One of the functions that have come from the hand of watchOS 6 is the noise meter, an application that automatically monitors ambient noise and warns us how dangerous it can be to our hearing health depending on the time we are exposed.
This function, which not available on models prior to Series 4, alerts us by a light touch on the wrist that the ambient sound has reached a level that can be worrying. But how accurate is the decibel meter on the Apple Watch with watchOS 6? The short answer: a lot.
An Apple Watch user who works testing motors, has carried out a test to see how accurate the decibel sensor of the Apple Watch is. It all started when the Apple Watch detected a noisy environment when an engine was running. To check how accurate it is, he compared the results marked with an EXTECH decibel meter.
The Apple Watch reported a measurement of 88dB, while the professional decibel device used by this worker read 88.9 dB. The difference is 1%. If we take into account that in most cases, meter readings with variations of up to 5% are accepted, the operation of the noise detector of the Apple Watch works really well.
Although this function is included in the watchOS 6, version compatible from Series 1, the decibel meter is only available on the Series 4 and Series 5. The reason, we will not know, but probably is related to some function of the processor that manages both Series 4 and 5, since it is the same. Or perhaps, Apple did not want to include it to force us to renew our old Apple Watch, it would not be the first time and it will not be the last.
It is very good of course but it gives me the impression that it eats the battery. Either that or it's something from the new OS (I'll know that in a few days because I've disabled the meter).