Apple Watch Series 6

Apple Watch Series 6

The Apple Watch Series 6 is a full featured smartwatch released in September 2020. Apple has been manufacturing smartwatches since 2015 and are currently on their 6th generation. This generation offers evolutionary improvements and consists of 2 watches: the SE and this Series 6 flagship.

The Watch Series 6 is using the new Apple S6 Chip processor. This is a new processor released in 2020 is an upgrade over the S5 chip in the Apple Watch SE. That being said performance is excellent however battery life continues to be disappointing.

The operating system for the Watch Series 6 is watchOS (Apple’s operating system designed for smartwatches). Currently on version 7, this operating system is very polished and works well.  Like all Apple Watches, the Series 6 has access to the Apple App Store is is a great feature when compared to smartwatches with proprietary operating systems that have no access to 3rd party apps.

Design

The Series 6 has a rectangular watch face design with a aluminum, stainless steel or titanium case.  This stays true to the rectangular design of previous Apple watches. The watch is available in the following colors: silver, gray, gold, blue or red depending on case material. The options to customize the watch case, colors and straps are large.

Apple Watch Series 6 Colors

While many people prefer the more traditional circular watch, the Watch Series 6 has an attractive design and build quality is excellent. This smartwatch is medium sized at 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm and weighs 36.5g. The watch is slim with a thickness of 10.7 mm. It is comfortable and can be worn while sleeping. There is also a smaller 40mm version of this watch with a smaller screen and slightly lower battery life

The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with either a 24mm polyester, fluoroelastomer or leather interchangeable straps depending on what you choose. Fluoroelastomer is a synthetic rubber strap that is supposed to be more resistant to heat, moisture and oil than silicone. Straps are high quality matching the overall upscale look and feel of this watch.

You can interact with the watch using the touchscreen, 1 physical button and digital crown. The digital crown is a unique feature that provides haptic feedback. When rotating the crown, you will feel clicks and bumps depending on where you are in the application. This feedback works very well. The rectangular touchscreen is also excellent with no lag. Fonts, menus and icons can easily be read and navigation is not too complex.

Apple Watch Series 6 Crown

The Watch Series 6 has a 5ATM water resistance rating which allows for swimming and showers. Unlike many smartwatches that exaggerate their water resistance, the Apple Watch Series 6 performs well in pools and showers. The watch comes with a water lock mode that disables the touchscreen. The watch can be unlocked by turning the digital crown. This will also clear water from the watch and speaker.

Screen

The screen of the Watch Series 6 is one of the highlights of this smartwatch. The 1.78″ Retina LTPO OLED with 448 x 368 pixelsdelivers a high-quality visual experience. Indoors the display is excellent while outdoors it is good.

The Watch Series 6 uses Sapphire Glass to protect the screen. That being said, this is not a rugged watch and we imagine most people looking to purchase would not be doing activities that will be damaging the watch.

The watch has an always on screen option but this has a significant impact on battery life. The watch allows for custom watchfaces which is a nice feature.

Battery

Apple claims that typical usage battery life is 0.75 days. Real world battery life matches this claim and is one of the biggest disappointments of this watch. Some smartwatches have battery life measured in weeks not days, albeit these watches typically have less functionality then what is found in the Apple Watch Series 6.

Connectivity Features

From a connectivity perspective, the Watch Series 6 has good functionality and can receive and respond to notifications from the watch.

Like all Apple watches, the Series 6 only works with an Apple iPhone on iOS 14 or later. That being said the watch works extremely well when paired to an iPhone and complements it well. Note there is an LTE version of the Series 6. The LTE version is a good option if you are looking to completely replace your smartphone with your smartwatch.

The Watch Series 6 has both a speaker and a microphone and has the ability to both answer and place calls via Bluetooth.

The speaker and microphone work well for both incoming and outgoing calls. The speaker can be used to play music stored on the 32GB internal memory. The Watch Series 6 does not have a camera and the standard version does not have does not have cellular connectivity. An LTE version exists as well, if you are looking for 4G connectivity.

On the positive side, it does come with built-in GPS. GPS connectivity is fast and accuracy is good. Some additional features are fall detection and emergency SOS.

Finally, Near Field Communication (NFC) is supported and you can use this smartwatch to make payments using Apple Pay. This is another big benefit for this smartwatch. Many competitors cannot boast a payment option with their smartwatches.

Apple Watch Series 6 Payments

Health and Fitness Features

The Watch Series 6 comes with 9 sensors: Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient light, Barometer, Compass, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Pulse Oximeter (SpO2). These cover numerous fitness and health areas.

These sensors allow you to track the following 13 metrics: Blood Oxygen Level, Calories, Distance, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Incidental Fall, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max. SpO2 and ECG are the added health features the Series 6 provides over the Watch SE.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is one of the top fitness and health focused smartwatches available today. Heart rate monitoring, even for intervals, is better than most other smartwatches. Note that Tattoos, hair, sweat and even skin color are factors that impact accuracy. While the ECG and SpO2 are not medically certified, they are nice health tracking features that many other watches currently lack.

Apple Watch App

The Apple Watch Series 6 uses the Apple Watch app, which is very good particularly for fitness and sports tracking. The app is not cluttered, easy to navigate and works quite well.

Internal Photos

Known Issues

As this watch has just recently been released, there are no common known issues.

Verdict

Apple’s flagship is arguably the best smartwatch available.  Full of features and works very well with the exception of the very poor battery life. If you have an iPhone this is a great, albeit expensive choice.

Specifications

General

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Watch Type Full Featured Smartwatch
Gender Unisex
Release Date September 2020
Operating System watchOS
App Apple Watch
Supported Devices iOS 12.0+
Processor Apple S6 Chip

Design

Shape Rectangular
Case Size 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm
Case Material Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium
Weight 36.5g
Strap Width 24 mm
Strap Material Polyester, Fluoroelastomer
Interchangeable Strap Yes
Watch Colors Silver, Gray, Gold, Blue
Input Touchscreen, 1 Button, Digital Crown
Water Resistance 5 ATM

Screen

Screen Size 1.78"
Screen Type Retina LTPO OLED
Resolution 448 x 368
Pixels per Inch Not disclosed
Always On Yes
Custom Faces Yes
Screen Protection Sapphire Glass

Battery

Typical Usage Battery Life (Days) 0.75
Watch Mode Battery Life (Days) Not disclosed
GPS Mode Battery Life (Days) 0.25
Charging System Magnetic
Capacity Not disclosed

Features

Notifications Recieve Notifications and Respond
Bluetooth v5.0
Bluetooth Calling Receive and Place Calls
Bluetooth Music Yes
Speaker Yes
Microphone Yes
Camera No
Cellular 4G LTE Version Available
GPS GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia)
Near Field Communication (NFC) Yes
Payments Apple Pay
WiFi Yes
Voice Command Siri
Memory 32GB
Sensors Accelerometer, Altimeter, Ambient Light, Barometer, Compass, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Pulse Oximeter (SpO2)
Tracking Blood Oxygen Level, Calories, Distance, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Incidental Fall, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max
Sport Modes Yes
Automatic Workout Detection Yes
Warranty 12 Months

Summary

Unique Features Digital crown
Fall incident detection
Emergency SOS
Advantages Excellent screen
Can receive and place calls with the watch when paired to your iPhone
NFC with Apple Pay
Blood oxygen sensor and Electrocardiogram
Disadvantages Expensive
Horrible battery life
Verdict Apple's flagship is arguably the best smartwatch available. Full of features and works very well with the exception of the very poor battery life. If you have an iPhone this is a great, albeit expensive choice.

Published: January 23, 2021

Apple Watch Series 6 - WatchSmarty
Apple Watch Series 6

The Apple Watch Series 6 is arguably the best smartwatch available. Full of features and works very well with the exception of the very poor battery life.

Product SKU: Apple Watch Series 6

Product Brand: Apple

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 400

Price Valid Until: 2023-01-01

Product In-Stock: SoldOut

Editor's Rating:
6.8