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The Apple Watch Series 9 costs $399 or $699 depending on the model you choose. The only real difference between the two is the casing. The cheaper option has an aluminum casing, while the more expensive watch is made of titanium. You can also choose between different sizes that change the price. Opting for the slightly larger watch will cost you an additional $30. We think the less expensive version is strong enough, even for seniors who put a lot of wear and tear on their devices.
The benefit of the Apple Watch Series 9 is that you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription to enjoy the health monitoring. This means you could get pretty much everything the Fitbit Versa 4 offers, without the $9.99 monthly fee.
However, the Apple Watch Series 9 is $250 to $550 more expensive than the Versa 4. It may be hard for some seniors to justify the upfront cost, but the Series 9 does have very robust features. I made phone calls, sent texts, listened to music, and worked out with the watch.
One caveat: If you want to make calls, send texts, or connect to the internet without your phone, you’ll need to add a cellular plan from your phone carrier. These plans usually cost around $10 depending on the carrier, so it’s still fairly affordable compared to medical alert monthly rates.
The Apple Watch Series 9 battery life is decent, especially considering how powerful it is. It features fast processing speeds for a smartwatch and has many useful features like GPS tracking and health monitoring.
The battery lasts up to 18 hours with regular use or up to 36 hours in low-power mode. Low-power mode essentially turns off any connection to your iPhone or Wi-Fi. That means no texts, incoming calls, or internet searches. But, if you just want to use your watch to tell the time and monitor your health, low-power mode is a good way to extend the battery life when you can’t get to the charger.
My mom typically charges her watch overnight when she goes to bed so it’s fully charged for her daily walk each morning. The drawback to this is that she doesn’t get to use the watch’s sleep monitoring features. She sleeps pretty well, so this wasn’t a major concern for her.
The Apple Watch has two different sizes to choose from: 41 mm and 45 mm. The screen size of the 45 mm version is 1.7 inches in diameter, while the screen size of the 41 mm version is about 1.5 inches. Either way, you can get a sizable screen that’s easy to read. The screen’s brightness levels are nearly twice as strong as the previous iteration of the Apple Watch. While either size is an improvement on smaller smartwatches like the Alert1 or SOS Smartwatch, I would recommend spending the extra $30 to get the larger screen if you have vision loss.
The screen is also designed to work well in bright sunlight or lowlight environments. My mom noticed this when using her watch in the living room and on her walks.
» Learn About: Smartphone apps and resources for people with vision loss or impairment
The Series 9 has intertwined bands that clasp with an easy-to-use metal nub. This band is an improvement over earlier versions. My mom found it very easy to take on and off, though she did notice that it felt a bit heavier on her wrist than other watches. This was partly because we tested the 45 mm version, which weighs 38.8 grams, compared to the 41 mm version, which only weighs 32 grams.
Apple Watch SE -
Best Smartwatch for Health Monitoring
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The Apple Watch SE is the Cadillac of smartwatches, encompassing the powers of both a medical alert device and a souped-up smartphone. From my Apple Watch, I could FaceTime friends, receive text messages, log my heart rate and sleep cycles, and do other things. The primary downside is that you’ll need a separate cellular connection to use this watch.
>> Read more: The Best Smartphones for Seniors
First things first: The Apple Watch does not have urgent response calling like the other smartwatches on this list. Although it does have an emergency response button and fall detection, placing calls with these will, by default, call 911. With this in mind, I could not place test calls on my Apple Watch.
That said, I could test its fall detection, which worked pretty well, accurately detecting eight of my 10 test falls. Additionally, I appreciated that I could adjust the fall detection feature to contact my mother instead of 911. This could be very useful for people with loved ones nearby.
The Apple Watch, aside from having automatic fall detection and an emergency SOS button, has the most health features of any smartwatch on this list (or on the market generally.) Take sleep monitoring, for example, which only the SE has among the watches on this list. Because I was feeling tired during the day, I used the sleep monitoring to break down exactly how many minutes I was spending in REM, deep sleep, and core sleep.
I found out I was waking up multiple times per night, and the watch even gave me trends over the past two weeks. To improve my energy and mood, I set a sleep goal and turned on Sleep Focus Mode, which turned off the watch’s display around bedtime. I found that not using my device close to bedtime helped improve my sleep, giving me higher energy levels throughout the day.
The Apple Watch SE costs as little as $249 for the 40 mm version with a rubber wristband. If you want the larger, 44 mm watch face or a stainless steel band, then you’ll have to pay more.
You’ll also want to factor in the cost of your service. With an Apple Watch, you have two options. If you have an iPhone, then your watch can piggyback off the service of your iPhone at no extra cost. If, however, you want your Apple Watch to work without an iPhone nearby, then you can purchase an additional cellular line. For example, Verizon currently charges $10 per month to add an Apple Watch to your existing plan.
>> Read more: The Best iPhones for Seniors
The biggest drawback of the Apple Watch SE — as well as Apple’s products in general — is the price. Even the lowest-cost option, the 40 mm watch with a rubber wristband, costs $249, which is about $50 more than the second-most-expensive option, the MGMove. Not to mention that using the SE requires an iPhone, which, if you don’t already have one, can range from $429 to $999 or more if you buy a new device. Apple certainly isn’t the most affordable option, although you get what you pay for in terms of features.
If you have a larger budget and want some features you don’t get with any other watch, like sleep monitoring, the Apple Watch SE could be for you. It’s a great choice for someone already in the Apple ecosystem who owns an iPhone and doesn’t mind paying a little more for a more advanced device. However, if you don’t want to shell out nearly $250 for the device alone, more affordable options are the SOS Smartwatch.
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