Why upgrade Apple Watch?

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Took me a bit to figure it out but I have a series 5. My main reason to upgrade is that if I don't put it in low power mode as soon as I put it on in the morning it will be dead by 3 PM. Before my series 5 I had a series 1.

I just don't hear about any major advancements with the Apple Watch. Have I missed anything newsworthy in its history?

 

[rdrr]

I have an apple watch series 7 and am wondering this as well. I haven't heard if the Blood O2 monitor patent dispute has been resolved. Plus I love the blue aluminum case, and am not fond of the current color offerings.

 

[Edd]

I have a 6, and my main interest in getting a 10 would be sleep apnea detection, although the notion of wearing a watch sleeping sounds unpleasant.

My workplace has a cool program in which you get an Apple Watch, pay $65 for activation, then pay it off monthly over 2 years, except if you work out enough according to the watch, you may pay nothing at all. I’m reasonably disciplined with exercise, so for the 6 I paid the $65, then paid $14 for the month I had COVID in 2022, and that was it. I’ll probably get the 10 based on that experience.

 

[MacPoulet]

Just got my partner a series 10 after her series 6’s screen died. Repair cost was almost a new watch. So far the only thing she’s noticed is it tells her the water temperature in the pool, which impressed the rest of the swim team.

 

[Herdfan]

Offspring had a 5, got her a 10 with her 16 Pro.

No specifics, but she says the 10 is way nicer than the 5.

 

[Kenjivery]

I totally get where you're coming from with the battery life issue – it's been a struggle for me too with my Series 4. I’ve noticed that if I don’t use low power mode, it starts dying by mid-afternoon, which is pretty frustrating. As for upgrades, I haven't seen any groundbreaking changes either, other than some tweaks to the fitness features and a few extra sensors.

 

[diamond.g]

I went from a Series 6 to Ultra after Apple declined to change the battery (it was showing 79% until they updated it to the latest Os at the time and it went back to 80%). At this point the O2 sensor needs to come back before any new features entices me to upgrade.

 

[Edd]

I have a 6, and my main interest in getting a 10 would be sleep apnea detection, although the notion of wearing a watch sleeping sounds unpleasant.

My workplace has a cool program in which you get an Apple Watch, pay $65 for activation, then pay it off monthly over 2 years, except if you work out enough according to the watch, you may pay nothing at all. I’m reasonably disciplined with exercise, so for the 6 I paid the $65, then paid $14 for the month I had COVID in 2022, and that was it. I’ll probably get the 10 based on that experience.

Pulled the trigger on the 10. If I had to pay full price I wouldn’t have done it. In the last few months I’ve bought an iPad Air 13”, iPhone 16, AirPods Pro 2, all of which were much steeper upgrades than this. Hopefully, I’ll be surprised.

Somebody stop me from buying Apple shit, I’m out of control.

 

[Herdfan]

Anyone know what’s up with weather apps and the watch.

I have a face where it can display the current temp, but both the Apple weather app and Accuweather will just drop showing the temp.

Anyone have a good weather app for the watch?

 

[swk9]

I realized I have the Series 5 watch and hence cannot use it as a key for my car since that requires the latest iOS. I found out my cell provider was giving away the Pixel Watch for free with a plan. I bought one for my parents since they are switching to Android to get a folding phone. I will take over their Series 6 when the Google watch arrives.

I usually get the stainless steel as I like it shiny but this year the aluminum jet black looks tempting as with the thinness. For now I'll stick with the old watch and see when we'll get the extra sensor features.

 

[fischersd]

I had the SE (got it as a replacement for my Series 3 when it died on vacation in Thailand) - unfortunately only a few weeks before the SE2 came out - outside of the return window *sigh*.

The SE was a fine watch, no complaints, but it was no longer supported by WatchOS (first time I missed out on the early WatchOS betas) - so I jumped to the 10 as soon as it came out. It has a fair bit more screen real estate. And Siri is a lot more useful - "Siri, unlock the front door" - use that a lot when coming home with groceries and my hands are full. It's more fluid / better performing than the SE. No glitches. Watch Series 10 (Cellular) Titanium 46MM.

 

[MacPoulet]

I realized I have the Series 5 watch and hence cannot use it as a key for my car since that requires the latest iOS. I found out my cell provider was giving away the Pixel Watch for free with a plan. I bought one for my parents since they are switching to Android to get a folding phone. I will take over their Series 6 when the Google watch arrives.

I usually get the stainless steel as I like it shiny but this year the aluminum jet black looks tempting as with the thinness. For now I'll stick with the old watch and see when we'll get the extra sensor features.

The thickness of the series 10 is a little deceptive in real life. We had to compare my partner's jet black series 10 to my series 7 to really see how thin it is. Like it's a little flatter and the screen is marginally larger, but you wouldn't notice unless they're side by side.

Jet black is okay, but I kinda prefer my stainless steel grey.

 

[swk9]

The thickness of the series 10 is a little deceptive in real life. We had to compare my partner's jet black series 10 to my series 7 to really see how thin it is. Like it's a little flatter and the screen is marginally larger, but you wouldn't notice unless they're side by side.

Jet black is okay, but I kinda prefer my stainless steel grey.

I just saw the series 10 in person and I completely agree with all your points. Jet black is fine but I preferred the space black comparing them side by side.

Speaking of old designs, I miss the more squarish look of the early Apple Watches especially with the link bracelet on the silver stainless steel. I thought Apple could push more for a Cartier Tank-like look with it but instead they rounded it up more over the years.

 

[Kenjivery]

I totally get where you're coming from with the battery life issue – it's been a struggle for me too with my Series 4. I’ve noticed that if I don’t use low power mode, it starts dying by mid-afternoon, which is pretty frustrating. As for upgrades, I haven't seen any groundbreaking changes either, other than some tweaks to the fitness features and a few extra sensors.

I feel like the Apple Watch is starting to plateau a bit.
That said, I did see a replica patek philippe the other day that got me thinking—sometimes, it's not about all the tech in the world, but just having something that looks sleek and works well.