I've spent the last few days reviewing the new Apple watch
The Apple watch series 4 and Apple's new watch OS 5 software
continue to build on Apple's already great SmartWatch and fitness tracker
Here's what you need to know
The first thing you'll notice with the new Apple watch series 4 is that the screens are larger
Apple is now selling a 44 millimeter and a 40 millimeter version versus last year's 42 millimeter and 38 millimeter models
The larger screens allow you to see more through what Apple calls, complications or the apps that run on each watch face
That means you can see the weather, the battery life, create a workout, see your heart rate, see the UV index
and more all from a single watch face
It's really cool
The larger screens also make reading text, looking at photos, and more much easier
And despite the larger screen size it didn't feel bulkier on my wrist
when I was wearing it throughout the day or while working out
There are a couple other improvements too
The speakers are also louder so when you ask Siri a question you can hear it better
Hey Siri who won the New York Jets game last night
The Jets lost to the dolphins yesterday, the final score was 20 to 12
And Apple moved the microphone so when you place a phone call it's easier for the recipient to hear you
Apple sent me the series 4 model with cellular connectivity and GPS
Which means I had a data connection even when my phone wasn't around
That let me listen to podcasts, send messages, call people and even stream music
all when my phone was left at home
Apple made another improvement, the cellular connectivity is better because it switched to ceramic
which allows for the signal to travel to the watch easier even when you're wearing it
The Apple watch series 4 also runs watch OS 5
Apple's new watch software, which is coming to older devices as well
Watch OS 5 can automatically detect when you start some workouts
So if you go to the gym and jump on the elliptical, it might automatically recognize that you're starting to move
Speaking of workouts, I'm always trying to earn badges on the Apple watch
And now you can have seven day competitions against friends
I wasn't able to test this because I don't have any friends with a new Apple watch or the new software
But I'm looking forward to trying it
Battery life is good too, I'm generally happy if I can get to the end of the day and charge it on my bedside table at night
But it lasted more than 24 hours
The Apple watch series 4 also has automatic slip and fall detection
which means if you slip or fall it'll automatically contact emergency services if you don't say that you're okay
Finally, there's a new EKG or electrocardiogram that exists in the digital crown
It's not available yet and Apple is going to activate it later this year with a software update
But when it is active you can touch the crown and get a full EKG that you can download through a PDF and send to your doctor
Okay so a couple downsides, you get a lot of stuff but the Apple watch is still really expensive if you want all the features and a bigger display
It starts at $399 but you're gonna pay at least $529 if you go with the 44 millimeter model with cellular
and $699 if you want the stainless steel model, which I think looks the best
And I know it sounds silly but another downside is that the Apple watch series 4 doesn't support Android
which means I wasn't able to compete against my wife in health tracking
So should you buy it?
If you're buying an Apple watch for the very first time
I suggest going with last year series 3 with GPS model which starts at $279
That way you can see if you really like the Apple watch and if you end up wearing it all the time as I do
If you own an Apple watch series 1 or an Apple watch series 2 then I definitely think you should upgrade
You'll like the speed enhancements and all of the new health features that you get with a new series 4 model
The Apple watch series 4 is the best SmartWatch you can buy but all those fun features don't come cheap