As part of The Medical Futurist team, I am lucky enough to live in a world where cutting-edge technology is never too far away. Our lead researcher, Dr. Meskó, is a veteran in testing over a hundred different devices, setting a high benchmark in our reviews. I have much more limited experience, but spending these past years with this team expanded my knowledge and understanding of digital health technology. So when I upgraded to a Series 9 Apple Watch, it was obvious that a review would follow.
As the whole wide world, our core team is divided by our preferences: Apple or Android? I’m on the Apple side, with my unwavering loyalty to both smartphones and watches. I'm aware of the deal-breaking flaws many find in these products, but my preferences lean differently. And I’m a snob. Who deeply appreciates seamless user experience.
My journey with Apple Watches began with the now vintage Series 3 – which, by the way, still functions flawlessly. However, its limitations in health features became increasingly annoying, prompting me to upgrade to Series 9.
Having used the Apple Watch Series 9 for a few months now, here is my review. Please note that I am only using the native health features and apps that Apple provides, so this is an as-is snapshot. I’m sure you can improve your insights if you look for specialized apps - I did not feel the need so far.
Upon its debut, critics were quick to note that the ninth series didn't introduce many new health features. This might be true, but when compared to my previous Series 3, the leap feels like selling my first car, the old East-German paper-maché Trabant for a Toyota – a genuine WOW moment.
These are the main health features of Series 9:
Luckily, I have not been alerted by any of the features detecting problems, so I can only assume that they work. With my previous watch, I received high heart rate notifications twice throughout the years, when my watch informed me that although I was not moving, my HR was above 120. My watch was probably correct as both happened at job interviews when I was indeed very nervous.
So of this lengthy list, my experience is positive: all the features I tried work well. One of my primary reasons for upgrading to the latest model was to access advanced sleep tracking. Adjusting to sleeping with the watch took some time, but I have my side of the bargain: I have detailed sleep data and that helps me find connections between events, lifestyle factors and sleep quality.
*The patent issues
When listing all these advanced health features, we need to mention that Apple was accused of patent infringements by at least two companies.
So much so that the blood oxygen level monitoring feature has been removed from newly manufactured Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches due to a patent dispute with the health tech company Masimo, so in this regard, I am lucky to have one of the early models that do have the sensor. (Sorry and thank you Masimo!)
Speaking of patent disputes, there's another one involving AliveCor, which accused Apple of basing its ECG feature on their technology. The International Trade Commission (ITC) sided with AliveCor in terms of patent infringement, but this did not lead to a ban on Apple Watch sales as AliveCor had hoped.
The health info you gain
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Series 9 also packs a looong list of wellness features, these, together with the health sensors generate an extensive list of health info. These are delivered to you in the form of daily, weekly, and annual statistics. Here I will list examples of what you see.
Daily stats:
Weekly stats (not listing all, as all sports you regularly do, like running, walking or swimming come with multiple sets of data):
Lifestyle / comfort features
Besides the health and wellness features, I believe one of the main reasons one chooses an Apple Watch (over more specialized sports watches like Garmin’s models or the elegant niche products like Withings’ ScanWatches) is that it works with your phone so seamlessly.
This was very apparent with my previous watch and even more so with the current one with its Siri integration. As this is really an endless list, I will only mention the features and functions that I find especially useful.
What’s not good about the Apple Watch?
I think there are two major deal-breakers for many. First of all, you need to have an iPhone to access the full functionality. You are able to set up a watch for someone else (like your kid) using your iPhone, and they will still be able to access many features, but it's definitely not the same functionality. Not to mention that as adults, we surely don’t want anyone else to have this kind of in-depth look into our lives.
The second reason I hear most often is battery life. While Dr. Meskó charges his Withings watch once every two-three weeks, I charge mine once every 2 days. I can understand why this is too high maintenance for many. As I mentioned, I have never slept in my watch before and feel like resuming this habit eventually, so charging every night was never an issue for me. But it is for many.
Now, the price. Surprisingly, when I compared the price I paid to various high-end-ish other models, like the ScanWatch Horizon or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch or Garmin’s moderately advanced models, the Apple Watch is not horribly expensive anymore. I paid $420 including shipping and taxes. That is for the smaller-sized model without a SIM card. It is very similar to or even cheaper than other advanced watches. But of course much more expensive than entry-level watches and fitness trackers that are also capable of providing lots of useful data.
A little bit of everything, done reasonably well
Comparing my watch to various others my loved ones and colleagues use I feel like Apple offers a reasonably well-working middle ground in many aspects. As I mentioned at the beginning, I only use the native Apple apps for my health and activities. These do all right but can’t compete with specialized devices.
Here is an example: my husband’s Garmin Forerunner is significantly more advanced in analyzing his runs, providing much more data, suggesting training programs based on his fitness levels, rest state, and so on. But also, his watch is not capable of many of the things mine can do. Meanwhile, the workout info I receive is sufficient for me, it includes dozens of sports, and tracking seems accurate, should it be swimming, running or dancing. The Apple watch for example is quite good in determining my swimming style even if I change it every few lengths, and it measures distances automatically, something the Garmin can’t do accurately without user inputs between style changes.
Dr Meskó’s Withings watch has a much longer battery life and a sleek, elegant design, but again, has less info on its screen and less smart features. As we have earlier deduced, there is no Perfect Smartwatch, we all have to find the one that delivers what we desire. I appreciate how flawlessly this watch works with my phone, and am content with having less in-depth training info and limited battery life.
