It’s worth noting that the Apple Watch 2 has already been discontinued by Apple. It would be difficult to find one. And more often than not, you can actually buy an Apple Watch 3 with less money. We would recommend you to get the Apple Watch 3 instead.

When Apple first launched the Apple Watch 2, many people have questioned whether the upgrade was big enough to beat the original Watch.

In fact, Apple added to the Apple Watch 2 many important tech upgrades including a GPS chip, a new water-resistant design, a much faster processor, and a swim tracker.

The smartwatch also came in a new white ceramic finish, to replace the expensive gold Apple Watch Edition. And with the Hermes band, the price of the Watch 2 was pushed even higher.

Apple Watch 2 Release Date

Apple launched the Apple Watch 2 in September 2016. Despite being discontinued by Apple, the smartwatch is still available somewhere online.

Apple Watch 2 Price

At launch, the price of the Apple Watch 2 was $369 before dropping to $260. Now, as it is difficult to find one, the price has increased. If you are a smart buyer, you should really go for the Apple 3 instead. And if you find the price of the Apple Watch 3 still too high, you can purchase the Apple Watch 1 that costs approximately $269.

Apple Watch 2 Design

The design of the Apple Watch 2 is the same as its predecessor. Unless you are someone who prefers a round-shaped smartwatch, that isn’t a bad thing. Apple has always been known for its stylish and sleek designs.

Everything about the Watch feels premium, from the formed glass to the curved edges to the quality of the digital crown. The weight of the smartwatch is somewhere in between, it isn’t too heavy or too light.

The heart rate monitor is on the back of the smartwatch. It is an array of four LEDs pulsing light below your skin. The collection of LEDs make the back look bulbous. However, once you strap it to your wrist, it isn’t noticeable.

Apple has got rid of the hyper-expensive gold edition Apple. It was replaced by the ceramic version whose price was three times more expensive than the base model. At the cheapest point, the cost of the ceramic model was $1,299.

Apple Watch 2 Screen

In terms of screen dimensions, Apple didn’t make any changes. The Apple Watch 2 still sports the same 1.65-inch OLED display with a resolution of 390 x 312.

The key thing here is the brightness. The display of the Watch 2 can reach 1000 nits. It is brighter than its predecessor and is as bright as its successor.

The OLED display means when not in use, the black backgrounds will shut off to improve the white element’s brightness and to save battery life as well.

As the Watch 2 comes with the water-resisting feature, the display has a “wet mode.” With this mode, the display will be locked and the touch functionality is disabled.

How you can unlock this is cool too. You turn the digital crown, the speaker will emit a pulse to get rid of the water.

Apple Watch 2 Specs

The S2 dual-core processor is the big spec upgrade that Apple made to the Apple Watch 2. Although it is faster than the original, the response is not instant.

However, the improved processing combined with general efficiency improvements and graphical prowess means the Watch 2 is a useful and stable platform.

The screen is blank until you raise your wrist to catch a notification or to see the time. This might feel odd at first, but soon you will get used to it. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t add to the Watch 2 an always-on display.

The buzzing sensation is from the Taptic feedback engine of Apple. It actually feels quite pleasant and more “targeted.”

The Apple Watch 2 delivers great performance for any task. There are some apps that need a little bit of syncing, but it isn’t a deal-breaker.

Apple Watch 2 Fitness

To be honest, the most important upgrade that the Apple Watch 2 has is the GPS. With this, users can take the smartwatch for a run without having to carry their smartphones.

Not only the Apple Watch 2 has GPS, but it also has Glonass, the global positioning satellite system’s Russian variant.

The heart rate monitor is the same as before. So it is equally inaccurate when you are running. The Garmin 735XT, when tested, is more accurate than the Apple Watch 2. It works fine for more sedentary exercises.

According to Apple, when the heart rate monitor is switched off, the battery could last over five hours of usage for running. When being tested during a 26.2-mile marathon with everything turned on, from the GPS to the heart rate monitor, the Bluetooth, the smartwatch lost only 78% of battery after 189 minutes.

The Apple Watch 2 also tracks other tasks, from elliptical machines to cycling, giving you the equivalent calorie burn.

The big new feature is swimming tracking. With the gyroscope and accelerometer, the smartwatch will tell you when you are changing lengths.

Apple Watch 2 Battery

The Apple Watch 2’s battery is actually really impressive. The whole unit is a lot more power-efficient.

Apple hasn’t revealed the smartwatch battery as well as the expected performance. But for most, you can use the Apple Watch 2 for at least two days.

When you remove the smartwatch from charge at 63% and head out for a 45-minute run, using Bluetooth for music streaming and turning the heart rate monitor on, the battery decrease to 47%.

Of course, the battery of the Apple Watch 2 isn’t the best on the market. The smartwatches from Pepple can last 10 days with one single charge. However, those devices lack the beauty and the sheer functionality that the Apple Watch offers.