INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Steven Aquino
Contributor
Share on Twitter
Steven Aquino is a freelance tech writer and
iOS accessibility expert.
More posts by this contributor
iPhone 11 Pro is the most accessible iPhone yet
Apple puts
accessibility features front and center
Reviewing Apple Watch Series 5 is not hard
It is so largely similar to last year Series 4
It carries with it all the things that made its predecessor great — the large display, haptics-enhanced Digital Crown and fall detection
— and marches forward with one defining feature: the always-on display
Back-to-back years of seminal moments for the Watch is an impressive feat.
From an accessibility perspective, everything that was (and
remains) great about Series 4 is there in Series 5
It is the best Apple Watch to date, and it is certainly the most accessible smartwatch on the market, period
But there are a few caveats.
Always-on
The longer I wear Apple Watch Series 5, a 44mm space-gray aluminum review unit from Apple, the more
torn I feel about the device always-on display.
On one hand, I readily acknowledge the significance of the new display as it relates to the
On the other hand, however, I find the always-on display to be somewhat of a letdown in practice
It isn''t that the always-on display is bad; it not
It that the current implementation isn''t that conducive to my visual needs.
The issue is brightness
The always-on display right now isn''t bright enough for me to quickly glance down at my wrist to see the time
As someone who requires maximum brightness on all my devices in order to see well, this is problematic
Other reviewers have mentioned how nice it is to just casually look down at the watch to see the time, as you would on a mechanical watch
My peers must have substantially better eyesight than I do, because I literally cannot do that
In my usage, I have found I&m still flicking my wrist like I have any previous Apple Watch to see the time
When you do so, the Apple Watch screen fully illuminates (to max brightness, per my display settings), and that how I can tell
time.
The whole point of buying Series 5 is for the always-on display
I could turn it off, but that defeats the purpose
It makes no difference whether I&m using an analog or digital watch face
The exception is when using the new Numerals Duo face with the &filled& styling
The digits are so large that I have no trouble seeing the time
This face would be a good solution for my woes if not for the fact it doesn''t support complications
Otherwise, Numerals Duo is a great workaround for the always-on display lack of light.
At a technical level, I understand why watchOS dims
Nonetheless, it unfortunate there is no way to adjust the brightness while in &always on& mode
Perhaps Apple will add such a feature in the future; it would make sense as an accessibility setting
As it stands today, as good as the always-on display is in general, I can''t say it makes much sense for me
I&m effectively using Series 5 the same way I use my Series 4
Because of this, Series 5 loses some of its appeal
The whole point of buying Series 5 is for the always-on display
I could turn it off, but that defeats the purpose, and I may as well stick with last year model.
On the flip side, if and when the always-on
display improves for me, another benefit is it will save me from having to raise my arm so often
I wear my watch on my right wrist, which is notable because the right side of my body is partially paralyzed due to cerebral palsy
As such, raising my wrist to tell time or check a notification can sometimes be painful and fatiguing
The always-on display mitigates this because, by virtue of its persistence, you don''t necessarily have to contort your arm to look at your
watch — thereby alleviating pain and fatigue for me and others.
Problematic packaging
From the original Apple Watch (colloquially known
as &Series 0&) through Series 3, Apple packaged the watch as an &all-in-one& product
Which is to say, the band was fastened to the watch
You could grab it and go — take the watch out of the box and immediately see how it looks on you, even before pairing it with your
iPhone.
With last year Series 4, Apple changed how they package Apple Watch, whereby the band and watch were separate entities
In order to wear it, you first need to attach the band to the watch
In my review, I called out this change as regressive despite recognizing why it made sense operationally
The revised layout continues in Series 5, which is disappointing.
Everything should be as accessible as possible.
The issues
this setup raises are the same ones I expounded upon last year
To wit, it easy to see how some people could get flustered with the watch and band being piecemeal; it can be challenging in terms of
cognitive load and fine-motor skills
Even as a seasoned product reviewer, I freely admit to again feeling a tad disjointed as I was piecing together my review unit.
Like the
always-on display dimmed state, I totally get why Apple chose to overhaul how they package Apple Watch
It makes complete sense in context of the new Apple Watch Studio, where you can mix and match finishes and bands
This is a prime example of why reporting on accessibility and assistive technology matters so much: esoteric details like how a product is
packaged can really matter to a person with disabilities
Part of the reason Apple products are so revered is precisely because of the elegant simplicity of its packaging
The unboxing is supposed to be one of the best parts of a new Apple Watch or iPhone or iMac — especially for disabled people, the initial
experience leaves a lasting impression if you have to fiddle as if it were a jigsaw puzzle
I can manage, but many cannot
And it important to bear in mind
Everything should be as accessible as possible.
The bottom line
There is no doubt Apple Watch Series 5 is great
It retains the title of Best, Most Accessible Apple Watch Yet, but with an asterisk
I don''t have a burning desire to upgrade — although admittedly, the titanium siren song has been calling me ever since last month event
The problem I have with the display can be easily remedied with a software update; if Apple shipped a brightness slider tomorrow, I&d order
Today, though, always-on isn''t always bright — and that sucks.
In the end, I still heartily recommend Apple Watch Series 5 to everyone
My low vision makes the always-on display difficult to see as-is, and I surely can''t be the only one
But that doesn''t take away from the fact that the watch is still the best, most accessible smartwatch by a country mile
I&m confident the always-on display will be iterated and refined over time
In the meantime, Series 4 and watchOS 6 is a pretty bad-ass combination for me.
