Watch Series 9

I bought a Series 10 a couple of days ago. I’d never had a smartwatch before, only Android fitness bands, but now I switched to Apple ecosystem. I went to the store and tried on the new Series 11 and Ultra 3. I decided not to go with the Ultra it felt a bit bulky on my wrist, and it doesn’t offer anything beyond what the Series 11 does for my use case. Here in Kazakhstan, satellite connectivity and eSIM aren’t available, and there are a few other functional limitations. After that, I compared the Series 11 and Series 10 and couldn’t find any real differences except for the battery, which in real-world use lasts only about 1.5–2 hours longer, pretty laughable, honestly. But I managed to get the Series 10 for $200 less: it was $400 on a local marketplace versus $600 for the Series 11 sold by Apple Premium Partners and other resellers in Kazakhstan. Any recommendations for favorite apps compatible with Apple Watch are welcome. So far, I’ve installed **Bevel**, **Athlytic**, **Sonar**, and **Welltory** in trial mode. I’ll probably keep just one of them. Right now, I’m leaning toward **Bevel**, but **Athlytic** has features that Bevel doesn’t, and vice versa. **Welltory** provides interesting analyses with lots of text, but it doesn’t replace Bevel or Athlytic, it can only be used as an addition to them, though for me it feels like an overpriced add-on. I don’t like **Sonar’s** interface, and its functionality is worse than in Bevel or Athlytic. I’ve also installed **AutoSleep**, **WaterMinder**, and **WorkOutDoors**. I’m looking for the best and most convenient app for strength training, Bevel’s workout section still leaves a lot to be desired. Probably the best one is **Fitbod**, but it’s also the most expensive of them all.

This is probably a "cool story bro" post, but these kinds of reviews help me when making purchasing decisions (and it's a privilege to use both new devices) so I wanted to share my perspective. For context, I'm a 6'4" man and I use my watch for fitness tracking and sleep tracking - I prefer Apple Health over Garmin and Google ruined Fitbit, so I don't go to other brands. First AW was a Series 3, it's amazing how far they've come. Loved my Apple Watch Ultra 3. It was heavy at first, but I got used to it. LOVE the flat screen. I got the natural titanium in anticipation of getting it scratched up. Didn't have an issue sleeping with it on, and my old sport loop bands fit just fine. It's a very nice piece of technology and I loved it very much. BUT - I couldn't keep it. The issue for me was the bulk. I wear long sleeve shirts and coats frequently, and the AWU3 was a pain in the ass. Just always felt like I had a thing on my wrist, even after getting used to the weight. I returned it, because I realized the only benefit I noticed was longer battery life - otherwise it's just another apple watch for me. Back to a more standard Apple Watch with my 46mm Series 11. I think it looks better on the wrist - but that's a personal preference issue. It's easy to forget I'm wearing it, it slips under sleeves very easily and I don't have to mess with it ever. While I love the idea of having a larger battery - I find the Series 9 I had previously was excellent when I charged it during my morning shower - that's all I needed each day to keep going. The S11 feels the same, but I appreciate the shape and size more now. The AWU3 is a beautiful piece and I totally get the well deserved hype - just didn't work for me day-to-day. I got the S11 46mm in black and I plan to keep it for several years - no screen protector because I have apple care.

The VO2 Max calculator on a Garmin is just a sort of chart of pace vs heart rate and nothing else. It’s not a real measure of your VO2 Max. Clearly since it dropped since you added back your easy runs that is the reason it has changed. You increased the volume of running at slower paces your watch is using to estimate so it’s lowering it (at least that is my guess) My VO2 max went up to 54 two months ago and has slid back down to 51 despite me being more fit. I run 150 miles a month and have made significant gains in my threshold pace. When my V02 was “54” My watch estimated my threshold at 8:05/mile Now that it’s “51” it estimates a 7:20 threshold. If I’ve maintained my same volume but improved my threshold pace how can my VO2 have dropped? It’s just an estimate and I don’t really pay attention to it other than to see what it says. I don’t base anything off of it or consider either of those to be my threshold or my VO2 Back to you: Are you seeing a change in performance? Do you feel slower at the 5k distance? Trust your body and use the watch as a guide

Hi everyone, I will be picking up my series 11 42mm in rose gold today and I am so excited. I am completely new to smart watches and spent the last few months trying to decide between and AW and a garmin and ultimately choose the series 11. I just want to share my excitement. I have been on a weightloss journey the past 8 months and at the very start set myself the milestone that when I have lost 30kg, I will buy myself a fitness watch! Well - I hit that milestone last week. Since I started, I have completely changed my life around and being active and going to the gym has become a huge part of my life. I have another 10kg roughly to lose and I am hoping the AW will become a great tool to keep me going! Cannot wait to buy cute straps and check out all the features - I imagine I will have a bit of a learning curve with how to use it. Anyways, not asking for advice or anything, just wanted to share :)

Alright. So this is the exact problem that I have been facing. Series 10. Got it replaced recently due to the black paint chipping issue. Have had the Series 10 for over a year now. The ECG has worked consistently through the months (no heart issues). Once I got the new watch, tried the ECG after a few days, and it was squiggly everywhere. It would consistently get reset back to 30 seconds (generally at around the 10 seconds remaining mark) or I would get a "Poor Recording". Went to the apple store, and gave it another try before the technician was about to check my watch. So that I can have some data. And it worked. Tried it a few more times including in front of the technician, worked everytime. Came back home, tried it. Didn't work. First assumption was that there's something going on around my house that's leaking into the ECG monitor in the watch. To rule it out, I went about a KM away from my home, tried to run the ECG. It worked. Definitely something with my home. A bit tough to believe since the previous watch was working just fine. A counter point to this was that the ECG didn't work at my workplace either. Saw (perhaps on your last post) a redditor recommending using the middle finger for the recording. Tried it, it worked. Tried my index again, it worked. But as of writing, it's not working.