Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

[MacRumors]

Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.

We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.

Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.

Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.

Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.

New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.

Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.

Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

 

[ruthlessjoachim]

Sadly I can’t have it.....waiting for 1 hour cause the system is down one of the stores of Apple. Hopefully I will pickup soon

 

[tmgarvey]

I won't be getting mine for a couple more weeks (some issues when pre-ordering). I do have a question I've been unable to find the answer to. What is the storage capacity of the new Series 4? I'm upgrading from the 3, and love the amount of music I can store on the cellular version (though I don't love the amount of time it takes to sync from the iPhone).

I didn't think I'd use the watch that much when I bought my Series 3, but I've come to absolutely love its features, and this time I'm springing for the Stainless, just so I don't have to protect the face with a screen protector.

 

[44267547]

Sadly I can’t have it.....waiting for 1 hour cause the system is down one of the stores of Apple. Hopefully I will pickup soon

Oddly enough, mine was slated to be delivered today, but yet the UPS tracking manifest says it’s still in China, which obviously was an error, now it’s slated to be delivered on Monday, the 24th.

But otherwise, the reviews are excellent so far what the larger display and I am very excited to get hands-on with it. And what’s the EKG update is released, that should be really interesting to see how this all operates. The Apple Watch Series 4 was definitely the winner this year for hardware.

 

[The Game 161]

Loving mine...the size is a good improvement and so smooth.

I feel the tap for notifications is a lot better and not as annoying

 

[44267547]

I do have a question I've been unable to find the answer to. What is the storage capacity of the new Series 4? .

16GB.

 

[Moakesy]

Got the 44mm for me and the 40mm for my girlfriend.

Apple have pulled off their favorite trick.....make the previous device you had feel out of date, instantly.

Ok, so I didn’t have the series 3 before, but it’s a huge step up from the series 2. No regrets about upgrading.

 

[CaptMarvel]

Patiently waiting for Oct 5th when the Nike iterations drop.

 

[macduke]

Mine will be here in another 2-3 weeks. That's what I get for waking up at 1:50am CDT with three different browsers open on my Mac and the Apple Store app open on my iPhone thinking I was prepared. The store screwed me over. It honestly wouldn't be that bad except that I'm still on a Series 0 that dies all the time and my wife's Series 4 will be here any minute.

 

[MsRandall]

Got my AW4 about 1.5 hours ago and ready to ship my S2 off to the buyer.

 

[DarkCole]

Can’t decide if I want the watch with cellular or not.

My phone never leaves my side, so I feel like I’d never used the cellular in the watch. Still, I feel like I should get it for the “just in case” moment..

 

[kingjames1970]

I don’t say this lightly but perhaps the best upgrade to an Apple product I’ve experienced and that’s coming from a series 2. (Apple user since 1990.) The size and speed makes such a difference.

 

[jpn]

why are there no specs (actual spec sheet as is useful for any apple product) posted on the apple site yet?

 

[QandnotU]

Would love to see a speed comparison between the older watches and the new.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The sapphire glass on my Series 0 is now 3.5 years old and still looks brand new. I was thinking of going aluminum for a Series 4 and saving a few hundred bucks, but I am concerned about the durability of Ion-X glass. What's the user experience with this glass?

 

[cknibbs]

It’s been impossible to find any retailers in my city that even received a shipment
[doublepost=1537563904][/doublepost]

The sapphire glass on my Series 0 is now 3.5 years old and still looks brand new. I was thinking of going aluminum for a Series 4 and saving a few hundred bucks, but I am concerned about the durability of Ion-X glass. What's the user experience with this glass?

I had a series 0 space grey aluminum and it had some hairline scratches on the screen and one scratch on the body after about a year. I then had a series 0 stainless steel and the screen never scratched for the next two years.

 

[zflechtner]

Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.

We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.

Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.

Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.

Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.

New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.

Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.

Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

 

[jouster]

Yeah, mine too. I went to the store in hope not expectation, but fuggedaboutit. Oh well. I tend to keep devices for several years so a wait of a few weeks is no big deal.

 

[Mac 128]

why are there no specs (actual spec sheet as is useful for any apple product) posted on the apple site yet?

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP778?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

In the Support section where they all are ...

 

[voigtchristopher]

why are there no specs (actual spec sheet as is useful for any apple product) posted on the apple site yet?

You can look at some of specs via the Compare page:

https://www.apple.com/watch/compare/
[doublepost=1537565662][/doublepost]I picked up the Series 4 earlier today from the Apple Store in San Francisco. Arrived during pick-up window, but waited around 40 minutes in line. Gentlemen who helped me though retrieved the watch pretty quick, so I didn't have to wait very long for the actual "delivery". Did hear that they had some big meeting at the store, which was why there weren't as many employees available to help as usual...

But I echo everything everyone else has said. I upgraded from the OG Apple Watch, so this is instantly worth the upgrade. Watch display is absolutely gorgeous in the larger size. Also really like the seashell loop band that came with it, as well.

 

[actcyclist]

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face

I think the new infographic watch face is a huge disappointment. You can't add basic complications like Timer, Podcasts, Message. The weather source Apple uses is inaccurate for me too, so I'm just using the old modular watch face as before.

 

[KevinAPearson]

I'm really pleased with the 44mm GPS Space grey Aluminium watch.
The extra screen size makes it easier to read; I've had to start wearing glasses for reading. But it is quite clear even without them.
The sound is really loud compared to the Series 2 I had before.
The speed increase is very noticeable too, with the OS buttery smooth and apps loading fast.
I was a little bit worried that with the redesign, my Belkin charging stand might not fit fully but it seems to be charging fine. It looks like the back of the watch is the same overall shape as before.
The watch seems to fit a bit closer to my wrist than before, I always felt it sat a bit high.

Siri seemed to have to load something the first time I used it as it took a while to respond but now it seems to be ok.
I can't wait to try the new shortcuts app. "Siri, take over the world!" I wonder how many steps that would need?

My one wish, is that Apple would allow us to make our own watch faces. I had a Samsung S2 watch in the past and they made an easy to use watch face designer program which makes some really smart looking faces.
I'm sure Apple could make a great watch face app to do the same. I understand they probably want to keep the faces looking professional but I'd love to see what Apple Developers would come up with, given half a chance.

If you're still thinking about getting a series 4 then I would highly recommend it, especially if you are upgrading from a version 2 or earlier.

 

[bizzy045]

Still waiting on UPS. 5pm here. This is getting pretty annoying. I could’ve probably walked in and picked up the watch and phone this morning.

 

[Lloydbm41]

The sapphire glass on my Series 0 is now 3.5 years old and still looks brand new. I was thinking of going aluminum for a Series 4 and saving a few hundred bucks, but I am concerned about the durability of Ion-X glass. What's the user experience with this glass?

Even the sapphire glass on the Apple Watch isn't truly sapphire glass. It's embedded into normal glass in small amounts. It's only slightly better than Ion-X, but not much. On the Mohs scale, the Ion-X will scratch at a level 6 and guess what... the Apple Watch's Sapphire screen scratches at 6 too, it's just less visible. Real sapphire screens scratch at 8. Tissot watches for example scratch at 8.

See here:

 

[IJ Reilly]

Even the sapphire glass on the Apple Watch isn't truly sapphire glass. It's embedded into normal glass in small amounts. It's only slightly better than Ion-X, but not much. On the Mohs scale, the Ion-X will scratch at a level 6 and guess what... the Apple Watch's Sapphire screen scratches at 6 too, it's just less visible. Real sapphire screens scratch at 8. Tissot watches for example scratch at 8.

See here:

That's interesting, thanks. All I can say is I haven't seen a single scuff or nick in my Series 0 glass in several years of not very careful use. I suppose can expect similar if not identical service out of Ion-X glass.