Apple kicked off its Sept. 12 iPhone event with the unveiling of the Apple Watch Series 4, which offers a variety of upgrades and new features.
The Apple Watch Series 4 will look to continue the success of Apple's smartwatch, which has maintained its position on top of the industry despite a rising challenge from Fitbit.
What's New With The Apple Watch Series 4
Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 4 as a "redesigned and re-engineered" model of its industry-leading smartwatch. While the new Apple Watch keeps its original design, the device packs several hardware and software upgrades.
The most evident change with the Apple Watch Series 4 is its display, which is more than 30 percent bigger. The new Apple Watch is offered in two sizes, namely 40mm and 44mm, compared to the previous sizes of 38mm and 42mm, and a new interface takes advantage of the wider screen real estate by displaying more information than ever before.
The watchOS 5 software adds more health functions to the Apple Watch Series 4, including a new accelerometer and gyroscope that can detect when the wearer suffers a hard fall and call emergency services when movement is not recorded for a minute afterward.
The new Apple Watch also comes with an electrical heart rate sensor that is capable of taking an electrocardiogram using the new ECG app. This makes it the first ECG product offered over the counter to consumers, with Apple receiving clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for the Apple Watch Series 4 to be used as a medical device. To take an ECG reading, the wearer simply has to touch the device's Digital Crown for 30 seconds, with the recordings stored in Apple's Health app.
Other important changes to the Apple Watch Series 4 include the shift to sapphire crystal and ceramic backs, as previously rumored, to allow for better cellular service, and the upgrade to the next-generation S4 chip along with a custom 64-bit dual-core processor, for twice the speed while keeping the Apple Watch's all-day battery life.
Apple Watch Series 4 Price And Release Date
The Apple Watch Series 4 will be available for orders starting Sept. 14 and will arrive in stores on Sept. 21.
The GPS-only version of the new Apple Watch will be sold at $399, while the GPS and cellular version will be sold at $499. The predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 3, will have its price reduced to $279, which will make the smartwatch more accessible to customers.
