Apple Watch Series 4 vs Watch Series 3: What's really new?

Apple has launched its new Watch Series 4 along with the new iPhones- iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. The Apple Watch Series 4 sports a new design language and comes in two case sizes--40mm and 44mm. The edges and the bezels are now rounded with an increased display area. The new Watch Series 4 is slightly thinner and is powered by the latest 64-bit dual-core S4 processor and comes with an electrical heart sensor for measuring ECG. Apple has also included a new optical heart rate sensor and have added haptic feedback to the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch Series 4. As far as battery life is concerned, the Apple Watch Series 4 offers similar battery time of 18 hours when compared to the Apple Watch Series 3.
Like the Apple Watch Series 3, the new Series 4 also comes with separate models based on connectivity. There is GPS only variant along with a GPS+Cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 4. The Apple Watch Series 4 GPS+LTE variant also supports eSIM technology which allows users to take calls and browse internet independently with the need for an iPhone to paired nearby. The new Watch Series 4 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 while the older version offer Bluetooth 4.2. As far as sensors are concerned, the Watch Series 4 has all the sensors that are there on the Series 3 version. Apple claims to have added an improved accelerometer and gyroscope for 'Fall Detection'.
Apple Watch Series 4 vs Series 3: The key health features that make the Watch Series 4 special
The Apple Watch Series 4 offers all the features of the existing Watch Series 3 but these exclusive health features make it special. The Apple Watch Series 4 has included features that pay extra attention to heart health. Apple Watch Series 4 will not only alert of high heart rate but it is capable of alerting users if there is fall in their heart rate of blood pressure. However, the biggest feature of the Apple Watch Series 4 is its ability to measure Electrocardiogram or ECG.
The Apple Watch Series 4 enables users to take an ECG reading from the new ECG app. Apple has added built-in electrodes in the Digital Crown along with a new electrical heart rate sensor in the back crystal. With the app, users touch the Digital Crown and after 30 seconds, receive a heart rhythm classification. It can classify if the heart is beating in a normal pattern or whether there are signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), a heart condition that could lead to major health complications. All recordings, their associated classifications and any noted symptoms are stored in the Health app in a PDF that can be shared with physicians.
Along with the capability to measure ECG, with the new watchOS 5, Apple Watch intermittently analyses heart rhythms in the background and sends a notification if an irregular heart rhythm suggestive of AFib is detected.
While these two features can make the Apple Watch Series 4 really useful, the ECG app and 'Irregular rhythm notification' will be initially available in the US only.
The Apple Watch Series 4 also comes with Fall detection feature. The accelerometer and gyroscope, which measures up to 32 g-forces, along with custom algorithms are used to identify hard falls that could physically hurt you. Soon after a hard fall, the Watch Series 4 will by default analyse wrist trajectory and impact acceleration, to send the user an alert. Users can either dismiss the alert (if the fall did not cause any injury) or the alert can be used to initiate a call to emergency services. If Apple Watch senses immobility for 60 seconds after the notification, it will automatically call emergency services and send a message along with location to emergency contacts.





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