Apple Watch Series 4: The Wearable That Redefined Smart Health

Hey there, techies and health-conscious readers! Cast your mind back to September 12, 2018. Remember what happened? If you can’t, let me help you a little, It was the day Apple held their “Gather round” event, and boy, did they have something revolutionary up their sleeve – or should I say, on their wrist? That’s right, we’re talking about the Apple Watch Series 4, the smartwatch that didn’t just raise the bar, it completely redefined it!

As Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, proclaimed during the event, “Apple Watch Series 4 is the ultimate device for a healthy life.” And let me tell you, he wasn’t exaggerating one bit. The Series 4 was about to change the game in ways that would make even the most skeptical tech critics sit up and take notice.

So, without any more yapping, let’s dive deeply into the Apple Watch, which has brought a whole new dimension to personal health monitoring and smartwatch design.

A New Era of Wearable Health Tech:

The Apple Watch Series 4 wasn’t just another iteration but a quantum leap in smartwatch technology, with a larger display, advanced heart sensors, and a sleek new design, Apple was essentially saying, “This isn’t just a smartwatch; it’s your health guardian” but that’s just scratching the surface. Let’s break down what made the Series 4 better than the previous model.

Technical Specifications:

Alright, tech nerds, let’s get into the part we all love, What made the Apple Watch Series 4 so special? Here’s the lowdown:

Processor:

The Series 4 was powered by the T8006 processor, commonly known as the S4. This dual-core 64-bit chip gave the Apple Watch Series 4 a significant performance boost over its predecessors.

Display:

The Series 4 introduced a stunning LTPO OLED Retina display. It was larger, crisper, and more vibrant than ever before.

Screen Material:

Apple continued to offer two options:

Ion-X glass for the aluminum models
Sapphire crystal for the stainless steel models

Connectivity:

Like its predecessor, the Series 4 came in two options:

GPS only
GPS + Cellular (LTE)

GPS:

Built-in GPS for accurate fitness tracking and location services.

Compatibility:

GPS models: iOS 12 or later running on an iPhone 5s or newer
GPS + Cellular models: iOS 12 or later running on an iPhone 6 or newer

Internal Designations:

For the tech nerds out there:

40mm GPS: N131sAP (Watch4,1)
44mm GPS: N131bAP (Watch4,2)
40mm Cellular: N141sAP (Watch4,3)
44mm Cellular: N141bAP (Watch4,4)

Redesigned and Re-engineered:

The Series 4 marked the first major redesign since the original Apple Watch, Here’s what changed:

Larger Display: The screen grew by over 30%, while the overall volume of the device decreased.
New Sizes: Out with the old 38mm and 42mm, in the latest 40mm and 44mm sizes.
Thinner Profile: Despite the larger screen, the Apple Watch Series 4 was thinner than its predecessor.

Let’s see how Apple’s former Chief Design Officer “Jony Ive” decribed the design of series 4,”The design of Series 4 is fundamentally redesigned and re-engineered to help you stay even more active, healthy, and connected.”

Here’s a quick comparison of the new sizes:

Feature	Series 3	Series 4
Smaller size	38mm	40mm
Larger size	42mm	44mm
Screen area	563 sq mm (42mm)	977 sq mm (44mm)

Revolutionary Health Features:

The prominent feature of the Series 4 was undoubtedly its advanced health monitoring capabilities:

ECG App: For the first time, users could take an electrocardiogram right from their wrist.
Fall Detection: Using a next-generation accelerometer and gyroscope, the watch could detect if you’ve taken a hard fall and offer to call emergency services.
Improved Heart Rate Monitoring: New optical heart sensor for even more accurate readings.

Performance and Battery Life:

The S4 chip delivered blazing-fast performance, up to 2x faster than the previous generation. Despite the larger display and advanced features, Apple managed to maintain the all-day 18-hour battery life, a testament to their engineering prowess.

watchOS 5:

The Series 4 came out with a watchOS 5, which brought several new features and improvements:

Walkie-talkie mode for quick voice chats.
Podcast app for on-the-go listening.
Improved fitness tracking with automatic workout detection.
New watch faces are designed specifically for the larger display.

Impact and Legacy:

The Apple Watch Series 4 marked a significant breakthrough in Apple’s wearable journey. It transformed their watch from a cool gadget into a potentially life-saving device, the addition of the ECG app and fall detection expanded its appeal beyond tech enthusiasts to health-conscious individuals and older adults.

As Dr. Ivor Benjamin, president of the American Heart Association, noted during the Apple event, “The AHA is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Products that seek to provide deeper health insights, like the Apple Watch Series 4, offer great potential in getting us there.”

Conclusion:

The Apple Watch Series 4 was more than just an upgrade – it was almost a new watch, with its redesigned display, advanced health features, and improved performance, it redefined what we could expect from a smartwatch.

As we look at the latest Apple Watch models today, it’s clear that the Series 4 raised the bar in terms of design. It pushed the boundaries of what a smartwatch could do, transforming it from a mere accessory into a powerful health and fitness companion.

So, the next time you check your heart rate or admire the sleek design of your Apple Watch, take a moment to appreciate the legacy of the Series 4. It might not have been the first Apple Watch, but it was the one that truly put health at the heart of wearable technology.

Want to see how the Apple Watch Series 3 established Apple Watch as a standalone device, check out this article: Apple Watch Series 3: The Smartwatch That Cut the Cord