Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Was comparing more today: sometimes the s5 always on is much brighter indoors for some reason but overall big differences attributed to prob ion x glass and s6? Need a comparison with aluminum s6 vs steel s6.
68DBB67E-59C0-445C-B5AD-5B3F59469AB8.jpeg
DA11478D-8213-402D-814A-E72912177C1D.jpeg
21BEC079-D231-42F2-A042-F2D203331BA3.jpeg
B014CB18-06B9-4AB2-9A4F-B58BD48CE384.jpeg
 
I bought a SS4 last year (was an price error like almost 40% off), and the screen is indestructible!!

I can’t go back to the aluminum it will get scratched So easily. Had two watches before the SS4 and always get scratched.

I'll wait for a sale on SS6, or probably "just have an accident" on my SS4 and claim the AppleCare+ to receive a SS5 next year, or once the SS4 failed, I've got till May 2021.
 
I went from a S0 SS -> S4 SG Aluminum ->S4 SBSS -> S6 Graphite SS (Returned due to DLC coating scratches after just 3 days) so now -> S6 SG Nike Aluminum.

I have no regrets as my S4 Aluminum body is still scratch free while the ionX glass has a single fine scratch on it. My son now owns it. My S0 and S0 SS were all purchased at a huge discount when new models came out. I really wanted the Graphite SS but it scratched only after 3 days and it can't be polished out. So I went back to the aluminum but got the Nike Edition for the exclusive faces and band.

And as @Nimbus134 mentioned, the ionX display, while more scratch prone, has less reflection, more contrast and deeper color. This was tested a few years back by Displaymate. So my savings will go to the soon to be announced iPhone 12 Pro instead.
There was nothing wrong with the Graphite watch. Your problem was the Milanese band. The band is what scratched the watch. It has been a known problem.
 
I’m sort of concerned about this. I had on opportunity to upgrade my SS S4 Watch and I went for the silver Nike S6. I’m giving up 3 years of being on SS, so I’m wondering if I will regret it. I am bad about scratches, meaning, it will bug me to no end if I end up something noticeable. In normal times, I have bumped my SS Watch a few of times, but not often. It still looks new. I’m concerned the aluminum will not hold up as well.

I’ve seen some aluminum Watches that look terrible, but can’t tell how a person cares for their devices from a single moment. My husband’s SG S4 Nike Watch looks pristine.
 
I’m sort of concerned about this. I had on opportunity to upgrade my SS S4 Watch and I went for the silver Nike S6. I’m giving up 3 years of being on SS, so I’m wondering if I will regret it. I am bad about scratches, meaning, it will bug me to no end if I end up something noticeable. In normal times, I have bumped my SS Watch a few of times, but not often. It still looks new. I’m concerned the aluminum will not hold up as well.

I’ve seen some aluminum Watches that look terrible, but can’t tell how a person cares for their devices from a single moment. My husband’s SG S4 Nike Watch looks pristine.
If you bang your watch a lot it’ll get damaged but I’ve seen plenty of old aluminum watches well taken care of with no damage. The aluminum itself doesn’t damage easily. It’s very durable.
 
If you bang your watch a lot it’ll get damaged but I’ve seen plenty of old aluminum watches well taken care of with no damage. The aluminum itself doesn’t damage easily. It’s very durable.

Thanks for the input! I said I’ll go for it and change over if it doesn’t work out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nimbus134
My S4 is Gold SS, S5 is SB Ti, and S6 is Blue Al. I’ve never had any scratches on any of my screens, but the SS has a couple micro scratches on the body. The screen material has never factored into my buying decisions. I’ve always just gone with what spoke to me at the time. Having said that, I’m conscious of the fact that my S6 is not sapphire crystal so I’m a little more careful with it.
 
I got the first Aluminium Nike Edition but after now 1 month I will switch to the titanium Sb. My screen got already scratched + I saw the TI SB for the first time last week and I’m in love haha. Looks so good
 
Yeah I went from SS and ordered blue series 6

Wanted new colour and resell value was same after a year between both which is bad really
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nimbus134
I switched to an aluminum Series 4. I had a hard time dealing with screen scratches so I switched back to stainless steel. To me the case material is almost irrelevant. The value lies in the sapphire screen.

And this may surprise some. But the reflective sapphire screen looks so much nicer to me than the Ion-X Glass. The reflectivity gives the glass a glossy look that is missing from the ion-X. The sapphire screen looks more like jewelry. I was always disappointed with the dull look of the ion-x when I had the aluminum and I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Then it dawned me that it was the lack of reflectivity. It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like comparing a dull black to a glossy black car finish. Just like adding a ceramic coating to car paint enhances the reflectivity to make it more appealing. To me the reflectivity is a net positive.
 
Personally it's hard to jump up 325+ bucks for the cost of a SS material. Looks nice sure, but the tech is the same. I've owned 2 aluminum watches, and yeah I've had a scratch or two, but really, who cares? This isn't a heirloom timepiece that you'll keep forever. This is a piece of tech that won't be able to probably update to the latest OS in 5 years.

I had a series 0 SS, and I liked it. Looked sharp. But I ended up returning it. And that was back when you weren't forced into paying 100 bucks more for a cell model, if you needed it or not. I still couldn't justify the cost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mgscheue
If money is the issue you can find secondhand Series 5 in stainless and even titanium for the same price as a new aluminum series 6.
 
Personally it's hard to jump up 325+ bucks for the cost of a SS material. Looks nice sure, but the tech is the same. I've owned 2 aluminum watches, and yeah I've had a scratch or two, but really, who cares? This isn't a heirloom timepiece that you'll keep forever. This is a piece of tech that won't be able to probably update to the latest OS in 5 years.

I had a series 0 SS, and I liked it. Looked sharp. But I ended up returning it. And that was back when you weren't forced into paying 100 bucks more for a cell model, if you needed it or not. I still couldn't justify the cost.

Good post. Especially the first few sentences. I’ve always owned the stainless models over the years, and then for the first time I considered titanium, which I really like. But you’re right, I don’t usually like spending that type of money on the more expensive Apple Watches when really all perform the same functionality. I do prefer the sapphire display and the weight of the more expensive models, but what’s difficult is just spending the additional money, but accepting the resale value is horrible. And the reason we feel valued applicable to someone like myself, is I like having a new Apple Watch model every year, where as the average consumer, probably upgrades around three years, Where the resale value wouldn’t really be that big of a consideration.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deliro
Never had an aluminum before— my first watch, the a series 2, I opted for Space Black SS. I thought the aluminum felt cheap (weight) and didn’t love the space gray look.

I got the blue aluminum series 6 this year and have been alternating wearing that and my space black SS series 4, and honestly, I don’t really notice much difference. The blue is so dark that most of the time I’m not even conscious of a different color (maybe if I were spending time outdoors in direct sunlight I’d notice it). Also not noticing the difference in weight in practice. The thing I notice is the always on screen Of the series 6– that’s the one thing that reminds me which watch I’m wearing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nimbus134
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.