The Apple Watch 4 is an amazing smart watch and, quite simply, the best money can buy; but you have to own an iPhone to make the most of it

Larger screen, Thinner, Excellent performance

Battery life still not great, Expensive, No sleep tracking

It’s bigger, it’s better-looking and it could save your life

The larger screen (30% larger no less), especially as the Watch itself has barely grown at all. The Series 4 comes in 40mm and 44mm versions (measured vertically), compared to 38mm and 42mm for past Watches.

There’s no native sleep tracking, and even if there was the battery life is still too short to allow you to wear the Watch at night. The battery will last a day comfortably, but not two, so you have to plug it in every night.

Apple Watch Series 4 is the best reason yet to buy a smartwatch

Sleek redesign, Huge, gorgeous screen, Novel health features

Significantly more expensive than Series 3, No always-on display option

The Apple Watch 4 is better in every way, but you’ll have to wait for its most exciting feature to emerge

“The best smartwatch you can buy, a genuine improvement over previous models, and Apple’s finest hour in years.”

Great design and build quality, Excellent, user-friendly software, Comprehensive, motivational health and fitness features, Can replace your phone for a short time, Plenty of colors, straps, and third-party accessories

Short battery life

While it's a shame that picture and sound quality haven't been upgraded, the iPhone 13 was great in these regards and the iPhone 14 is, too Excellent display Admirable headphone performance Solid build quality No upgrades to picture or sound Familiar design Notch is still present

The updated Series 4 Apple Watch is a fantastic wearable. The bigger screen makes a huge difference, as do the niceties such as the haptic feedback when you turn the crown. WatchOS 5 is by far the best of its type, and its easier and speedier than even on the Series 4.

Has there been a learning experience for Apple quite like the Apple Watch? Back when the original model launched in 2015, there was – not unfairly – a sense that Apple itself wasn’t quite sure what exactly it should do.

Mesmerizing new display, Fast and smooth performance, Health features could be game-changers, Battery life hasn't suffered

Siri still falls short, Expensive

Just as Samsung, Google and the Wear OS gang look like they’re catching up to Apple, it goes and streaks ahead. The truth is that the Apple Watch Series 4 is in a different league right now, and balances style, features and specs to make an excellent smartwatch.

Better design, Lifesaving metrics, Top sports features

Apple takes unjustified heat for iterating on a product year after year. By not tossing out the whole platform and design, however, the company has created a game-changer with the Apple Watch Series 4.