The next Apple Watch will be available on September 20, 2019. Apple’s new wearable offers incremental improvement over last year’s model.
The Apple Watch dominates the wearables market. With four times as many shipments as Fitbit or Samsung, the Apple Watch is a massive hit. With each iteration of Apple Watch, the Cupertino company focuses on a few new features.
Series 5 models feature a new Always-On Retina display. As the name suggests, the watches face is always illuminated and visible. Using a low temperature poly-silicon and oxide OLED display, the new Apple Watch has a dynamically controllable refresh rate. By altering the refresh rate from 60Hz to 1Hz, Always-On mode still delivers 18 hours of battery life.
The new generation of Apple Watch once again offers a ceramic body option. Resistant to scratches, and expensive, this new material option is for the more discriminating customer.
For the first time, Apple is offering titanium as a material option. This is only offered with the most expensive Series 5 Apple Watches. Titanium is an exceptionally lightweight yet strong material, suitable for wearable technology.
Series 5 Apple Watch models ship with an ECG app. Although this app can monitor heart rhythms, accuracy is an issue. Wrist based censors lack the accuracy of other personal ECG options. I personally know one Apple Watch patient whose device automatically called 911 on an inaccurate reading, because the band was loose.
Apple has improved heart rate monitoring with the Series 5 Apple Watch. The new design uses a sensor on the back of the watch in addition to the Digital Crown. Patients touch their finger to the Digital Crown, and both sensors are used to analyze ECG. Although this new design is more accurate, patients with serious heart disease should opt for a more accurate device.
The S5 chip is another step forward in mobile processor technology. This low energy processor features System in Package (SiP) technology. The entire system is fabricated in one discrete unit, allowing more features in a smaller space.
Other Series 5 Apple Watch features include menstrual cycle tracking, swimming and running metrics, music, Podcasts and audiobooks. The new Series 5 Apple Watch goes on sale on September 20, 2019.