INTRODUCTION
Mid last year I purchased an Apple Watch SE (You can read our first impression post here). Since then I have used it almost every day. Got to know the in’s and out’s of it. Also used it for many other things apart from fitness. So in this article, we are going to go over our thoughts having used the Apple Watch long term.
This isn’t going to be a review on the device itself, more of a pro’s and con’s list about the device. Things I might have changed because I have it on my writs, and also things that it doesn’t fit into in my daily life. So let us begin with the Pros. What do I love about the Apple Watch SE and how has it helped me in just under a year, how has the Apple Watch been long term?
WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED?
I have enjoyed a lot of things about the Apple Watch SE. The feature I use the most is the workouts. Tracking your workouts, Runs or bike rides are amazing. It tracks your heart rate, Distance and calories (not 100% accurate but good enough). This is a great way to help you improve. Could be to go faster, further or just workout harder. So many workout options on the watch. Really useful feature. This feature comes into its own when doing something like a run or a bike ride. As you can set it up to be a kind of pacemaker. Letting you know if you are behind your target pace or in front. Also how much distance you have covered. I found this useful!
Another feature I have loved is the competitions. You can view friends and family data and then go and compete with them. Earning points and awards. I found this not only fun but also a huge motivator during the lockdown we had.
There are the features like notification that are useful. I don’t tend to reply to messages on my watch as it can be a hassle. However, it is good to see the notification. I have switched a lot of notifications off and only kept the ones I feel I need. With the huge array of apps that are compatible with the Apple Watch, you can find yourself receiving a lot of notification, so I trimmed the selection down.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY ISSUES?
Well up until very recently, No! However, a few weeks ago my watch was draining its battery very quickly and also not recording workouts or showing my activity. It was annoying because I went for a 33-mile bike ride which it didn’t record. All this happened shortly after an Apple Watch OS Update. I switched the device off and on again, and let it start back up and settle down. Since then it has been ok (Touch Wood). My workouts are tracking and the battery has been fine. I didn’t charge it fully and then let it drain completely down. Which is something I rarely do. Saying that, owning the Apple Watch long term I haven’t had any other issues.
Another thing I notice is that you can get wrapped up in the numbers. Looking to make sure that you are hitting your numbers, your target. I have Lund myself getting lost in the numbers sometimes. For example, if I happen to go for a walk and not wear the watch it is as if the walk didn’t happen. If you aren’t wearing the watch, then you can’t track the workout! To overcome this I have stopped wearing the watch on the weekend. I wear a “normal” watch on the weekend (unless I go out for a bike ride).
The one thing that put me off buying wearable tech, is still an issue for me. That is charging. I am still not a huge fan of having to charge a watch. I think this is a “me” issue, but it is still one that bugs me. On the upside, the charging has got better since I tried the very first Apple Watch. The battery is lasting longer and the charging has gotten faster. This makes the most of a bad situation.
HOW IS IT CYCLING?
As you have most likely read, I have recently starting road cycling (find out why here), this is where the Apple Watch comes into its own. As we have mentioned briefly above, there are a few features that make useful cycling (Or any distance/endurance sport). The first one, and the most obvious is Distance and calorie tracking. It will measure your distance and also how many calories (roughly) you have burnt. This is great as you can also easily import that ride into Strava.
However, I think the feature which I love the most is the “Pacesetter”. The watch will let you know when you hit certain distance/calorie targets. It will also include a pace and let you know if you are in front or behind your average pace. Allowing you to, at a glance, keep your pace up. I used this a lot running but it is so helpful cycling as you can quickly glance at the watch and find out if you need to pick the pace up.
ANY OTHER NOTES
There are a few other things that I have noticed while using my Apple Watch. The first main one is that after using the Apple Watch SE for a while, I don’t think you need to buy the higher-spec watch. The SE will do everything you need. The only reason I feel like you need to buy the higher models is if you want to features it offers. Which, personally, this watch missing those features hasn’t held me back.
Something else worth noting is it may take a while to find the “perfect band”. Mine came with the sports band, but a few weeks after I purchased the Solo Band. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Solo band. I have tried it again recently and still couldn’t get on with it. I have ordered some more bands of Amazon and will give them a go but for now, I have swapped back to the Sports band.
There is a feature where it can detect a workout and start it for you. So if you go out on a run it will sense you are on a run and ask if you want to start a Running workout. I have had this happen a few times, once when I was rowing in the gym. It was pretty cool that it picked up I was rowing. Another was when I went out on a walk. However, I don’t fully trust this. I wouldn’t go out on a bike ride and not start a workout manually. Maybe one day I will try it when I go out on a small ride and then report back here if I have tried it.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, would I recommend the Apple Watch SE? Absolutely! I think if you are after a wearable device, this is a great option. Will it help you with your fitness? I think it will. Being able to see a rough calorie tracker for your workouts, Distance and pace on your runs and cycles. I think to get the most out of it you have to use the Apple Watch long term.
I will mention that I think they work best with iPhones. This may sound stupid but you can use them with Android but I don’t think they work too well, some of the features might be missing. I might be wrong as I haven’t had any experience using one with an Android phone. However, if you have let us know over on Instagram.
Do you wear a Smartwatch? If so which one and how do you get on with it? Have you always worn one or are you new to them? Have you had an Apple Watch Long Term? If you are new to them we would love to know what made you swap to one. If you are thinking about getting on we have put together a comparison on some of the top models, if you need to compare. You can check that out here.
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.