Which Apple Watch?

[Pablo]

Seems like too many cringey options vs actually monitoring my health. Experienced input welcomed.

I’m largely ignorant and somewhat ADHD shopping which is between a hard squeeze of analysis paralysis and rash blind grabbing.


Important:

HR
Distance
Battery life
Work rate

Quiet

Blood pressure?

Some level of accuracy
As much privacy as possible
Size

Music?

Not important

Looks
Fall detection
Beeps bops noises
Price
?

 

[Cujet]

Go for version 11 or Ultra 3, the upcoming ones. I think the Ultra 3 is supposed to indirectly measure BP.

I'm a big fan of smart watches. As they can often eliminate the need to carry a phone. And will accurately warn you about fall risks.

 

[rstcso]

Hands down, Ultra 2 (pun intended). Uh oh! I see the Ultra 3 is about to launch, maybe as soon as today!

It has all the bells and whistles, especially things like heart rate monitoring, fall detection, and many other safety functions that are important to me as I've gotten older. This thing does so many things and seamlessly integrates with the iPhone. For a few bucks a month, you can add cellular to the watch so you can leave your phone at home while on walks. It's larger than a standard Apple Watch... and I could care less. It holds a charge for two days how I use it. The only time it comes off my wrist is when I'm showering or when it's charging.

 

[racer12306]

Seems like too many cringey options vs actually monitoring my health. Experienced input welcomed.

I’m largely ignorant and somewhat ADHD shopping which is between a hard squeeze of analysis paralysis and rash blind grabbing.

Important:

HR
Distance
Battery life
Work rate

Quiet

All current models do this. In my experience, you'll be charging it every day. I get through a day no problem, 12-16hrs on my wrist.

You can shut them up as much as you want. Mine does not ding, I've minimized the apps that buzz on my wrist. The Ultra claims 36hrs vs 18hrs for the Series 10 or the SE. They can go longer (up to 2x) with low power mode.

Blood pressure?

Some level of accuracy
As much privacy as possible
Size

Apple doesn't do blood pressure yet. It is rumored to be a feature of the new version which is expected to be announced next week.

You don't have to share anything outside of Apple Health if you don't want to. If size is a concern, while the Ultra series brings ALL the goodies available, it is much bigger than the regular watch.

Music?

I believe you'll need headphones connected to the watch in order to listen to music. It's not a feature that I use, but I know you can download songs to the watch and listen to them. If you get one with a cellular radio, it can stream the music, otherwise you'll need to be in proximity to your phone or WiFi to download.

Not important

Looks
Fall detection
Beeps bops noises
Price
?

While not important, the fall detection could be nice depending on your situation. However, it's easy to turn off as it does false trip. If it does false trip, you have time to cancel the 911 call.


Whatever you do, do not buy one until the new one comes out, next week-ish. You'll either get a price break on the Series 10 (last years) or get all the new features for the same price with the series 11.

 

[Urshurak776]

I was on similar path....and got a Garmin. My wife loves her Apple watch, but I don't need all that. Garmin works good for me.

 

[Arc]

My wife uses a lot of the apple products so I decided to get a ring that measures BP and other stuff for android. My phone firewall (netguard) logs IP address traffic for every app and the ring was sending all data to an IP in China including phone location. Make sure you know who is watching when you use these devices.

 

[We're Metals]

My wife uses a lot of the apple products so I decided to get a ring that measures BP and other stuff for android. My phone firewall (netguard) logs IP address traffic for every app and the ring was sending all data to an IP in China including phone location. Make sure you know who is watching when you use these devices.

Is this something you have encountered with Apple devices?

 

[alarmguy]

No watch has FDA sanctioned BP monitoring. Dont count on any claims or marketing to the contrary. One would be insane to rely on a watch with current technology.

With that said any new version of an Apple Watch will do the same functions. Lets say if you want to be current nothing older than Watch 9
For all practical purposes that it makes sense with the latest Watch 10/ You will most likely charge it every day though I suspect you can wring two days out of if with the best settings.

I used to freak out about this, charging the watch is a HUGE NOTHING. I assume you take showers well then, drop the watch on the magnetic charger and go take your shower. When you get out of the shower or within a few minutes depending on how run down it was. The watch is charged and put it back on your wrist. Sleep with the watch on, as the watch will keep tabs on your heart rate, respiration rate, how long you were sleeping and what stages of sleep you were in. The graph will even show what hour or minutes you woke up and went back to sleep, even going to the bathroom .

A man of your means might like the Apple Watch Ultra 2. more robust, can go deeper in water then the Watch 10. Battery like will be up to 3 days without charging (but charging is a HUGE nothing on the watch 9 or 10) The Ultra watch 2 can only be bought with the built in cell unit for a separate phone number. Not that you have to use it. Im unsure about what other features it may have but I suspect it will take a year to learn all the features of the regular series 10 which if you want can also be bought with a cell unit to use its own phone number. If not, everything works through your cell phone.

Important:

HR - yes AMAZING HEART RATE MONITORING AND GRAPHS> I WILL POST AFTER THIS POST SOME SCREEN SHOTS. Then I have to log out of here.
Distance - yes
Battery life - depends if you leave the screen on all the time, I dont, I touch for the time, I get an easy 18 hours, sometimes two days, but I drop it on the magnetic charger when I take a shower every day.
Work rate - huh?

Quiet - YUP

Blood pressure? - nope

Some level of accuracy - better than perfect.
As much privacy as possible - well no one gives you more options.
Size - Watch 9 and 10 slim - Ultra robust

Music? yes and can control your iPhone music, I just use my phone, actually looking for a setting to turn my watch off for that function to control my music on my phone using my watch. However my wife uses hers for that

Not important

Looks - they are all the same but you can individualize by one button swapping of the watch bands.
Fall detection - absolutely
Beeps bops noises - nope but might be a setting to turn them on
Price - Apple.com
?
It will take you forever to learn all the robust features, however for everything you mention here is a no brainer. I still find cool functions after years of a Watch 7 and now a Watch 9
Heck I just realized it even tells me the amount of time I was out in daylight! Blood O2 is also cool. Wrist temperature, lets say you think you maybe getting sick. The wrist temperature doesnt give you a reading, it will tell you if your temp is above or below your normal. I found out last year when I thought I was getting sick (Covid) that the watch actually picked up the difference in temperature when I was sleeping.

Other VERY cool things are it monitors your sleep for all kinds of issues. Freaking amazing, I love the health functions as you know I had my issues, lucky I am retired now I can of to doctors instead of work *LOL(* no kidding, if your into health/technology and gadgets the watch is FREAKING awesome.

 

[rstcso]

I love this feature. Phone stays home. Start "Outdoor Walk" on the watch and end it when you want. Tons of data can then be viewed on the Health app on the phone, including high/low/average heart rate, steps, speed, etc. Time looks slow on this show, but it keeps counting while I'm picking up my dogs' business. I could technically pause it, but why bother. The GPS capabilities are amazing. If I zoom in, you can see which side of the streets we walked.

 

[alarmguy]

I hate posting this, because it is a mere fraction of information ... I just did 3 screen shots from my phone as an example.
AS you can see, you can get up to a year of stored data in graph form. I chose "day" also if you touch any of those graph lines will will show you the exact minute and time the reading was obtained. Also can tap the screen for more information at any time.

Time asleep last night, I actually for once got a good night sleep, many nights a train wreck those orange awake is when I got up for the bathroom > it also records what type of sleep you are getting.

The functions above are a FRACTION of available information taken from your wrist.

Ok, one more just as I was going to log out. I did a ECG, takes 30 seconds. Right from my wrist.
I mean what more can we expect? BP will be a huge breakthrough, it's not here yet. If it was, doctors and hospitals would not have to use a cuff so think about that when you see watch claims to the contrary - it may one day be and no one knows what Watch 11 will hold.

 

[alarmguy]

I love this feature. Phone stays home. Start "Outdoor Walk" on the watch and end it when you want. Tons of data can then be viewed on the Health app on the phone, including high/low/average heart rate, steps, speed, etc. Time looks slow on this show, but it keeps counting while I'm picking up my dogs' business. I could technically pause it, but why bother. The GPS capabilities are amazing. If I zoom in, you can see which side of the streets we walked.

View attachment 298811

Yes, I record walks and activate activities all the time too. Its great

 

[alarmguy]

I swear I dont work for Apple nor do I know anyone who does NOR do I think any company is a saint but I do believe out of a world of many evil corporations that I hold Apple far above most. For a corporation I think they set a high bar.

I think in my words, a corporation that helps the human condition around the world = profits will flow. Its kind of their philosophy

 

[alarmguy]

LOL
OK, one more and even this is a dozen other criteria to pull up under respiration rate. Hourly by day, day by week, week by month, etc..
Plus when you click on one of those lines with your finger, it gives you details for that day.
So for example, under the weekly data, I tapped on September 2 for the details of that day.
However, if I chose today or hourly, it would even give me down to I don’t know the minute or whatever.
I think you can even get sleep apnea data or warnings.
I certainly am not first in all the functions of the watch

 

[Carmudgeon]

If you can stomach the price, and the larger size (49mm lug-to-lug), the biggest practical difference is that the Ultra model will trump the others in terms of battery life.

As an example, on trips spent in an urban environment, with full days of being about, walking/public transport, receiving notifications, and passively tracking activity, AOD enabled, I've found that the Ultra 2 can go 2-3 days without having to be recharged. Or more, since I never waited, or fully pushed the battery capacity before recharging.

Since the Ultra is the flagship model, it won't lack any features relative to the others. It also has the cellular modem standard, not optional as with the others.

The larger display also gives it some exclusive features (like the Modular Ultra face). It is also completely flat, so it doesn't have the same kind of off-angle edge distortions like one sees on a vintage-style watch with a domed crystal. I don't use the extra button much, but it's there.

Compared to previous regular models, the S10 did reduce the gaps to the Ultra, and factoring its lower price, could be a fine solution as well.

The Blood Oxygen feature has been disabled (in software) in the U.S. market models, due to a patent dispute, and though they've restored it with a recent workaround that relies on tethering to the phone, that is also being contested. The patents in question expire in a couple years anyway, so when they do, it is likely to be fully restored with a software update.

As a wearable, trying them both on will go a long way toward helping make a decision. If you're not in an immediate hurry, once the S11 is announced next week, the older models will see discounts.

 

[alarmguy]

^^^^ agree big difference is battery life if that matters.
There is also style, the ultra is a larger and much more bulky watch. A benefit is that flatscreen you speak of.
Let’s call it more like Apple divers watch look.
Personally, I like the look, initially I did not.

After so many years of the Apple Watch 7 and now the 9 well it would be nice for a new look maybe one day. I may have one at some point in time. The only thing that bothers me is, I can’t get the ultra watch without the cell unit. So I feel like I’m paying for something I will never use. But I would probably get over it.

Current Watch 9with aftermarket Nomad watch band

Or you can make your own face, love this girl!
Have a color too but camera phone doesn’t pick it up right, something mystical about this though

 

[John Galt]

FYI - The blood oxygen level sensor on the ultra II was restored (turned back on, it was always there just disabled by Apple) a couple of weeks ago. All that is required is a software update that will be done automatically when on the mag charger and close to the iPhone it syncs to.

 

[Arc]

Is this something you have encountered with Apple devices?

Unfortunately my wife won't let me tinker with her apple products so I can't test anything. It's just like her last car, she said no loud exhaust, no tuners, no loud stereo no nothing.

 

[alarmguy]

My wife uses a lot of the apple products so I decided to get a ring that measures BP and other stuff for android. My phone firewall (netguard) logs IP address traffic for every app and the ring was sending all data to an IP in China including phone location. Make sure you know who is watching when you use these devices.

Is this something you have encountered with Apple devices?

Health Data is encrypted and stored in your iCloud account. You can also if you wish click to not have it sent there.
Last thing I would be concerned about is this. Bottom line data is stored on your phone and iCloud account.

However, yeah, I an kind of a privacy person and I do read the privacy notices and Apple gives many options to out of things with detailed explanations. I think more trustworthy than any apps we download "for free"

Here is a highlighted short statement from Apple. I have personally allowed health data to be used and also at times denied other aspects. You can if YOU CHOOSE let health data anonymously go into a data base to further help development and society. BY default any sharing is turned off unless you opt in. I choose at the present to stay out. Bottom line these arent Chinese owned servers and last thing I am concerned about. After all I do all my banking and payments to store through apps. Im not too concerned who might learn my heart rate or anything like it after all, the medical establishments in our country have been hacked and leaked far more information than my watch ever can.

Short statement I havent looked into it any more than this because Im not concerned with a US company like Apple.
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT204351#:~:text=Health information is stored in,iCloud and turn off Health.

 

[BrendanC]

apple watch ultra II user here. had it about a year and i still love it like the day i bought it. charge it every 2 days (i don’t wear it to bed) and use it to track workouts at the gym and teams/text threads in meetings.

 

[alarmguy]

apple watch ultra II user here. had it about a year and i still love it like the day i bought it. charge it every 2 days (i don’t wear it to bed) and use it to track workouts at the gym and teams/text threads in meetings.

My nephew has one and as you guys keep talking about it, Im getting the itch again. I like the look. Maybe something for my Christmas list. Watch 7 and 9 has been a literal lifesaver for me and why I am so into this thread. Plus my love of "instrumentation all things"

My Watch 9 will be two years old in Jan 2026. I didnt even realize it. Battery life is still at 93%
My health insurance plan paid for it. I came out ahead too, because I traded in my Watch 7 at Best Buy at the time. The insurance company paid the full price without my trade in, since that was my property that I traded in. Those days are gone now, they no longer will pay for it.