Apple Watch Series 4: Now available for pre-order

Apple’s brand new Apple Watch Series 4 is now available for pre-order. The smartwatch made its debut on Wednesday, at Apple’s annual September devices event, as the world watched on with intrigue. Now, the Apple Watch Series 4 can be ordered and will commence shipping next week, on Friday 21 September. Wearables fans everywhere, rejoice! 

Pre-order the Apple Watch Series 4 here

The Apple Watch Series 4 brings some pretty revolutionary changes to smartwatch devices. Between its FDA-approved heat monitoring techniques, noticeably larger display and swim-proofing, it’s shaping up to be an incredible watch.

Revealed at Apple’s 2018 annual September event, dubbed ‘Gather round’, the Apple Watch Series 4 is a substantial departure from previous Apple Watches, both in terms of design and function. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6EiI5_-7liQ

Read on to find out everything we know about Apple’s brand new Apple Watch Series 4. 

Apple Watch Series 4: Everything we know so far

Apple Watch Series 4 release date: When will the Apple Watch Series 4 be released?

Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 4 at its “Gather round” September device event, to much fanfare. COO Williams announced that fans will be able to order the hotly anticipated product from Friday 14 September and will be available the subsequent week, from Friday 21 September.

The operating system it uses, watchOS 5, will ship on 17 September. You can use this on any previous Apple Watch, as long as it’s linked to an iPhone 5s or later running iOS 12.

READ NEXT: Apple Watch 3 Review

Apple Watch Series 4 design and specs: What does the Apple Watch Series 4 look like?

Aesthetically, Apple hasn’t deviated too far from the wildly popular design of its predecessors, although it has seen some fantastic new updates. The Apple Watch Series 4 is thinner than its predecessor, while simultaneously sporting a display that’s over 30% bigger. 

Its screen extends right to its edges, and the corners are designed to match the shape of the watch body. Its new watch face displays up to eight new complications, a feat which not only shows more information but allows users to customise their devices with various apps and monitors.

The watch also comes with beautiful backdrops that illuminate the features of the watch, such as a flame design that subtly brings out the increments around the watch face, or a ‘vape’ design with a plethora of nuanced colours.

There are two sizes of Apple Watch Series 4 —44mm and 40mm. Previous Series have had smaller sizes at 42mm and 38mm.

Apple Watch Series 4 Features: What can you do on the Apple Watch Series 4?

The real novelty of Apple Watch Series 4 lies in its abundance of new features.

The Apple Watch Series 4 can be customised according to its users’ interests, whether they pertain to travelling, health, fitness, sports and so on. Sports fans can track their favourite teams, with live scores cropping up on the device’s interface. Travellers can customise the Apple Watch 4 with different time zones, or view their boarding information via the watch face. 

Health monitoring, in particular, is where the Apple Watch 4 excels. There’s an optical heart sensor which boasts three new features:

1. The Apple Watch 4 gives you a notification when your heart rate drops too low. 
2. It can now screen your heart rhythm in the background, helping people who didn’t otherwise know they had a cardiac issue. 
3. You can now take an electrocardiogram (ECG); this measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. 

The electrocardiogram capability has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making it the first ECG product offered over the counter to consumers. Present to corroborate this at the unveiling was the president of the American Heart Association, Ivor J. Benjamin, who dubbed the device “game-changing”. 

The feature won’t be available when the Apple Watch Series 4 ships, however, and when it is launched it will only be available in the US. A roll-out to more countries is likely dependant on approval from regulatory bodies. This means in the UK the Care Quality Commission will need to approve the function before it is available to UK users.

Another revolutionary health-related feature of the Apple Watch 4 is its ability to detect when its wearer has had a fall, and offer to contact emergency services. What’s more, if the wearer remains immobile for as long as a minute, the watch will automatically contact emergency services. This new feature makes it an ideal option for people living alone, or the elderly, for whom unforeseen falls are a serious risk. 

Apple Watch Series 4 Use: What will the Apple Watch Series 4 feel like to use?

Apple have made sure the Apple Watch Series 4 is a step up in many technical ways. It has a louder speaker, and has an improved microphone. In addition, radio wave receptors in both the front and back of the device mean mobile reception is improved.

The battery life will match previous Apple Watches in having an all-day battery life, which includes 6 hours of active use —time you’ll be using the exercise apps and heavy GPS usage.

Despite the display being more than 30% larger the device itself is thinner, meaning it’ll be less intrusive to use.

Apple Watch Series 4 Price: How much does the Apple Watch Series 4 cost?

The Apple Watch Series 4 will start at £399 for GPS devices, and goes up to £499 for devices with GPS and mobile network connectivity. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 3 has seen its price slashed to an extremely palatable £279-£379 respectively. 

The Series 4 GPS version will be available in 26 countries, and its cellular counterpart in 16 countries. It’s available on 34 carriers, over double the number available last year. In the UK, two carriers are available: Vodafone and EE.

In addition Apple have revealed some branded variants of the devices from several collaborators. Nike have designed watch faces and straps, for a price tag equal to the originals. Alternatively Hermes have created a range of handcrafted leather straps and designed faces at prices starting at £1399.

Finally, it would remiss of us not to mention that the brand iPhone Xs and Xs Max are available now for pre-order. Here’s a round up of some of the best contracts available right now.

The best Apple iPhone Xs deals

• O2 – 50GB data, £30 upfront, £63.50/mth for 36 months, total cost £1128 – Get it here
• EE – 100GB data, £10 upfront, £83/mth for 24 months, total cost £2,002 – Get it here
• Carphone Warehouse – With iD: £250 upfront, £40/mth for 24 months, total cost £1210 – Get it here
• Three – Unlimited data, £79 upfront, £52/mth for 24 months, total cost £1,328 – Get it here
• Mobiles.co.uk – With O2: 30GB data, £275 upfront, £46/mth for 24 months, total cost £1379 – Get it here 

The best Apple iPhone Xs Max deals

• O2 – 50GB data, £30 upfront, £66.50/mth for 36 months, total cost £1236 – Get it here
• EE – 100GB data, £10 upfront, £88/mth for 24 months, total cost £2,122 – Get it here
• Carphone Warehouse – With O2: Unlimited data, £200 upfront, £65/mth for 24 months, total cost £1,760 – Get it here
• Three – Unlimited data, £99 upfront, £64/mth for 24 months, total cost £1,760 – Get it here
• Mobiles.co.uk – With O2: 25GB data, £10 upfront, £75/mth for 24 months, total cost £1,809 – Get it here

We’ll be updating this page with the latest rumours as and when we hear them.