If you’ve seen me in person, then you know that I’m not the healthiest person around. I struggle when it comes to diet and exercise. With that in mind, my parents decided to get me an Apple Watch for my birthday! It was unexpected but it was a sign for me to get my act together.
Check out my Apple Watch Series 3 First Impressions!
I won’t be doing the usual review since it’s been almost 6 months since I got the Apple Watch Series 3. As I’m writing this review, I’m currently in the Theater inside an Apple Store here in Japan! (You’ll have to guess which one I’m referring to though.) I’m doing this while an Apple retail employee is explaining Today at Apple. (More on that in another post.) On with the review!
Hardware
The first thing I noticed throughout my whole use of this Apple Watch is just how comfortable it feels. Not once did I feel irritated nor did I want to remove it due to allergies. Your mileage may vary so make an effort to try one on in your nearest Apple Store or Apple reseller.
Another aspect you should consider is the size of the actual watch. If you’re getting a Series 3, your choices are between the 38mm and the 42mm. The Apple Watch Series 4 has a bigger screen, so your choices are between the 40mm and the 44mm. I got a Series 3 42mm. It doesn’t look too small for me compared to the 38mm.
I love the display on the Apple Watch! It gets bright enough outdoors so I can see how my rings are! (More on that later.) I got used to the square display. I come from wearing analog watches and I initially thought that this watch would be more of a hassle. For the most part, I learned to live with charging another device.
I tried receiving a call on the Apple Watch Series 3 and it’s just an okay experience. I wouldn’t do it again though. I also love the Digital Crown. Turning it feels like turning the crown on an analog watch. I just feel that it’s too easy though that it might break. Maybe Series 4 feels much better.
Notification Machine!
One of the original promises of the Apple Watch is being a better way to get notifications from your iPhone. Thank goodness this feature is probably one of my favorites! When I’m not using the phone, the watch will notify me instead of the phone! It’s super convenient and it helps me know whether a notification is worth dealing with or not. This actually helps me with my productivity and I only get distracted due to social media.
Another of my favorite features of the Apple Watch is its haptic feedback. It’s surprisingly very effective. I rarely miss a notification thanks to it.
Workout Anytime, Anywhere
With watchOS 5, you can now do workouts even if you forget to set it on the watch! Whenever you run or walk and you forget to set it, the Apple Watch will notify you to start a workout! It is super convenient and appeals to the lazy person in me. To be honest, this just happens when I walk around IT Park during lunchtime.
Last Christmas was the perfect opportunity for me to try out the swimming workouts on Apple Watch. Of course, I had to lock the watch so that water can’t get in the speaker. It actually works really well! Maybe I should do more swimming as exercise when I get back to Cebu.
Those Pesky Rings!
This feature is most definitely what makes me keep using my Apple Watch to this day. It’s a mindset that stuck with me this whole time. Even if it didn’t really impact me in the short-term, I really feel less tired whenever I stick with it. I really LOVE these Activity Rings.
Before you go all WHAAAAAT? on me, let me explain what each ring means. The red ring is the Move ring where it tracks how many active calories you burned for the day. The green one is the Exercise ring where it counts how many minutes did you do exercise. Note that this isn’t just the usual exercise. It can be cleaning the house or walking around the mall! My favorite ring is the blue one or the Stand ring. Since sitting down for a long time isn’t good for us, this ring reminds us to stand for a minute every hour.
Thanks to those Activity rings, I am more conscious of what I do in a day. I tend to walk more thanks to the Apple Watch (especially in Japan where walking is actually safer).
How Am I After 6 Months of Using the Apple Watch?
I didn’t really lose much weight to be honest. In fact, I lost less than 10 pounds throughout the whole process. (Thanks, Christmas.) Despite that, I actually feel much better than when I wasn’t using the Apple Watch. It made me more aware to stand up once in a while. It pushed me to walk more just to finish the rings!
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Apple Watch to people who need a reason to start being healthy again and have an iPhone. YES, the Apple Watch requires an iPhone for it to work. I don’t know if Apple will ever open this up to Android users. (Wear OS sucks in comparison to the Apple Watch.) All I know is that the Apple Watch is more than just a lure to get an iPhone. It’s a way for me to try to be healthier.