Apple Watch Series 4 first impressions – improved heart monitoring system can detect irregularities
New smartwatch can perform an EKG to track your heart’s electrical activity, and you can export the results as a PDF. The device can also detect if its user has fallen over, and call the emergency services
The biggest and most important features are all related to health and safety. The Apple Watch Series 4 has improved its heart monitoring capabilities from previous models. It can detect unusually high or low heartbeats and, more impressively, it can perform an EKG (electrocardiogram) – which tracks the heart’s electrical activity.
Apple says the Apple Watch is so accurate at checking for heart rate irregularities that the Watch 4 has been approved by the American Heart Association. Users can export their EKG results in a PDF file that can be easily sent to doctors.
In addition, the Watch’s accelerometer and gyroscope can now detect falls (both slipping and falling). If a fall occurs, the Watch will ask the user if they want to contact emergency services. If there is no response within 60 seconds, the Watch will automatically do so.
I tested the new Watch for only a few minutes in a controlled environment, so I was not able to test whether the heart rate sensors had been improved or if the fall detection really worked, but I can confirm the hardware improvements are legitimate and welcome.
