Apple Watch Series 2 review: Less silly, more usable
Yes, Apple does know what time it is. It's time to get serious about smartwatches.
Life is pretty good with the new Apple Watch Series 2. It looks exactly like my old Apple Watch, the wearable Apple unveiled two years ago (and launched about 18 months ago), but has new components and brand-new software. Both have changed the experience with Apple’s smartwatch in largely positive ways.
SEE ALSO:iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: the reviewWhile little has changed in Apple Watch design, Series 2 and the latest software, called watchOS 3, do represent an important strategic shift. In particular, the new OS moves aside cutesy features like Digital Touch (that's where you draw on the screen) and sharing your heartbeat in favor of more utility. Those features aren't gone, but they've definitely been demoted.
While the Apple Watch Series 2 body looks virtually identical to the Apple Watch Series 1, there are some extra openings on the casing.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLENothing has changed on the back of the Apple Watch. There's the heart rate sensor.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEEvery Apple Watch owner will gain the benefit of this revamp, but you'll need a new Apple Watch (either a Series 2 or the Series 1, whose processor is getting an upgrade going forward) to get the combination of better performance and the new OS. Put simply, watchOS 3 and Apple Watch Series 2 make quite a package.
A better gadget
At a glance, there's virtually no way to tell the difference between a first-generation Apple Watch (now called Series 1) and the new Series 2 that Apple unveiled last week. However, upon closer inspection, you may notice that the speaker slots, which sit on the left edge of the Apple Watch’s curved body, are ever-so slightly larger and, just below that, there’s a new hole next to the microphone hole. The second hold there help equalize pressure in the newly water-resistant smartwatch.
On the inside, though, is all-new hardware, including a brighter display, the S2 SiP (“System in Package”) which includes a new dual-core CPU and a new GPU, a larger battery and a special speaker system that plays sound and handles water, but more on that later.
The new Control Center, which you access by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.Credit:The most exciting part of this multi-organ transplant is surely the new SiP. It makes the Apple Watch Series 2 faster and more responsive than the original Apple Watch in almost every way.
Maps, for example, load far more quickly. Navigating a map on the tiny 42mm screen (you can also get a smaller 38 mm model) means lots of scrolling around. On the original Apple Watch, I had to wait a second or two for the OS to draw in each section, even with a robust internet connection. Now, large sections of the maps flow much more quickly.
Apps also download and install noticeably faster. With first Apple Watch and watch OS 1, I could wait literally hours, for a watch app to appear. I gave Instagram the okay on the Series 2, and it installed and worked in 3 seconds. Large apps, like the game Lifeline, took longer. It installed in about a minute and was ready to launch roughly 20 seconds after that.
Dunk it
The Apple Watch was already an able activity and fitness device, but now Apple Watch Series 2 is the first model ready for a swim. Every Series 2 watch, regardless of material (aluminum, stainless steel, the new ceramic), is water-resistant up to 50 meters (164 feet), which effectively makes the smartwatches waterproof.
When it's time to clear the water out of the Apple Watch Series 2, you start turning the digital crown...Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLE...until you hear a tone and see this.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEHowever, before you go diving off the deep end into the nearest pool, understand that the Apple Watch Series 2 is not ready for swimming all the time. Before going for a dip, you need to open the Workout App and select “Open Water Swim” or “Pool Swim.” This basically prepares the Apple Watch for going under the water (up to 50 meters). You can also activate this setting through the new Control Center (you sweep up from the bottom of the Apple Watch screen to access it) and select the Rain Drop icon. Either way, a tiny water drop icon appears at the top of the screen during your activity.
When you’re done, you’ll want to get the water out of the Apple Watch using the new speaker system. To eject any water, you turn the digital crown, which is on the other edge of the watch, opposite the speaker slots, until you hear a series of tones and a beep. Those sounds generate vibrations that essentially spit out the water.
It’s not what I’d call “no nonsense” waterproofing, but it gets the job done.
watchOS 3
As evidenced by the new control center, watchOS 3 is an excellent partner for these hardware changes.
Apple Watch Series 2 is faster and more responsive than the original Apple Watch in almost every way.
In addition to the new Control Center, which also gives fast access to battery life, airplane mode, snooze, find my iPhone, lock and audio playback options, there’s a new App Dock. You access it though the Apple Watch Series 2’s second button. It’s right below the digital crown. A press brings up a carousel of favorite apps for quick access. The faster hardware should make it easier to quickly access these running apps (you can remove any of them from the dock). It will be interesting to see how it works on the original Apple Watch.
That dock took the place of the original watchOS’s circle of friends and direct access to the Digital Touch tools (sending heartbeats, doodles, taps). I don’t have a problem with this. These were fun, but essentially useless features, especially since most of my friends and family did not have Apple Watches. They’re much better served in their new home, Messages.
Now, in addition to taps, heartbeats, emoticons, doodles and quick responses, you’ve got scribbles, which may be more useful than most. It lets you draw letters, which the OS converts into real worlds. Essentially, you can scribble a quick response. There isn’t much space to write -- you can only fit two or three letters at a time -- but I was able to write brief messages using my index finger.
Even changing watch faces has gotten easier -- just swipe left or right to access and switch them. To customize any watch face, I still press down on the screen, activating the Taptic Engine underneath so I feel the vibration, which fools me into thinking the screen is depressing (it’s not). New to this edition is the Minnie Mouse watch face, which surprised me with her adorable voice when I tapped the screen (The Mickey Mouse Apple Watch face does the same thing).
The new screen is definitely brighter (Apple rates it at 1,000 nits) and the colors look more saturated with whiter whites. At the same brightness setting as the original Apple Watch, the Series 2 is a little easier to view even in bright sunlight.
The best news, though, is that this display update did not come at the expense of battery life. I’ve always been pleased with my Apple Watch battery life. Apple promises a full day on the Series 2 and that’s what I got. My day starts at 6 a.m. and sometimes goes until 10 at night. And there’s always a little charge left on the Apple Watch when I place it on its wireless charger.
Get with it and breathe
The Apple Watch Series 2 with watchOS 3 is a more able workout companion that ever. In addition to the aforementioned swimming workouts, the Activity App includes Wheelchair Activity optimization.
Apple's list of workout options still doesn’t really account for strength training.
Each Workout screen also now offers four live metrics customized to each activity and they appear on the same screen and stay visible for the duration of your workout. No more swiping to check your heart rate. You can, though, swipe right to pause or end the workout or pause by pressing the digital crown and button at the same time, so you don't have to look at your watch.
So many workout choicesCredit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLESet the parameters of your workout and begin.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEWithout question, Apple Watch Series 2 is an able fitness-tracking device, but Apple is also interested in your general well-being.
By now, I’m pretty used to the Apple Watch telling me to stand up at the most inopportune times (in a movie theater, at an Apple Event), but now Apple wants me to breathe, because it’s good for me. Slow, measured breathing can calm you down and actually affects the parasympathetic system, all that involuntary stuff that goes on in your body (heart rate, digestion, etc.).
I did not enjoy paying attention to my breathing.
Like the Stand app, Breathe pops up every once in a while (you can also launch it whenever you want), and asks you to conduct a short breathing session. It starts with just a minute.
When you start, the app asks you to be still and pay attention to your breathing. Then a sort of flower pattern slowly expands and contracts on the screen, while the Taptic Engine vibrates against your wrist. You're supposed to breathe in as the flower gets large and the taps more intense and exhale as both diminish. At the end, you hear a little tone and get a heart rate reading.
I did not enjoy paying attention to my breathing. Like most people, I breathe without thinking. The more the Breathe app asked me to pay attention to and control my breathing, the more I struggled to breathe. This is probably why I do not do yoga. Others may love Breathe, but I didn’t get it.
Where am I?
What I dolike is the addition of a built-in GPS. It lets me leave the phone behind when I take a walk and will, if I’m doing a workout, track the route and then pass off the information to the iPhone Activity App so I can view my walk (or run) on a map.
The GPS doesn’t work indoors and can take a moment to pick up the GPS satellites. So the Apple Watch starts with Wi-Fi to find its initial location.
Maps load faster than ever on the new Apple Watch Series 2.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEI walked this way.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEThis didn’t always work consistently. Initially, I couldn’t get the Watch GPS to work at all. Eventually, though, I took a walk without my phone and when I returned, it passed the information back to my phone. I opened the app and there was my walk around New York City's Union Square Park. The graphic, which did not preciselytrack the walk around the perimeter of the park, was color-coded according to indicate my pace at various points throughout the walk.
The GPS also works with the Maps app so you can access location and directions through your Apple Watch Series 2, even if you leave your phone behind. This worked, but not consistently.
What was good about the initial Apple Watch remains. It’s still great for notifications and quick responses. It gently taps my wrist when it wants to get my attention. I can still answer phone calls through it (but, lacking its own cellular radio, it still needs the iPhone to do it). It still reminds me to stand up every once in a while and I’ve grown to like the Activity Circles. WatchOS 3 also lets you share your activity circles.
This is the image that guides you through breathing exercises in the Breathe App.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEThese are the results you might see at the end.Credit: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEHowever, it’s also clear that telling time, tracking workouts and getting notifications may not have been enough justification for the Apple Watch. With Apple Watch Series 2 and watchOS 3, Apple has transformed its wearable into something approaching a tiny iPhone. Look at some of the other new features they’ve added: Find My Friends, the HomeKit app Home, and 911. You can now even use the Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.
Apple has transformed its wearable into something approaching a tiny iPhone.
Apple may have reined in some of the original Apple Watch whimsy, but it’s enhanced it in a number of smart and essential ways. While Apple didn’t deliver a fresh design (maybe next year), new components make it faster, while new software makes it smarter and more useful. Plus, for those who care more about the style than the technology, there are now even more material, finish and band choices.
Where Apple disappointed me is in failing to introduce a material that could bring the price of the entry-level Apple Watch Series 2 under $200. Instead, we got another high-end material, ceramic, that starts at $1,249. At least the last generation Apple Watch Series 1 starts at $269 (for the 38mm model).
Ultimately, though, the Apple Watch’s new balance between fashion and utility seems just about right. It’s still my favorite smart watch.
Apple Watch Series 2 with watchOS 3
The Good
Faster components
Ready for a swim
Brighter screen
Built-in GPS
The Bad
No new design
The Bottom Line
Apple's wearable is smarter and faster than ever, but it's also more usable than ever.
TopicsApple WatchMashable Choice
(责任编辑:关于我们)
-
近日,雅安市首届“文轩教育”校园足球精英夏令营顺利闭营。活动以市级联赛冠军队伍为班底,精英选手作为补充,遴选120名足球运动员、30名领队教练员参与,活动为期6天,共设置6个组别。市教育局相关负责人介 ...[详细]
-
随着人们生活水平的逐步提高,投资理财也走进了广大金融消费者的日常生活之中。近日,招商银行再出理财新招,推出了线上服务产品—理财日历,帮助有理财需求的客户更好地进入投资状态,实现财富的持续增 ...[详细]
-
加大科技创新,完成服务升级。作为金融服务业,提升客户服务体验离不开科技的投入和研发创新,而自助设备作为银行营业网点的有效延伸,体现轻型银行特征,发挥着越来越重要的作用。招商银行借助技术手段的提升,目前 ...[详细]
-
记者从市商务局获悉,第124届广交会一期青岛交易团参展企业共161家,展位322个,主要展出电子及家电、照明、车辆及配件、化工产品、五金及工具、机械、建材等产品,实现成交8.93亿美元,比上届增长2. ...[详细]
-
The world's largest single-capacity floating wind platform has set to sea and the builder released i ...[详细]
-
目前正值春茶采摘季,名山区作为我市重要的茶叶产区,近年来结合美丽新村建设,始终坚持重点打造茶文化产业,促进茶旅融合,助推乡村振兴。图为茶农冒雨采摘春茶。本报记者郝立艺 ...[详细]
-
本报讯3月31日,省政法队伍教育整顿第十六指导组组长、攀枝花学院原党委书记肖立军带队到雅安市司法局调研指导司法行政系统队伍教育整顿工作开展情况。听取雅安市司法行政队伍教育整顿工作推进情况汇报后,肖立军 ...[详细]
-
本报讯为实施更深层次的“东进融入”,建立更有效的“优势互补”人力资源合作机制,3月12日,芦山县人社局与绵阳市梓潼县人社局签订两地就业服务合作协议。在协议签订仪式上,两地人社部门就搭建企业用工需求信息 ...[详细]
-
From Prairie Grasslands to Man
The Tree-Planter’s State is not a moniker that Nebraska takes lightly. That’s because what early exp ...[详细] -
涓浗骞冲畨涓夋潙宸ョ▼鑾疯瘎浜烘皯鏃ユ姤鈥滅簿鍑嗘壎璐帹鑽愭渚嬧€漘涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
銆€銆€2018骞?鏈?0鏃ワ紝鐢变汉姘戞棩鎶ョぞ涓庝腑鍥芥壎璐熀閲戜細鑱斿悎涓诲姙鐨?ldquo;澶у浗鏀诲潥·鍐宠儨2020——绮惧噯鎵惰传璁哄潧鏆?018 ...[详细]