New gadget – means it needs to be put to the test to see how it performs!
This morning I went for my usual weekend runs but it was a better experience this time because I managed to fit my phone and my other stuff into the FlipBelt* so there’s nothing bouncing around in my track pants and I was able to run comfortably!
*Not an affiliate link – I really do recommend them though! Particularly if your smartphone is too large to be on an armband, it’s a good alternative!
What surprised me was the Watch 4 – all I had to do is start a running workout routine and it took care of the rest! It began running a timer and it started measuring my pulse, calorie burn, elevation changes and automatically mapping my run!
I did a leisurely 5K walk/run session in roughly 45 mins, and when I finished the workout it showed a complete summary and graphs of the whole routine. It even automapped my entire route, thanks to Google Maps!
With the current setup (GPS on, AOD off, Wifi off, NFC on), I started my run at 100% and it was down to 89% after 45 minutes.
Later in the day I recharged it back to 100% and worked an 8-hour shift. My shift involves a lot of walking so every once in a while it detects I’m walking it automatically creates a walking workout session. It created a few random sessions and it somehow bothered me so I disabled the auto-detect workout session in the settings.
It was a generally chill shift, so for our break we went to a nearby restaurant and grabbed some yummy Rollesque ice cream – I picked the cookies and cream one!
Unfortunately, I had no idea how many calories these things have, so I wasn’t able to record them in the Watch4 interface. They’re really good though!!
After I clocked out of my 8-hour shift with AOD off, GPS off, NFC on, Wifi off, it consumed roughly 27% of the battery. This includes the occasional checking of notifications and responding to a few DMs using the Watch 4’s TTS engine. Hey, that’s not bad!
With this endurance rate, it will roughly calculate to about 29 hours in a single charge. I charge all my devices nightly anyway so I think the Watch 4’s battery wouldn’t bother me as much. Glad I ended up picking the 46mm version over the 42mm one!
Having said that, I am satisfied with my very first smartwatch so far. π Here’s to more adventures with this cool piece of tech!
the13thgeek: Encore 