Upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 2 to a Series 5

I can only speak for Canada and for me, no, I have no extra cellular charge. It piggy-backs off of my iPhone. I am quite glad I bought the cellular version because it means I do not have to pack my iPhone, now an Xr, everywhere I go or dig it out of a pocket to use Apple Pay. Especially lately here where we had a cold streak of -40˚ Celsius and digging for deeply buried pockets was a challenge.

My first Apple Watch was a 44mm Series 4. I am a pretty big guy, 6’ 2" and about 230lbs on a good day so I needed the extra real estate the 44mm offered. I am senior and have had double cataract surgery so now have no ability to focus close up and the bigger watch face has proved the proper choice for me.

The fall detection feature in the S4 was a main motivation for me to buy the S4. After fighting a number of health issues I struggled with maintaining balance a lot so knowing if I fell and could not get up that I could get help called was enormously reassuring. I know this was discussed a lot last year on TidBITS and I can say that I too had a few false fall alerts early on in owning the S4. It is almost unfair to call them false alerts because the times it occurred were when I had slipped rather severely and then regained balance and one, which was rather odd, when I had to park sideways on a rather steep sloping parking area with the driver’s door on the down side. Regardless, after a few early on false alerts the S4 seems to have developed a basic threshold and I have had no false alerts for well over a year.

Being a Canadian the ECG feature was slow to gain approval here. I have to guess but think it would have been approved and available on the Apple Watch in April or May of 2019. While I have not had to put it to the test as far as using it to determine if I should get medical help it does appear to do the jobs it promised and gives me a certain level of comfort to see satisfactory results.

Apps were definitely not top of the list for my Apple Watch but I do use a few 3rd party Apps, mostly health and/or sleep related, along with 1Password, Tile, Overcast, IFTTT and a control access for my home alarm system.

I have stayed with silicone bands and have found them quite comfortable. I bought a few random, inexpensive bands on eBay to try some out without buying more expensive bands to only find I did not like them. I remain quite satisfied with my choice to buy that way.

Mine is an aluminum model and I have had no issues with scratches or any other blemishes so would find it hard to justify the extra cost to buy a stainless steel model. At the moment I have no reason to upgrade and really can’t imagine what new feature it would take for me to consider an upgrade. Maybe by Apple Watch 6 or 7 I will change my mind.

Another poster mentioned the Noise App. It is also available on the S4 and I do have it “on” and set to a 90 decibel threshold. I have never received a single Notification so may adjust the threshold.

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Continuing the discussion from [Upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 2 to a Series 5]:

Thanx for your insight to the Series 5, and in particular its “always on” capability – I really, really wanted to upgrade from the Series 4 for “always on”, but now think I can remain happy with the Series 4 (and saving the $$).

My biggest gripe with the WatchOS seems to be the total lack of a time display with selectable complications, that simply shows digital seconds. The only easily readable digital display I’ve found shows the Activity Rings, which are boring, boring, boring. I’m currently using a version of the Infograph, which shows a small character digital display and an analog seconds-hand. Tolerable, but I really don’t want the analog watch face. (Yuck!)

I’ve tried checking 3rd-Party Apps for a better digital time, but have failed at finding anything there, either. If anyone can point me to a better idea, I’m interested in knowing!

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Wow, thanks for the great posts, everyone! I knew that my impressions and opinions were going to be specific to me, so I love hearing all the reasons that people have different ones.

I realize after reading all this that part of the reason the Always-On screen doesn’t make any difference for me is because I don’t much care about the time. Since I work at home, I don’t have much of a schedule, and my Macs alert me to things that are coming up. So while I’m sure I do check the time on my wrist, it’s not why I wear the Apple Watch. (And before it came out, I didn’t wear a watch at all.) I’m much more interested in notifications and complications.

Also, I hadn’t realized that the Workout app does support the Always-On screen because if I’m going to do any sort of workout tracking, I use Strava so the information isn’t siloed in the iPhone. And the main reason I’m actually using Strava on the Apple Watch is that (a) the app has improved sufficiently to be useful and (b) I’ve been injured and unable to run since June, so whatever exercise I do hasn’t been running. I’m just starting to come back from the plantar fasciopathy, and now that I can start to do a few miles here and there, I’ve immediately returned to my Garmin Forerunner 620 for tracking running workouts. The Apple Watch with Strava is better for indoor cycling on the trainer or weight workouts, though.

I found this Apple page quite useful:

Apple Watch faces and their features

Personally I selected the Infograph face. It is easy for me to read and has the maximum number of Complications available which make accessing my most used features easy peasy.

I went from a model 0 to a model 3, skipping the 1 and 2. I traded the 3 in for a 4 because I wanted to sever the “cord” between the iPhone and the Watch when I was jogging or fitness walking (or if I simply forgot to take the phone with me); otherwise, I would have kept the 3. I could see no tangible benefit, though, for trading the 4 for a 5; there was nothing new in the 5 that I wanted or needed.

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I turned off raise to wake today since you’re right, you really have to tap the screen to wake it up anyhow, at least I did, all raise to wake seemed to do is brighten the screen for me. I seem to be getting better battery life now, thanks!

Regarding the cheap knock-off bands: I bought a sport loop assortment (not the exact one Adam featured) and a Milanese Loop-equivalent. I don’t have the Apple version of either of these so I can’t compare head-to-head but I’m perfectly happy with these. I can’t find anything wrong with the material or build quality of the Milanese Loop. The magnet is plenty strong to keep the loop from expanding when I move. Likewise, the material and quality of the sport loops seem top-notch.

I bought the Watch (it’s my first) the week after Christmas at an Apple Store and they were out of most bands so I was stuck with buying the silicon sport band. After we checked stock on the bands I would have preferred and found they weren’t available, the Apple salesperson actually suggested that I go to Amazon to get less expensive bands!

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I can recommend the stainless steel Milanese Loop Apple sells as it has the comfort benefits of the nylon Sport Loop while not absorbing sweat and other particles.

I use the Milanese Loop during the day and the Sport Loop for sleep tracking. The Sport Loop needs washing about once a month to keep irritation to a minimum. The Milanese Loop doesn’t irritate my skin at all.

Yes, that is the one I have and for the same reason. I understand it will fit the larger Series 4 watches.

The article inspired me to alter my Nike band. (BTW the extra holes allow finer adjustment.) The tab through the hole irritated my skin. A little Velcro glued on eliminated that.

I’ve had my S5 about 6 months. It has THOUGHT I have fallen 2 or 3 times. I think each time was when I was doing something like moving boxes around.

I went from the S2 to an S5 (both 44) and it’s great. My fat fingering now hits what I aim for.

Once or twice a month it tells me my heart rate was at or below 38 for more than 10 minutes. Each time it has corresponded with a “near” nap.

I have always had a lower than normal heart rate so I’m not really worried but I’ll ask my doc at my next physical.

What makes the Garmin better than the Watch for running?

The screen is easier to read in bright sunlight and is always available—no waiting for it to appear. Plus, the Garmin has real buttons that can be pressed to start and stop and pause and take laps without looking at the screen, not to mention configurable displays that show more information.

It’s not much of a competition. The Apple Watch will record runs if that’s all you want, but serious runners who run speedwork or are aiming for training paces or need to run timed intervals need a real running watch.

No argument on the rest of your points, but with the S5 and AOD this one is no longer an issue. As for bright sunlight, I’m back from two weeks in the Caribbean and I had no issues at all seeing the display when I was out for a run.

I’d also add battery life as a plus for the Garmin running watches. You won’t need to charge the watch daily.

Well, if you’re using the Workout app, I gather. All other apps are replaced by the time when your wrist is down and for that split second as you raise it. Just enough to annoy me every time. Since I log my runs and rides in Strava, I don’t use the Workout app.

I haven’t been running seriously due to injury since I got the Series 5, so it may be better. The Series 2 was a problem in bright sun for me, compared to the Garmin’s LCD screen.

Some very good news for Apple Watch sales. It’s really remarkable that Apple was able to accomplish this in just about five years:

Strategy Analytics: Apple Watch Outsells the Entire Swiss Watch Industry in 2019

https://news.strategyanalytics.com/press-release/devices/strategy-analytics-apple-watch-outsells-entire-swiss-watch-industry-2019

Wait, I thought they first outsold Swiss watch makers years ago?

And I wasn’t aware that Swiss watchmakers are trying to make smart watches. Years ago when my daughter wanted and acquired one, Swatch made simple little watches that served more as fashion accessories, and the other Swiss watchmakers I’ve heard of so far as I know make overpriced mechanical marvels (that I have zero interest in owning).

I don’t know of anyone that can compete with Apple in smart watches. From what I’ve read Android Wear is a poor substitute. I own a Garmin Fenix 5+ which has some smart watch like features (notifications, Garmin Pay) but it’s really a pale imitation of a real smart watch like my AW5. The reverse is also true; my AW5 could never be my only (or even a) fitness device, while the 5+ is perfectly capable of being that if I needed it to be.

If I remember correctly, they had previously sold more than any single Swiss watch maker. This article now says that they are outselling all of them combined.

Of course, it’s not a fair comparison, since Swiss watch makers are selling luxury timepieces, not electronic accessories. Aside from the prices and the fact that both are worn on a wrist, there really isn’t much these two markets have in common.

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Wait, I thought they first outsold Swiss watch makers years ago?

Apple Watch bested Swiss smart watches almost immediately after they were first introduced. Overtaking sales for the total sales of all Swiss watches is an even more significant milestone.

And I wasn’t aware that Swiss watchmakers are trying to make smart watches.

They’ve been making smartwatches for decades, mostly in response to early smart watches from Japanese companies like Seiko, as well as what was then personal consumer electronics powerhouse, Casio. At the time, Apple did develop a very interesting fitness tracking and entertainment product, the Nike+ iPod. Surprisingly, it’s still alive and kicking:

https://www.apple.com/in/ipod/nike/

But the Swiss efforts were few, far between and barely even half baked. In hindsight, they virtually ignored what was evolving into a global trend, perhaps because of headlines like these in the fashion/entertainment press around 2-3 years ago:

Let’s Face It, Smartwatches Are Dead:

“A trifecta of bad news for smartwatches means that it’s time for the consumer electronics industry to face reality: There’s simply no sizeable market for watches with apps on them, and users don’t want to have yet another screen nagging them about unread emails.”

Until the last 2-3 years, just about nobody in any of the big watchmaking companies took smartwatches or the viability of consumer electronics companies in the business seriously at all.

Years ago when my daughter wanted and acquired one, Swatch made simple little watches that served more as fashion accessories, and the other Swiss watchmakers I’ve heard of so far as I know make overpriced mechanical marvels (that I have zero interest in owning).

Swiss watchmakers banded together to develop the fashionable, reasonably prices Swatch brand, which was wildly successful. And in what was then a shocking reversal in marketing/advertising trends for Swiss watches, they promoted buying multiple versions of the low priced watches in different colors. After just a few years, they sold the brand to a Japanese watchmaker.

I don’t know of anyone that can compete with Apple in smart watches. From what I’ve read Android Wear is a poor substitute.

Many brands have been trying, but so far nothing resembling a big success.