It’s been two months since I got my Apple Watch Series 5 and I’m ready to share my thoughts. This Apple Watch replaced my Fitbit Versa and I’m really happy with my purchase. Here’s my review including my favorite watch faces, what I don’t like about the watch, and what I absolutely love:
BACKGROUND
I have always loved fitness trackers and being able to quantify my day. I had used a Fitbit device for years and liked how newer devices were becoming more of a smart watch. But Fitbit quality has never really met the mark for me, and when my Versa started glitching, I decided to look for another wearable.
I decided to buy an Apple Watch because it had most of the features that I was looking for, and I already use an iPhone so I knew that it would integrate into my life easily. I got the Apple Watch Series 5 in the 40mm size, in black aluminum.
SET UP
Set up was super easy — as you’d expect from an Apple product. The watch has to be linked to an iPhone in order to work, so I used my phone to follow the prompts on my watch. Set up took less than 10 minutes and I was all set. There was a tutorial directly on the watch that explains all the buttons and how to navigate the menu.
FAVORITE WATCH FACES
I switch between a few watch faces, mostly to coordinate with my different watch bands. But I have a few favorites that I prefer and keep going back to: Infograph, and Infograph Modular.
Infograph Modular is great because it has a lot of information, but it’s organized in a really clear way. I can glance at the weather forecast with detail by hour, check my activity rings, heart rate, find my friends, or even reply to text messages.
My most used watch face is the Infograph face. It’s so cool because you can customize the widgets and really personalize the information you want. You can see so much on this face which I love. Right now, I have mostly weather widgets, then the date, heart rate, sound reading, and fitness tracking widgets.
FITNESS TRACKING
I haven’t used my fitness tracking functionality as much as I would like. I am still getting used to my new routine since we moved, so I haven’t been running much. The indoor workouts I’ve done at home with the fitness tracking app have been pretty good. I will watch workout videos and set my fitness tracking to Yoga. It’s nice because the always-on display makes it easy to glance over and check my heart rate. But so far, it’s been a little annoying because the watch will detect that I’ve stopped exercising and prompt me to end my work out even though I am definitely still in the middle of an activity.
I really want to test out the Nike Running app through my watch, but I haven’t been able to yet.
Apple uses these Activity Rings to show how you’re doing for the day and you get little “trophies” when you reach or surpass a goal. Each month, there’s a new challenge and it’s been really fun to try to reach the different goals. I’m not a super fan of a device nagging me to workout, but if you like that kind of motivation then this could be good for you. You can turn off the notifications and reminders if you hate that type of thing.
WHAT I DONT LIKE
The Apple Watch can detect when you’re stressed/heart rate is elevated, and the Breathe App will prompt you to take a minute to calm down, relax, and take a few deep breaths. I like the idea of slowing down and re-centering, but it’s so inconvenient. When I’m stressed or tense, it’s usually a time when I am needing to focus more — like when I’m driving, or doing something really detailed. It’s not a good time to breathe. In fact, it’s the worst time. And it’s annoying that I even got a notification in the middle of trying to focus. I am disabling these notifications right now.
Battery Life on the Apple Watch is not the best, especially when I’ve been used to 4-5 days of battery life with the Fitbit. I have to charge the Apple Watch every night which is annoying. By the end of the day, my Apple Watch is probably at about 40% which could definitely get me through the night, but then it would be too low to get me through the next day without charging. And I’d rather have it charge overnight, than have it miss out on tracking some of my activity in the morning. It’s just inconvenient to have to charge my watch just like I do my phone. If I could get even two full days, that would be so much better.
There is no native sleep tracking app on the Apple Watch right now. I really miss sleep tracking data that I used to get with my Fitbit, but I’m hoping that Apple will get it soon. I feel like sleep tracking is a huge part of your overall health picture, and the Apple Watch should include this with their health app data. There are other 3rd party apps that do track sleep, so if you really feel like you need this here are a few: AutoSleep, SleepWatch, and Sleep++.
WHAT I LOVE
I love my Apple Watch because I can get so much information from just a glance. The screen is always on, so I can just take a quick peek while I’m on my computer typing or doing something else. It let’s me be connected to what’s happening but also not be consumed by the internet and my phone. In the past, I’d get a notification, and check my phone. That small check would lead me to check my email or something else, and soon I’d be down a rabbit hole of things on my phone. My watch lets me check whatever it is, but I can easily go back to what I was doing without distraction.
One thing that really annoyed me about receiving a text on my Fitbit, was that I couldn’t reply. I’d have to get up and find my phone to respond. Not the worst thing ever, but it’s so much easier to write out a quick response from my watch and get right back to whatever I was doing.
The heart rate features are really important to me. I like to see my heart rate throughout the day and check the ECG as well. The Apple Watch can notify you if there’s something out of the ordinary with your heart rhythm, but you should always consult with your doctor if you have any concern.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There’s so much that I am able to do now directly from my watch. I wish that the Apple Watch included sleep tracking and better battery life, but overall I am so happy with my Apple Watch. I love the look and feel, and all that I’m able to do right from my watch. I like being able to detach from my phone and focus on other things that are more important to me. Hopefully this review was helpful for you; let me know if you have any questions!
