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Explain why S6 is better buy than S4 refurbished?

S

satchmo

macrumors 603
Original poster
Aug 6, 2008
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I was pretty much sold on buying a new Apple watch this year. But frankly I'm not sold on the features of the S6.
While oxygen sensor is cool, I'm not in that high risk category at this point.
AOD is not something I would enable.

So a new 40mm SS AW6 goes for $699.
Meanwhile a refurbished 40mm SS AW4 goes for $479
That's a substantial $220 difference.

Yes I can get a 40mm Aluminum AW SE for only $279 which is effectively an S4.
Unfortunately, I'm looking at SS.
Resale value of SS is crap, which is partly why I'm looking at the S4 or S5.

Is there anything I might have missed?

edit: changed 'convince' to 'explain'.
 
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Agree t the 4 seem like good choices. OS 7 made my series 5 super snappy, its a great speed increase. I for one love AOD but series 4 seem like the best option. The series 5 processor is nearly the same as the 4 from what I remember.
 
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I have a series 4. I decided to buy series 6 for the reason of always on display. Series 5 also had that feature. The Oxygen saturation level detector seems to be slow and the band has to fit tight. If this is the only feature you want, it might be worth waiting for generation 2 of this feature.
 
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Yep if you’re not going to use the always on display, sounds like the S4 is the better buy for you. Don’t need anyone to talk you out of it. You might also look on Swappa as you can sometimes find new or mint S4s for even less than that.
 
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MacDevil7334 said:
Yep if you’re not going to use the always on display, sounds like the S4 is the better buy for you. Don’t need anyone to talk you out of it. You might also look on Swappa as you can sometimes find new or mint S4s for even less than that.
Click to expand...

Perhaps convince was the wrong word, but it was more to see if there was some other feature I missed. Thanks.
 
satchmo said:
Perhaps convince was the wrong word, but it was more to see if there was some other feature I missed. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Fair enough. I think you’ve analyzed your purchase pretty well. No need to pay for the latest model if you’re not going to use its features. I’m sticking with my S5 for the same reason. Pocket the extra money or grab a nice band to go with your SS watch!
 
If you are happy without AOD, I strongly suggest do not try the S6 (or S5). You may discover you really like AOD, and are thus compelled to spend a lot more than you want.
The AOD is THE feature of the S5/S6 in my opinion. Things like the compass I use maybe once a month, but I probably use AOD 50 times a day without realizing it, just in glancing at the watch without thinking about it.
Maybe sort of like glancing in a rear view mirror. It is very convenient that the rear view mirror is "always on," and you don't have to do some action to activate it.
 
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It’s not, I bought my S4 SS last year when Best Buy was having a killer sale on them. With watch os 7 the ui and apps are very fast.
 
I was kind of thinking the same, I wanted to upgrade my 42mm Aluminum Series 3, I was considering a Series 6, but really can’t justify the price point, especially for features that don’t really matter to me.
I was lucky to find a Series 4 SS 44mm, and I couldn’t be any happier, and saved a boatload if money.
 
satchmo said:
Yes I can get a 40mm Aluminum AW SE for only $279 which is effectively an S4.
Unfortunately, I'm looking at SS.
Resale value of SS is crap, which is partly why I'm looking at the S4 or S5.

Is there anything I might have missed?
Click to expand...

You’re not missing anything. But I’d highly recommend to get the SE this year since you’re essentially paying way less as have mentioned and having owned an aluminium space grey since the launch day I can tell you it held up well over the years. You’re buying the same watch for cheaper.

Save the money this year and then if something compelling happens next year you can upgrade?! Just a thought.
 
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Ifixit teardown revealed, that the battery capacity of the 40mm was increased around 10% in S5 compared to S4, made possible by new packaging design, while the 44mm didn't recieve this changed and capacity was mostly unchanged.

We have to wait for someone to tear down S6 and/or SE before we know if there has been any development in battery capacity this year.

Having a 40mm S4 myself I know the battery life is abysmal and that any increase would be welcome. That battery health is now down to 92% is not helping. Of course enabling Always on display is likely to negate any capacity increase, but you don't have to.
 
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satchmo said:
Is there anything I might have missed?
Click to expand...

I am waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding inclusion of the U1 chip in S6.

If AirTags or other features such as access keys or HomeKit integration are introduced during the October iPhone event, I will probably choose the S6 over an SE or an older model.
 
edhchoe said:
Always on display is useful.
Click to expand...

It can be. But not a compelling feature alone for most consumers to upgrade, let alone do they even know the S5/S6 has AOD? I suspect most consumers who are upgrading from a older model Apple Watch, only really see the new form factor, they don’t really care about as much as specs’ as we do.
 
satchmo said:
Is there anything I might have missed?
Click to expand...

Compare the specs and feature differences against those things which are important to you.

Watch Manuals and Downloads - Apple Support

Manuals, technical specifications, downloads, and more for Apple software and hardware
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Not to be blunt, but I doubt anyone here cares which you choose, so there's no reason to "convince" you of anything. This is your decision. It depends on your specific wants/preferences and whether the S6 will provide an additional ~$200 in value to you.

Yes, resale of SS watches is poor. That's why I always consider the purchase price a sunk cost and don't look at potential resale until when I'm looking to do an upgrade. That said, check out the price differences today of used S3 vs S5 watches on Swappa. That's a forecast of what resale difference may be a year from now on an S4 vs S6. There's much higher demand and value on year-old models vs three-year-old models. Looks like that $220 up-front price difference may be a lot less when looking at resale in a year or two.

However, IMHO resale is irrelevant to whether or not a watch model meets your wishes/preferences. That's what the focus should be.
 
I mainly went from 4 to 6 for the AOD. The other features were icing on the cake. Also wanted a different finish to change things up.

I was pleasantly surprised by the speed difference, though. I never found the 4 to be slow, but the 6 feels lightning fast for me. Incredibly snappy. Not sure to what extent that is WatchOS 7, though.
 
4 to 6 here. Always aluminium as the resale value of the SS isn’t worth it.

iOS 7 made the 4 even faster and it was already pretty good. No complaints. The speed of the 6 isn’t noticeable. As the 4 was fast enough.

The AOD though is proving to be a better feature for me than I thought it would be. And it doesn’t kill the battery like you would think. End of day I have 57% left
 
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