Apple has dropped its much-anticipated smartwatch follow-up on us, called rather unspectacularly (yet still SEO-troubling) Apple Watch Series 2. But beneath the say-what-you-see name, this is more than just an aesthetic twist.
We got hands-on with the second-gen wearable at Apple’s Keynote at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco, and what’s clear is the way it looks has actually changed the least – this is about what you do with it.
Rumours of circular screens and slimmed-down bodies were wide of the mark. The screen is still square, the chassis appears much the same (it’s actually 1mm thicker), it feels identical on and while it can run apps remotely, you still need your phone to make calls.
However, the refinement is elsewhere. First up, it’s much faster – Apple reckons 50% faster with its updated dualcore processor, and we wouldn’t argue.
It zips whereas Apple Watch 1 lagged, while the improved graphics processor allows for much more interesting real-time leaps, from 60fps star maps (check out the lens flare!) to very, very tiny gaming. Partnered with a much brighter screen, it makes a very good first impression.
Like the iPhone 7, it’s also waging a war on water – although rather than “waterproof” it is “swim-proof” (water resistant to 50m), raising the “splash-proof” bar of the first Watch with a lot of priority given to adding swimming to its exercise roster. Again, we approve.
Alas there were no bath tubs on hand to give it a dunk, but we did have a play with its new pool-friendly features. Easy to set up, once set a little water counter gives you a countdown before the screen locks, stopping any inputs on the display but letting you tap to show your time.
If you want to unlock, a turn of the digital crown does the trick, using the new speaker-flush system to push out any excess water as it does.
Another biggie is Watch Series 2 now has GPS built-in, which will make running without having your phone strapped to your arm a pleasant experience. We weren’t allowed to go for a jog to the Golden Gate Bridge, but we did watch how the annotated run maps sync to your phone as you return into view of your handset – it does indeed “work”.
As ever, much of this functionality comes through WatchOS3, coming to all Apple Watches from September 13, which really overhauls what had become a confusing operating system. There’s now a recognisable dock, much like the iPhone and iPad, while faces are more plentiful and easier to switch. It just feels far more intuitive now.
Style-wise, there’s been a lot of focus on the Nike+ hook-up, that simplifies the inputs even more to make it a dedicated fitness watch (with a fetching DayGlo strap that fits with Nike’s colourways, coming October), while Hermés continues its lusted-after, leather-based fashion strap additions. With a whole range of new Apple bands too, your wrists are certainly more customisable than ever.
As for the actual watches themselves, Apple’s dumped the uber-pricey statement gold one, adding its cooking hob- and veneer-matching ceramic number (from £1,249, below) as the high-end option alongside the regular aluminium and stainless steel ones.
Apple Watch Series 2 First Impressions
The first Apple Watch always felt like a testing of the smartwatch waters, and with Series 2 the company is leaping in more assuredly, with the splash-proof body to prove it. The increased power and improved interface makes it immediately a far more pleasing proposition, while the new styles and ability to swim with it add much to its appeal.
That said, if you didn’t go in for a smartwatch before, there’s not much here to make you rethink that decision. There’s no reinvention, just an evolution of what was there, giving people who already like this kind of thing more things to do.
