Apple Watch
What: dpa/dpa/Tony Avelar
The Apple Watch is one of the best-known and at the same time most popular smartwatches on the market – you can find out here what distinguishes the different generations and what good Apple Watch alternatives are available.
NAccording to the latest estimates*, Apple is still the clear market leader in the smartwatch sector with a market share of 55.5 percent. This is not surprising, because the Apple Watch has repeatedly set new standards for wrist technology over the past few years thanks to numerous innovative features as an everyday companion, fitness tracker and co.
But how do the models differ? Here you get an overview of the advantages of each generation – thanks to regular updates, older generations are far from obsolete. We also show you good Apple Watch alternatives that are sometimes easy on the wallet.
Apple Watch 6
The Apple Watch 6* is the company’s latest smartwatch model. In addition to the previous health features, such as fall detection and the ECG function, you can also measure your blood oxygen content with the newcomer model. Apple has also developed a new sleep tracking app that will help you better track your sleep patterns.
The look has also changed: there is now a seamless bracelet without a buckle or locking mechanism. The so-called “Solo Loop” is available in several sizes. However, if you have grown fond of the previous bracelet designs, you can still combine them with the Apple Watch 6.
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Smartwatch
Buy Apple Watch Series 6 online now
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + Blood oxygen measurement
- + new sleep app from Apple
- + Always-On-Display
- + with compass
- + with fall detection and ECG function
- + including barometer and GPS
- + waterproof housing
- + 32GB storage
- + Bluetooth and WLAN capable
Apple Watch SE
With the Apple Watch SE*, the American manufacturer offers a low-cost, high-performance alternative to its flagship, the Apple Watch 6. Similar to the iPhone SE, the electronic wristwatch picks up popular elements from classic Apple Watch models and trims them. The Apple Watch SE has a larger screen and a higher storage capacity than the Apple Watch 3. These improvements are reflected in the price, but only slightly: The SE watch costs around 300 euros and is therefore in a similar price range as the apple watch 3
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Smartwatch
Buy Apple Watch SE online now
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + with compass
+ with fall detection and ECG function
+ including barometer and GPS
+ waterproof housing
+ 32GB storage
+ Bluetooth and WLAN capable
– a more expensive model compared to older Apple Watch generations
Apple Watch 5
The Apple Watch 5* was introduced in September 2019 and offers a power-saving always-on display as its biggest advantage. This makes it possible to read the time like an analogue clock without having to activate the screen beforehand. In addition, Apple has increased the internal memory: 32 GB are now in the Series 5.
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Smartwatch
Buy Apple Watch Series 5 online now
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + Always-On-Display
- + with compass
- + with fall detection and ECG function
- + including barometer and GPS
- + waterproof housing
- + 32GB storage
- + Bluetooth and WLAN capable
- + 1 GB DRAM
- – Most expensive compared to other Apple Watch generations
Apple Watch 4
The fourth generation of the smartwatch was presented in September 2018. The Apple Watch 4* was not only characterized by a slightly modified design with a larger display, but also the innovative fall detection and the ECG function caused a stir as health innovations.
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Smartwatch
Buy Apple Watch Series 4 online now
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + with fall detection and ECG function
- + waterproof housing
- + including barometer and GPS
- + larger display
- + Bluetooth and WLAN capable
- + 1 GB DRAM
- – without a compass
- – Display must be activated
Apple Watch 3
If you are primarily looking for a cheap Apple Watch, the Apple Watch 3* is a good choice. Since the introduction of the fifth generation in September 2019, the prices for the 2017 model have dropped significantly again – but the latest watchOS 6 update was available for the third generation.
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Smartwatch
Buy Apple Watch Series 3 online now
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + waterproof housing
- + including barometer and GPS
- + measures heart rate
- + Bluetooth and WLAN capable
- – smaller display than the Apple Watch 4 and 5
- – without compass, fall detection and ECG function
- – Display must be activated
Apple Watch 1 und 2
Owners of an Apple Watch Series 1 or 2 could still use the new update in October 2019. In the meantime, however, the two smartwatches of the second generation are no longer available everywhere and are usually more expensive than the better equipped third generation. Incidentally, the first Apple Watch, which came onto the market in 2015, was no longer updated and will therefore slowly but surely be replaced by a newer model by most users.
The advantages and disadvantages at a glance:
- + detects irregular heart rhythms and alerts the wearer
- + Bluetooth and WLAN capable
- – no LTE
- – without fall detection and ECG function
- – Apple Watch Series 1 without waterproof case and GPS
- – without barometer
- – Display must be activated
- – now often costs more than the Apple Watch Series 3 and offers fewer features
By the way: In order to be able to use an Apple Watch with the latest watchOS 6 update, you should have at least an iPhone 6S* or later with the iOS 13 operating system.
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Apple
Buy iPhone 6S Plus online now
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Apple
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Apple Watch alternative: These smartwatches from other manufacturers can keep up
Anyone looking for a good smartwatch should also consider an Apple Watch alternative. Manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei and Garmin have also established themselves on the market. Comparatively cheap are for example:
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Smartwatch
Buy Garmin vívoactive 3 online now
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Smartwatch
Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 online now
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Smartwatch
Buy Huawei Watch GT 2 online now
*If you make a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk, WELT will receive a small commission. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.de/independence.
This article was first published on May 13, 2020.