Apple Watch - fitness tracker advice wanted

Glenbhoy

Had been thinking of getting an Apple Watch as a present for my wife. She has an iphone but certainly not big into the apple ecosystem, mainly because I've never been apple and i'm her main technical support.

What she would like is something she could take for her power walks which would allow her to leave her phone behind. It could monitor the usual bits and pieces - pace, heart rate etc, so presume it would need GPS. A required function would be to allow her to listen to music/podcasts etc. She has a spotify subscription, so if there was any way that could be utilised that would be ideal too.
Ability to make/receive calls would be great, but presumably that's not possible at this time?

Having had a very quick look at features etc, it seems that there may be little or no point in getting the apple watch - as it seems that for proper functionality, it has to be within the range of the phone?

Would I be better/as well off just getting a fitbit of some sort or any other options - (I had a huawei honor band last year and found it pretty decent, before the kids broke it - although I think she has her heart set on a fitbit or apple watch)

Any advice gratefully accepted, very much a novice when it comes to apple products

Tazium

It'll do all the monitoring you've suggested and you are right in that it won't make/receive calls. Music and Spotify have local storage on the watch, and various controls to add/remove music but you'll need to do that in advance of any workout unless the phone is accompanying your wife. There is a US option that includes an e-sim for calls, might even be available in the UK, not here though.

Apple Watch and iPhone are a very good combo for fitness tracking, the integration beyond Fitness keeps me engaged to mine anyway. Could consider Garmin too as another option.

Glenbhoy

Thanks for the info, in terms of model, what would you recommend? Series 4 refurbs look interesting or do they v se gps v series 6?

Tazium

If the cost isn't prohibitive, get the latest. It adds a Blood Oxygen sensor and an always-on screen that wasn't on earlier models. I made a switch from a series 4 to series 6. The screen features are the stand-out for me in terms of the upgrade, battery life is better but you should be expecting to charge it most other nights.

Glenbhoy

And one last question, is there any point in future proofing and getting a GPS and Cellular version?
How would/could that work in the future? We need the mobile providers to start offering the service, it seems? And what exactly would that mean? Would you have to have a contract with whatever provider offered it? Would it be likely to be a more epensive contract, or would it simply be an additional sim for the phone?

Or would it simply be easier to just upgrade at that point?

noplacehere

If she doesn’t mind carrying her phone somewhere then you can receive calls. I zip mine in an inside pocket and read messages and answer on the watch when I’m out walking

I love mine for fitness tracking albeit I’m not a Gym junkie and have a lot to lose

Dades

Glenbhoy wrote: »

And one last question, is there any point in future proofing and getting a GPS and Cellular version?
How would/could that work in the future? We need the mobile providers to start offering the service, it seems? And what exactly would that mean? Would you have to have a contract with whatever provider offered it? Would it be likely to be a more epensive contract, or would it simply be an additional sim for the phone?

Or would it simply be easier to just upgrade at that point?

We're on the 6th gen and still no sign of cellular working here, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

I bought an SE last year as I wanted to track runs and listen to podcasts, music etc without carrying an enormous phone. I can live without connectivity as long as I've got my content loaded. It's been great, even if the loading of content can be a bit fiddly. Bought the missis one for Christmas too.

rizzee

Had a SE for a month and ended up selling it. Much preferred my Garmin watch with 1 week + battery life, much better running service (in my opinion) and personally prefer the physical buttons.

In saying that, the SE is a much nicer-looking watch, an excellent connection with the iPhone for notification etc (I didn't really use it that much for notifications, probably another reason why I didn't get the full usage or experience from it). If you don't mind charging it every day then it could be worth it, depending on your preferences.

I got the misses one for Christmas too and she absolutely loves it. Really comes down to personal preference and what you want to get out of the watch. Both brilliant devices.

Dades

The very best thing about the Apple Watch for me, is that my wife can now find her own iPhone (which is constantly on silent mode).

She can now get her phone to ping out loud with a tap of her watch.
Living the dream.

Glenbhoy

Dades wrote: »

The very best thing about the Apple Watch for me, is that my wife can now find her own iPhone (which is constantly on silent mode).

She can now get her phone to ping out loud with a tap of her watch.
Living the dream.

I kid you not, that is one of the big advantages my research has highlighted to me. Sorta a pressie for me as much as anything, not quite as blatant as homer buying marge a bowling ball, but...

Dades

It really is a game changer