Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Getting my S7 tomorrow from S4
- Thread starter Fthree
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I went from an Aluminum S4 to a Silver SS S7. Absolutely no regrets. Big difference in so many ways. Larger screen, brighter screen, AOD, blood oxygen level sensor, better battery, much better performance, additional watch faces, etc, etc You’re going to love it.
Agree ... went from Silver SS S4 to Graphite SS S7.
Don't have my s7 yet, but it should be here next week and I'll try to remember to report back once it arrives.
Going from s4 to s7, definitely had to think on it for awhile before ordering. I'd been hoping for additional sensors, but after consideration, there were enough upgrades from 4-7 to justify it for me.
Going from s4 to s7, definitely had to think on it for awhile before ordering. I'd been hoping for additional sensors, but after consideration, there were enough upgrades from 4-7 to justify it for me.
Picked it up today. So far love the screen and it’s definitely snappier. The always on display is a nice addition so I don’t have to turn my wrist so much while laying down (sounds like a lazy thing but it’s nice to look down and not have to move my arm just to see the time) it’s only been a few hours so not much to report other than that.
Love mine. S7 is faster. The screen is nice. Worth the upgrade IMO. I went from S4 aluminum rose gold to S7 SS gold.
I went from an S4 to an S7. Personally I don't really notice the screen size being that much bigger. The watch definitely is snappier and quicker though. In hindsight I feel I would have been perfectly fine with the 4 until next year when maybe the 8 will be more of a major change and upgrade. But overall I'm happy enough to keep the 7.
I too went from S4 to S7.
Best upgrade feature by far has to be fast charging which I don’t think anyone mentioned. Larger screen, faster processor, blood oxygen sensor are all nice, but fast charging takes the cake. I guess it really stands out because battery life seems almost equivalent to my old S4.
Best upgrade feature by far has to be fast charging which I don’t think anyone mentioned. Larger screen, faster processor, blood oxygen sensor are all nice, but fast charging takes the cake. I guess it really stands out because battery life seems almost equivalent to my old S4.
Last edited:
Finally got my watch on Tuesday, s4Al44 -> s7Al45, and I agree, the best feature by far is the battery & fast charging. The improved display is great, but isn't terribly noticeable unless using apps or entering a passcode. I use the Infograph black watch face, so the size increase isn't terribly noticeable outside of apps.
The extra sensors are nice too. I'm looking forward to looking at O2 trends over time, and it's nice to have a compass! AOD I could give or take. I'm leaving it on for now, but it's not an exciting feature for me. Raise to wake was perfectly acceptable.
I like having the option of a QWERTY keyboard, but even with a 45mm display, it's difficult to type accurately. I think scribble gives me faster, better results for most messages. YMMV
The s7 also seems to be optimized for WatchOS 8, whereas the s4 was not. I hesitate to say "planned obsolescence," but my s4 at 3 years old is at 97% on its battery health. The s7 has a better battery (~5.8% capacity increase from the s4). But the s7 is performing significantly better battery-wise on Watch OS 8.
My charging habit is 30 minutes in the morning & 60 minutes in the evening
s4 on previous WatchOS versions:
10-15% battery usage overnight (85-90% remaining)
45-50% battery usage through the day (50-55% remaining)
S4 on Watch OS 8 (even after unpairing & repairing at one point):
15-20% battery usage overnight (80-85% remaining)
80-85% battery usage through the day (15-20% remaining)
S7 on Watch OS 8 (paired using backup of s4):
5-10% battery usage overnight (90-95% remaining)
40-45% battery usage through the day (55-60% remaining)
Since upgrading to WatchOS 8, my s4 was finishing the day with only 15-20% charge remaining. I was having to leave it on the charger much longer than the usual hour in the evenings to get back to 100%.
With the s7 I'm back to the battery life (plus a little extra) I was used to when my s4 was on previous Watch OS versions. And that's with AOD turned on. The fast charging is really nice. It'll significantly shorten how much time my watch spends on the charger, which is great.
All-in-all, it was a really solid upgrade going from s4 to s7 and I'm really happy with it.
The extra sensors are nice too. I'm looking forward to looking at O2 trends over time, and it's nice to have a compass! AOD I could give or take. I'm leaving it on for now, but it's not an exciting feature for me. Raise to wake was perfectly acceptable.
I like having the option of a QWERTY keyboard, but even with a 45mm display, it's difficult to type accurately. I think scribble gives me faster, better results for most messages. YMMV
The s7 also seems to be optimized for WatchOS 8, whereas the s4 was not. I hesitate to say "planned obsolescence," but my s4 at 3 years old is at 97% on its battery health. The s7 has a better battery (~5.8% capacity increase from the s4). But the s7 is performing significantly better battery-wise on Watch OS 8.
My charging habit is 30 minutes in the morning & 60 minutes in the evening
s4 on previous WatchOS versions:
10-15% battery usage overnight (85-90% remaining)
45-50% battery usage through the day (50-55% remaining)
S4 on Watch OS 8 (even after unpairing & repairing at one point):
15-20% battery usage overnight (80-85% remaining)
80-85% battery usage through the day (15-20% remaining)
S7 on Watch OS 8 (paired using backup of s4):
5-10% battery usage overnight (90-95% remaining)
40-45% battery usage through the day (55-60% remaining)
Since upgrading to WatchOS 8, my s4 was finishing the day with only 15-20% charge remaining. I was having to leave it on the charger much longer than the usual hour in the evenings to get back to 100%.
With the s7 I'm back to the battery life (plus a little extra) I was used to when my s4 was on previous Watch OS versions. And that's with AOD turned on. The fast charging is really nice. It'll significantly shorten how much time my watch spends on the charger, which is great.
All-in-all, it was a really solid upgrade going from s4 to s7 and I'm really happy with it.
Thank you for sharing! i went from an S4 as well, and Im extremely happy with the S7
HOW? I went from an S4 to an S7 because my launch S4 had 81% battery health. Don't want to repeat that with my new watch.
As for differences, I went from aluminum S4 to stainless steel s7. I appreciate the bigger, brighter screen, the more clear speakers for phone calls and the much better haptics. Hoping to keep this one for at least three years.
I was surprised at still having 97% too, given the poor battery performance I was getting in Watch OS 8. I thought it'd be much lower. My iPhone 8 is a year older and at 81%, so I was expecting somewhere in the mid-80s for the watch.
For what it's worth, its charging history was this:
• First 6 months: Worn every day ~5am - 10pm charged overnight
• 6 months to this Tuesday: Worn every day & overnight, charged ~30 minutes in the morning while I get ready, charged ~60 minutes in the evening before bed.
• Only rarely (two, maybe three times) ran the battery all the way down (weekends away from the charger).
• Have always used the OEM charger.