American technology giant Apple on Tuesday launched the Watch Series 6 with built-in sensor to monitor blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels. The smartwatch cum health and fitness companion comes in GPS and GPS + Cellular variants priced at Rs 40,900 and Rs 49,900. It will be available soon at Apple authorised resellers across India. Alongside the Watch Series 6, Apple also unveiled its Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop Watch Bands, which will be available from late October. These bands are compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 and later.
The Watch Series 6 brings notable hardware improvements, including a S6 System in Package (SiP), a brighter display with next-generation always-on altimeter, and new watch faces. Moreover, it boasts all the features that Apple introduced with the WatchOS 7. These features include family setup, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types, and the ability to curate and share watch faces. Besides, the Watch Series 6 has a dedicated app to monitor and measure blood oxygen saturation. 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.
For performance gains, the Watch Series 6 is powered by a new dual-core processor based on A13 Bionic. Named the S6 SiP, it is touted to perform up to 20 percent faster, allowing apps to also launch 20 per cent faster while maintaining the same all-day 18-hour battery life. Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 6 features the U1 chip and Ultra Wideband antennas, which will enable short-range wireless location to support new experiences, such as next-generation digital car keys. Apple Watch Series 6 supports fast charging, and is touted to have an improved battery efficiency while tracking certain workouts, such as indoor and outdoor runs.
The Watch Series 6 features a 2.5 times brighter always-on retina display compared to the Apple Watch Series 5. The display supports always-on altimeter to provide real-time elevation details all day long by using a new, more power-efficient barometric altimeter, along with GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks.
