Apple says it increased the maximum brightness of the display from 200 nits to 500 nits when your wrist is down, which makes it easier to see in the sunlight.

The new top-end Apple Watch Series 6 is slightly faster, brighter and cheaper with a new sensor – and does just enough to stay the king of smartwatches. You have the option to enable the Blood Oxygen app during the setup process, which lets you check your blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels and measure them throughout the day (you can also turn this feature on later). You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.The Watch Series 6 adds a pulse oxygen sensor to its range of health systems, makes its always-on display 2. The Series 6 doesn't represent much of an upgrade over the Series 5 in total, but I don't see that as a problem in itself. The problem for the Series 6 is that the previous Series 5 and Series 4 versions, and the new cheaper Watch SE, are just as good on this front. It cannot give medical advice nor provide a diagnosis, but it can be the first step in stopping a life-threatening condition. Masimo CEO Joe Kiani took advantage of an interview to slam Apple's implementation of pulse oximetry in the Apple Watch, and confirm that there have not been recent settlement talks.

Apple Watch Series 6 improves performance through redesigned hardware that packs even more features and power into the same impressively small design. The new software also added full, on-device voice dictation, so that your speech is converted to text faster, with greater privacy and without requiring an internet connection. When it comes to new health and fitness features, only the pulse oxygen sensor is a major addition in the Series 6 hardware. It can help you understand how well your body is absorbing oxygen, and the amount of oxygen delivered to your body.But the internals being more efficient is a key aspect of freeing up battery consumption so that the always-on screen can be brighter without wrecking battery life. There's enough capability and headroom here to for most people, but hardcore runners will want a dedicated running watch. Notifications in the Heart Rate app will alert you to these irregularities so you can take action and consult your doctor.