I can’t say this has been a problem for me ever since they increased the brightness from 450 Nits to 1000 Nits of brightness with the Series 2 Apple Watch. Even in direct sunlight, I have zero issues reading the display with the brightness on the Apple Watch.
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How does the Ion-X Glass hold up after time?
- Thread starter Gibson88
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I can’t say this has been a problem for me ever since they increased the brightness from 450 Nits to 1000 Nits of brightness with the Series 2 Apple Watch. Even in direct sunlight, I have zero issues reading the display with the brightness on the Apple Watch.
My AW4 from September 28 is still scratch free, even after I accidentally dropped it once on a laminate flooring 
And yes: I will be even MORE careful.
And yes: I will be even MORE careful.
Mine got chewed up by a Milanese loop (topic about it lingers around on this forum) and had scratches all over, easily to be seen with daylight in a particular angle. Could also feel them scratches a bit.
Currenly the Watch is @Apple for -hopefully- replacement
Before this ordeal i did not had any scratch in these 2 months of using it, but that might be because i was really careful
Did had a scuff on the aluminum body (left of the dock-button).
Its a fragile, damn expensive little toy...
Currenly the Watch is @Apple for -hopefully- replacement
Before this ordeal i did not had any scratch in these 2 months of using it, but that might be because i was really careful
Did had a scuff on the aluminum body (left of the dock-button).
Its a fragile, damn expensive little toy...
@Relentless Power Was correct. My initial scratch mentioned above wore off. Superficial coating scratch I guess.
That happened to another members watch. They scratched it, it was visible under certain lighting, but then it completely dissipated once the oleophobic coating wore off.
Take this with a grain of salt... I have owned every rendition of the Apple Watch since series 0, Aluminum version. Never a screen protector, and never a single scratch Not a one. Until Series 4. Within 2 weeks, I had 3 chips in the glass in 3 of 4 corners with the same normal use. Never banged or dropped it. No clue how it happened. It took it in to the Apple Store, and they tried to get me to upgrade to the Stainless Steel for stronger glass. Nope, can't afford that, so they took not in back, a manager came out, and said since I was past the 14 day mark or purchase (About 3 weeks actually) they made an acceptation and swapped it out for me since I did have apple care. Now, I use a screen protector. I dislike them, but it's better than chips in the glass. To me, this series 4 has inferior glass, OR, it's possible I had a defective watch to begin with.
I couldn’t go for the Stainless Steel either. It is not available in my country. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But we have no Apple Pay or a Stainless Steel Watch. And we also have no eSIM.
For the record: I live in The Netherlands.
For the record: I live in The Netherlands.
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I wear long sleeves 99% of time and it cover my apple watch so it kinda protect it. I have 2 very very tiny scratch next each other at bottom apple watch where curve screen edge. They about 1mm long and 2mm gap between them. Only just noticed it now when looking. Rest of screen nice clear and fine.
Ten-month update: My aluminum S4 still looks new (knock on wood) with no screen protector. Like the S0 I had before it, my S4 has taken some knocks that I thought would leave a mark but did not. I have also worn it on many mountain bike rides where my hands and wrists were scraped up a bit by brush growing into the trail (I really ought to wear gloves), but did no damage to the watch.
I bought an apple watch alumium series 5 but exchanged that with stainless steel space black, just for the fear of scratching the ion -x glass.... after using space black i realised how lite the aluminum was.... and then wanted to get the titanium version as its liter than stainless steel but does have the tough saffire crystal.... but untimately after watching this video i am convinsed that the ion-x is not that bad after all.
[automerge]1572990946[/automerge]
suffice to say that i am back to my aluminum space grey!
[automerge]1572990946[/automerge]
suffice to say that i am back to my aluminum space grey!
Don't buy an Apple watch with Ion screen. You will be disappointed as it scratches very easily. I am disappointed, I thought it had sapphire glass. I have had a Suunto with sapphire glass for 5 years and not one scratch.
In my experience with the Apple Watch aluminium, I can definitely vouch that it will scratch when you rub against concrete. And also the screen will definitely scratch with sand paper. It will definitely survive everyday bumps and knocks.
Ultimately it all comes Down to How you Take care of it. Apple Watch is something thing that would be on you Pretty much all the time , so it has to be aslight as possible. And unfortunately the stainless steel and the titanium versions are heavy comparatively.
Ultimately it all comes Down to How you Take care of it. Apple Watch is something thing that would be on you Pretty much all the time , so it has to be aslight as possible. And unfortunately the stainless steel and the titanium versions are heavy comparatively.
I agree with this. I’m repeating myself on this particular forum, but the Sport Apple Watch is a model I would never want to own again, simply because the Ion-X glass does scratch easily with very little contact. Ever since I migrated to the stainless model, [which is inherently more expensive], the Sapphire display has proven it’s worth me alone in terms of the scratch resistance and overall durability. I’d gladly pay extra just for the Sapphire Display
I'm a watch collector, and own a ton of watches with both glass and sapphire crystals. Long story short, the glass crystals accumulate dings, the sapphire ones are pristine after years of wear. Sapphire is inarguably the better material overall.
With this in mind, I bought the S0 SS/Sapphire Apple watch when they first came out, and while the crystal was pristine when I replaced it with a Series 3, I didn't feel like the upgrade paid off well over the 2-3 years I might wear an Apple Watch, vs. a much longer ownership life of a traditional wristwatch.
So, for my Series 3 and current Series 5, I've gone with the base aluminum/ion-x versions, and so far am scratch free. I'm sure that I'll eventually put a ding in one with so much exposed crystal area, but it hasn't happened so far.
They've held up considerably better than the 'Hardlex' mineral glass of my Seiko dive watches, which is supposedly above-average for the category, so I'm relatively clear that the ion-x glass is meaningfully superior to at least that one example, if that's helpful.
TL;DR - Sapphire is way better, but the upgrade cost isn't worth it for me.
With this in mind, I bought the S0 SS/Sapphire Apple watch when they first came out, and while the crystal was pristine when I replaced it with a Series 3, I didn't feel like the upgrade paid off well over the 2-3 years I might wear an Apple Watch, vs. a much longer ownership life of a traditional wristwatch.
So, for my Series 3 and current Series 5, I've gone with the base aluminum/ion-x versions, and so far am scratch free. I'm sure that I'll eventually put a ding in one with so much exposed crystal area, but it hasn't happened so far.
They've held up considerably better than the 'Hardlex' mineral glass of my Seiko dive watches, which is supposedly above-average for the category, so I'm relatively clear that the ion-x glass is meaningfully superior to at least that one example, if that's helpful.
TL;DR - Sapphire is way better, but the upgrade cost isn't worth it for me.
Apple Watch is not a collectors item and would be replaced once at least in a 2-3 year period . So no point is forking out excess if the basic one does the job equally well, unless you desire the expensive versions.
P.S
It’s definitely worth investing in Apple care.
P.S
It’s definitely worth investing in Apple care.
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I've had Alumimum versions of S0, S2, and S3. I workout with them almost every day. They show signs of wear and tear but nothing too bad. I've also had an S2 Ceramic and S4 SS, which I occasionally work out in. The screens on these are flawless, the SS shows micro scratches on the body (which I expected). My recommendation would be to get the S5 ceramic; I believe it would hold up the best.
This is pretty much my thinking. Get a premium version if you want premium materials for the case, but stick with aluminum if you are just concerned about scratches... and get AppleCare+ if you want additional insurance. I bought an original aluminum Sport in 2015 and replaced it with an aluminum S4 roughly 2.5 years later. Both watches have been worn for multiple years with no scratches in the Ion-X glass... despite some bumps and scrapes that I thought would leave a mark. I'm sure Sapphire is more durable, but Ion-X is fine for 2 or 3 years... and probably well beyond that unless you are unlucky enough to scrape the wrong object at an angle and force capable of leaving a scratch. If you wear the watch while performing work or activities that are more likely to put your watch in contact with abrasive materials/surfaces, your luck might run out faster than average and perhaps you are a good candidate for sapphire (or for taking off/covering your watch for those activities). I do wear my watch mountain biking, which puts it in contact with brush, but haven't had a problem with scratches. I take it off for yard work that will involved digging in dirt and handling rocks/pavers.
It holds up really well. It compares favorably to other watch crystal materials other than sapphire, and it's less brittle (and slightly brighter) than sapphire.
I like doing the early adopter thing but kept daily-driving my Series 0 stainless Watch until its battery started to weaken at age 4.5. When I finally gave in and bought my Series 5, I went for the aluminum model with the ion-x glass crystal. The sapphire crystal on my 0 is flawless after going on five years of daily wear, but the extra cost made me hesitate to upgrade to a newer model. And: I freaking love the Series 5. And I'm sure I'll freaking love the next model I upgrade to, which I'll do sooner since I didn't break the bank this time.
I like doing the early adopter thing but kept daily-driving my Series 0 stainless Watch until its battery started to weaken at age 4.5. When I finally gave in and bought my Series 5, I went for the aluminum model with the ion-x glass crystal. The sapphire crystal on my 0 is flawless after going on five years of daily wear, but the extra cost made me hesitate to upgrade to a newer model. And: I freaking love the Series 5. And I'm sure I'll freaking love the next model I upgrade to, which I'll do sooner since I didn't break the bank this time.
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The ceramic is by far the most durable in my experience, but it is up to the individual if they are willing to pay the premium.
Well, I don’t think anyone here thinks the Apple Watch was ever intended to be ‘collectors item’, (Unless you own an unboxed first edition 18 karat gold), but that said, the Apple Watch can usually last longer than three years, the misconception seems to be, just because it stops receiving watchOS support, doesn’t mean it loses its core functionality.
Look how many first GEN Apple watches are still on consumers wrists, they work perfectly fine, they still provide work out diagnostics, acts as an extension of your iPhone for communication, etc. That’s probably the two major features about the Apple Watch that are used congruently.
But Yes, AppleCare is a must for the Apple Watch, it’s the one product that I actually recommend AppleCare for.
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I dont have data for you, but my solution was to just buy the Aluminum watch with Applecare+.
The more durable sapphire SS model is too expensive for something that will feel obsolete in 2 years, and during that time Applecare+ will provide affordable full replacements in case of accidental damage (like scratching the glass).
The more durable sapphire SS model is too expensive for something that will feel obsolete in 2 years, and during that time Applecare+ will provide affordable full replacements in case of accidental damage (like scratching the glass).
I agree with this, the stainless has its appeal, but consumers are not willing to pay an extra $200/$300 just to have a sapphire display. Not also that, but Apple doesn’t market the Sapphire display for the stainless Apple Watch. Even if they did, I still don’t think they’ll be enough of a selling point to pay that steep of a price difference, but I personally just enjoy the substantiality/weight of the stainless and with the added protectant of the Sapphire. But everybody has their financial threshold of what they’re willing to spend on ‘tech’.
I just think of it like this... I keep my Apple Watches for 3 years and the cost of the watch divided by the 1,095 days works out to be such a minimal cost for the amount of use I get out of the thing. Like you say, everyone has differing financial thresholds/priorities and this is why Apple caters for them.