Help Me Decide: S6, S9, or Wait for S10?

[Dick Whitman]

So the screen on my S5 recently shattered. To make matters worse, my watch was then lost in the mail after I sent it away to get fixed. I opted for a repair service through eBay, which would have been $50 vs. $300 to have the watch fixed through Apple.

Anyway, I miss not having a watch and am trying to decide what to do. Fixing my S5 and waiting for the S10 would have been the best option. At this point, I'm trying to decide whether to get a new S6 (the lowest I've seen them on eBay is between $200 - $250) or go with the S9, which is currently on sale for $300. I'm considering a S6 because it would be a minor upgrade from my S5 and more importantly still comes in SG (I'm not entirely sold on Midnight yet).

Basically, would it be stupid to get a S6 just for the color when for $50 - $100 more I could get the latest gen watch? My thought was if the Midnight color really bothered me I could always slap a case on my watch.

Another wildcard option is jumping up to the SS model in the darker finish, which looks gorgeous, but is $450 more with a band (or at least the one I'm interested in - the Magnetic Link in Evergreen). One thing I never liked about the cellular models though is the tiny red ring on the digital crown. I know this minor but it always bugged me.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[cubodado]

I would say for the price difference I’d go with S9 or wait for S10 only if you can wait for the fall without a watch (or with a basic watch): larger screen, longer support, offline SIRI, QWERTY keyboard, crash detection (there is also a body temperature sensor don’t know if there are 3rd party apps that use it to full potential) are good pluses not in my blue AW6 I would like to give a try… but since it works well and fits my needs overall I am ok with it, at least for now.

And if you can add AppleCare+ I think it’s a wise move with watches.

 

[kitKAC]

One thing I never liked about the cellular models though is the tiny red ring on the digital crown. I know this minor but it always bugged me.

I just checked the crown on my S6 to see if there was a red ring on it! In general use, you never see the ring at all. I'm also curious about how that eBay fixer would have repaired your S5 considering Apple would have just replaced the watch with a refurbed one. Anyway, I agree with @cubodado.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Given that there’s a rumored design change in a few months, I’d find an inexpensive used watch of any generation to tide myself over until September.

 

[mk313]

So the screen on my S5 recently shattered. To make matters worse, my watch was then lost in the mail after I sent it away to get fixed. I opted for a repair service through eBay, which would have been $50 vs. $300 to have the watch fixed through Apple.

Anyway, I miss not having a watch and am trying to decide what to do. Fixing my S5 and waiting for the S10 would have been the best option. At this point, I'm trying to decide whether to get a new S6 (the lowest I've seen them on eBay is between $200 - $250) or go with the S9, which is currently on sale for $300. I'm considering a S6 because it would be a minor upgrade from my S5 and more importantly still comes in SG (I'm not entirely sold on Midnight yet).

Basically, would it be stupid to get a S6 just for the color when for $50 - $100 more I could get the latest gen watch? My thought was if the Midnight color really bothered me I could always slap a case on my watch.

Another wildcard option is jumping up to the SS model in the darker finish, which looks gorgeous, but is $450 more with a band (or at least the one I'm interested in - the Magnetic Link in Evergreen). One thing I never liked about the cellular models though is the tiny red ring on the digital crown. I know this minor but it always bugged me.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

If you like the colors, I’d say go with the S6. I have had a Series 5, 6 & 7 & barely notice any difference between them in real life. I kn ow that the screen is slightly larger on the 7, but I can’t tell the difference between them when I wear them, and speed wise, they are all pretty similar. Of course, maybe the 9 is faster than the 6, but 5 6 & 7 are all very close to where I don’t notice any difference in day to day usage.

 

[ndouglas]

seems like this Q hinges around your money vs. enjoyment of having a watch sooner (than Oct for example). For me I’d get the S9 and if*** the next Fall model had something awesome, trade it in. If you enjoy(ed) the watch before and miss it, life’s short, get another one. If you don’t mind waiting 3-4 months or so, that’s fine too, but having grown accustomed to the convenience, I wouldn’t wait unless I really couldn’t afford it.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I just checked the crown on my S6 to see if there was a red ring on it! In general use, you never see the ring at all. I'm also curious about how that eBay fixer would have repaired your S5 considering Apple would have just replaced the watch with a refurbed one. Anyway, I agree with @cubodado.

I think with most third-party screen repairs the watch is no longer guaranteed to be waterproof but that was something I was willing to live with until the S10 was released.

seems like this Q hinges around your money vs. enjoyment of having a watch sooner (than Oct for example). For me I’d get the S9 and if*** the next Fall model had something awesome, trade it in. If you enjoy(ed) the watch before and miss it, life’s short, get another one. If you don’t mind waiting 3-4 months or so, that’s fine too, but having grown accustomed to the convenience, I wouldn’t wait unless I really couldn’t afford it.

Thanks and yeah I think I'm going to get a S9 in Midnight or Graphite. I found the latter with the Milanese loop for $550 on Walmart.com (hence why I'm even considering the SS version). I've seen the SS with the classic sports band on eBay for $469 as well but I'm not sure how legit that it is. Regardless, if the S10 ends up being a compelling upgrade, I can always sell my S9 (though admittedly at somewhat of a loss). Before I pull the trigger on a S9, I want to look at the Midnight and Graphite options in person one more time. I've never owned the SS model so I want to make sure it doesn't feel too heavy.

If you like the colors, I’d say go with the S6. I have had a Series 5, 6 & 7 & barely notice any difference between them in real life. I kn ow that the screen is slightly larger on the 7, but I can’t tell the difference between them when I wear them, and speed wise, they are all pretty similar. Of course, maybe the 9 is faster than the 6, but 5 6 & 7 are all very close to where I don’t notice any difference in day to day usage.

This is what I was originally thinking of doing but new S6s still seem so expensive to me. For $50 more I can get the latest gen watch with all the bells and whistles. While it's annoying how Apple doesn't offer the S9 in SG, Midnight still seems fairly subtle in terms of blue and I actually like how it's darker than SG. Now I just need to decide whether the SS version is worth splurging $250 more on.

And if you can add AppleCare+ I think it’s a wise move with watches.

Moving forward, I will definitely be purchasing AppleCare+.

 

[chadamorrill]

I've had pretty good luck with Amazon renewed SS Apple watches. Currently seeing two different S6 (one SS and one SB SS) 44mm for less than $200.

 

[Saturn007]

Does Amazon let you buy Apple Care with those “renewed” watches?

A refurbished AW bought directly from Apple would!

Of course, that changes the overall cost and savings calculation…

 

[chadamorrill]

Does Amazon let you buy Apple Care with those “renewed” watches?

A refurbished AW bought directly from Apple would!

Of course, that changes the overall cost and savings calculation…

Not to my knowledge, no. Only buying the stainless model does give you some protection with the screen being sapphire at least, and amazon is pretty good about returns. In two cases out of five, I received damaged watches to start (one crown would not depress, the other sapphire had scratches in the face). No trouble sending either one back (refunds, not exchanges), and got nearly perfect ones the next time I pulled the trigger on one.

 

[Bandoholic]

There’s nothing wrong with having 2 watches, to have different variations of color,
If your budget allows it.