collection 2 feels quick - gone are the times while you'd have to wait a number of seconds for an app to load. That's partly because watchOS 3 itself is faster and more efficient, but it surely's also due to the second-gen watch's new, quicker "S2" chip. All informed, Apple says the dual-core CPU inside can deliver up to a 50 p.c efficiency gain, while the GPU is as much as twice as quick as on final 12 months's watch.
The Sequence 2 does indeed really feel materially faster than the unique. Apps load quickly, it is simple to swipe left into second screens, and the background updates have been super-helpful. I occasionally discover some lag when scrolling up and down; maybe that's something Apple can deal with in subsequent year's software program update. Even so, watchOS 3 and the Collection 2 specifically are huge improvements relating to sheer pace and effectivity.
Although Apple says the Series 2 watches are slightly taller to accommodate a bigger battery, the corporate lists the battery life as the same for the 38mm and 42mm fashions: as much as 18 hours. In my day-to-day use, I discovered I might depart the home early in the morning - say, between 7 and 8 - and return some 14 hours later with as much as half a charge left. That is assuming I used the watch intermittently, checking in sometimes to peek at my Exercise Rings and dismiss these incessant "Stand" reminders. You still need to cost the watch as soon as a day, however that never really bothered me. It is not like I will sleep with that huge factor on my wrist, so why not just let it rest on its magnetic charging disc in a single day?
The competition
The Garmin Vivosmart HR+
In a way, the new Apple Watch's biggest competitors is actually.. the previous Apple Watch. The unique mannequin remains to be being bought below a brand new title, the Series 1 , and at a decrease starting value: $269 (make that $299 if you'd like the larger 42mm version). What's extra, the Series 1 now ships with the same twin-core processor because the Series 2, to not point out watchOS three. That means the variations between the two models are few: The newer version has a 1,000-nit screen as a substitute of a 450-nit one; built-in GPS; and waterproofing. There'll at all times be people who need the newest and best (or who wish to go for a swim), but I predict that this vacation season, many people will opt for the cheaper model as a substitute.
Past that, it is not helpful to say that the Collection 2 competes with each different smartwatch on the market; let's as a substitute give attention to gadgets that are primarily as sports watches but additionally do typical smartwatch issues, like deal with notifications. Samsung has the $one hundred eighty Gear Fit 2 , which we known as Samsung's finest wearable but, because of its GPS, automated exercise tracking and trendy design. The problem? It's Android-just for now.
For $250, Garmin's Vivosmart HR+ has GPS, a water-proof design, help for biking and a battery rated for eight days total or 13 hours of GPS activity. And, yes, it really works with iOS. You may additionally be considering the Moto 360 Sport (now $200), however as we found in our assessment, the Android Wear watch doesn't operate practically as properly when paired with an iPhone.
Wrap-up
The Series 2 is an efficient smartwatch, however not the most effective sports watch. I always appreciated the provision of apps for the Apple Watch, but I am particularly fond of the revamped format in watchOS three - the whole lot is less complicated to seek out, usually with much less tapping and swiping than earlier than.
However considering that the Collection 2 is being positioned as extra of a sports activities watch, and that the GPS radio is likely one of the few issues distinguishing it from the older Sequence 1, it is disappointing that the tempo calculation is usually off the mark. Apple's personal Exercise and Exercise apps may gain advantage from extra features too - things like mile markers on operating maps, elevation charts and interval settings. In any case, if all you want is distance tracking (which means pace is irrelevant to you), the Series 2 will make a fantastic companion on walks, hikes and perhaps even casual jogs. But it isn't precise sufficient for athletes in coaching.
Principally, it is a very fashionable, characteristic-wealthy fitness tracker. For most people, the cheaper Sequence 1 is a better bet, because it has the same processor and OS as the Series 2 and works simply as well as a smartwatch. Actually, I might recommend the newer mannequin only to individuals who swim. Even then, as with operating, it is probably greatest for recreational use. Apple may characteristic critical-looking athletes in its adverts, but in the end, the Collection 2 is not strong enough for these folks to surrender their devoted sports watches simply yet.
Pictures by Chris Velazco
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