The new watch puts major priority on the wearer’s health
The Apple Watch Series 6 came out in September 2020 and is the latest model of the company’s line of smart watches that began in 2015. While sticking to the same design as the Series 5 watch, the Series 6 has brought forward some new health-related features and a faster chip for better performance.
What’s new
The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with a sensor that enables Blood Oxygen monitoring that helps to measure oxygen saturation in the user’s blood for understanding their physical fitness and body condition. If it shows that your oxygen saturation (also knows as SpO2) levels are low, then make sure to get yourself checked as it’s the sign of a serious illness.
Blood oxygen monitoring is done by four clusters of red, green, and infrared LEDs and four photodiodes located at the back of Apple Watch. They measure the light reflected back from blood. An upgraded Blood Oxygen app with a new custom algorithm will measure blood oxygen between 70 and 100 percent. You can test it whenever you want, and the watch also takes occasional tests while the wearer is inactive, for example when they’re asleep. The data will be displayed in the Health app.
From early reviews and criticism, it’s been recorded that some owners spoke about mussing GPS mapping data while recording exercises, while others have complained about the battery after the new update. They are also disappointed that the battery life hasn’t been increased notably. The blood oxygen monitoring feature has been praised, but it must be noted that the band needs to be strapped tightly around your wrist and the arm needs to be kept still to get an accurate reading.
Make sure to read more reviews before buying the product.
(Cover: Apple)