Apple today announced Apple Watch Series 6, introducing a Blood Oxygen feature that offers users more insight into their overall wellness. Apple Watch Series 6 delivers many hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package (SiP) and always-on altimeter, along with a lineup of multiple colours for the new case finishes and bands. watchOS 7 brings Family Setup, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types, and the ability to curate and share watch faces, encouraging customers to be active, stay connected, and manage their health in new ways.

“Apple Watch Series 6 completely redefines what a watch can do, with powerful new features, including a Blood Oxygen sensor and app,1 Apple Watch becomes even more indispensable by providing further insight into overall well-being.”

– Jeff Williams, Apple Chief Operating Officer

Apple Watch Series 6 expands the health capabilities of previous Apple Watch models with a new feature that measures the oxygen saturation of the user’s blood, so they can better understand their overall fitness and wellness. Oxygen saturation, or SpO2, represents the percentage of oxygen being carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body, and indicates how well this oxygenated blood is being delivered throughout the body.

Image Source: Apple

Image Source: Apple

The device is designed to measure blood oxygen between 70 per cent and 100 per cent. On-demand measurements can be taken while the user is still, and periodic background measurements occur when they are inactive, including during sleep. All data will be visible in the Health app, and the user will be able to track trends over time to see how their blood oxygen level changes.

Researchers will conduct three health studies that include using Apple Watch to explore how blood oxygen levels can be used in future health applications. These include Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the University Health Network to better understand how blood oxygen measurements and other Apple Watch metrics can help with management of heart failure.

Apple Watch Series 6 offers faster charging, completing a full charge in under 1.5 hours, and improved battery life for tracking certain workouts, such as indoor and outdoor runs.

An enhanced Always-On Retina display on Apple Watch Series 6 is up to 2.5 times brighter than Apple Watch Series 5 outdoors when the user’s wrist is down, making it easier to see a watch face in bright sunlight. When their wrist is down, the user can also now access Notification Centre and Control Centre, tap on complications, and swipe to change faces without having to wake their watch screen.

Image Source: Apple

The always-on altimeter provides real-time elevation all day long by using a new, more power-efficient barometric altimeter, along with GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks.
This feature allows for the detection of small elevation changes above ground level, up and down to the measurement of 1 foot, and can be shown as a new watch face complication or workout metric.

Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS) starts at AUD $599.

Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular) starts at AUD $749.