If you are on the S4, then AOD might be an additional reason to upgrade. At least it was for me.
Without it it's pretty much impossible to look at the time without it being very obvious to everyone around you and it might come across as rude.
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.
Most significant upgrade - S7
- Thread starter akidokraja
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you are on the S4, then AOD might be an additional reason to upgrade. At least it was for me.
Without it it's pretty much impossible to look at the time without it being very obvious to everyone around you and it might come across as rude.
Better durability with the SS, especially if you plan to hold onto it for 2-3 generations (?)
Maybe. I’m not so sure. I held onto my series 0 until upgrading to series 4 and it looked as good as the 4 does but I didn’t lose hundreds in the process. I like the look of the ss slightly better due to the shiny finish, it’s just not worth the price difference imo.
This is part of why I get SS. I’ve been upgrading every 2-3 years (got a watch at series 0 launch) and have never had a screen scratch because of the sapphire. When I upgrade, I send my older watch to my mom. So my s0 got 5 years of use and my s3 will have 4 years (assuming I like the s7 when it arrives and send my mom my s5). She’s never had a screen scratch either, and the SS buffs up really nice even after all those years of daily wear.
For me, the S7 has been a surprisingly very big upgrade, certainly bigger than S4->S6 was for me. For reference I've owned the S0, S3, S4, S6 and now S7. After all the hype of a "flat sided" watch I like most was "let down" that the S7 seemed to look and be the the same as the S6 with a little bit of a bigger screen. I still pulled the trigger because I haven't had a non-black / gray watch since my SS S0 and I just wanted something lighter in case color so I got a Starlight 45mm.
THE SCREEN IS HUGE. The pictures do NOT do it justice. I think the S3-S4 felt perhaps a bit bigger a jump in screen, but just barely. This is a large difference, the UI is so much larger, the full watches like the new Contour (easily the best new hands only watch face in years) and California are transformed by the larger screen with barely any bezels.
I love it, its a like a whole new thing much more so than when I got always on display and the for me useless blood oxygen sensor last year. I'm sure I'll be in for the S8 next year too which I assume will focus on sensors and (praying) battery life.
Go see it in a store and put it on. This is NOT a small update, its a true generational jump like the S4 was. To me the biggest argument AGAINST the S7 is that the internals (sensors, CPU) are the same as last year so I'm sure the S8 will represent a more complete "new" package.
THE SCREEN IS HUGE. The pictures do NOT do it justice. I think the S3-S4 felt perhaps a bit bigger a jump in screen, but just barely. This is a large difference, the UI is so much larger, the full watches like the new Contour (easily the best new hands only watch face in years) and California are transformed by the larger screen with barely any bezels.
I love it, its a like a whole new thing much more so than when I got always on display and the for me useless blood oxygen sensor last year. I'm sure I'll be in for the S8 next year too which I assume will focus on sensors and (praying) battery life.
Go see it in a store and put it on. This is NOT a small update, its a true generational jump like the S4 was. To me the biggest argument AGAINST the S7 is that the internals (sensors, CPU) are the same as last year so I'm sure the S8 will represent a more complete "new" package.
Last edited:
What I’m saying is, I have also never had a screen scratch with the sapphire or ion-x glass. You don’t know that the lack of scratches is due to sapphire or just your use case. 🤷♂️
Perhaps I’ll regret my aluminum purchase for series 7, I just don’t expect that. And I love the blue.
I thought about that! Especially with the Hermès watch faces, it would be nice to have it on, what held me back was after the watchOS8 update , the display on the S4 seems more responsive to movement ( or maybe it’s just me??), so it doesn’t take much for the time to display. But, I did like the look of my son’s AOD, and it was very bright.
I wish there was the ability to choose a different face as the AOD. I like my complications but would really prefer a much more subtle face for AOD, so I have the feature turned off. I could definitely see the Hermes faces being nice for AOD.
I always buy silver aluminum for weight (and reduced depreciating over SS or Ti) and I use my watch mountain biking 5 days a week, riding through bushes and crashing often. Never had an issue. Only scratch on my S5 was a month ago while moving a couch in a tight hallway and scraping the wall, and those were minor. SS looks great, but it isn't necessarily stronger. In fact, the crystal may not scratch, but it is more prone to shattering than the ion-x, so a worse choice for mountain biking.
S7/41 vs S6/40. I almost returned the S7 to keep my S6 because my first thoughts were OHSHESBIG but then I got a text and quickly replied with that full keyboard with very little scrolling and was hooked.
That’s exactly what I’m doing with my old S4!
No need of managing time to charge the damn thing anymore.
Yeah, i had a S4 and now S7 and is impressive. The youtube review videos underestimate the real deal.
Having worn the S7 this weekend, I'd say:
1. larger display
2. fast charging
1. larger display
2. fast charging
Larger display on the 41mm makes it my absolute perfect device now, great size.
The fast charging is excellent, I can do a quick top up before sleeping and again in the morning before work.
The reviewers really slept on this one. For the everyday user, these are the key features.
I am coming from a S4 and totally agree. I didn’t have always on display. So that and the larger display is a huge upgrade. Plus all the other features!!!
Thank you so much for posting this comparison. It is very helpful for me. 😘
I bit the bullet and bought the S5 in SS based largely on the consensus that the case and glass were much more durable than the base models. In fact, it remained immaculate despite not babying it at all; working on cars, bikes, banging into stuff etc. That is, until Friday when I T-boned a stupid buck that darted in front of me while on the road bike and I went ass over teakettle...
I feel like an idiot for not getting AppleCare as it’s $399.00 to fix/replace. I went to the local Apple store later in the day intending to get a basic 41mm S7 (either green or midnight), but with my luck it just happened to be launch day and they were already sold out of those. Doh! Not wanting to be without a watch for an indeterminate length of time, I decided to send it in, reasoning that I’m only out $251 vs if I’d made an Applecare claim ($79+$69), and I’ll get a brand new SS watch with its fresh battery. I will do the $3.99 monthly AppleCare plan, which I never knew existed till now. Live and learn...
A friend who mountain bikes all the time also has an aluminum version (S6) and is bushwhacking a lot, and his has no visible scratches. Good to know!
Last edited:
Damn, hope you're not banged up too badly. That looks like it was one heck of a fall!
Off topic but I have to say that sounds horrific and looks like it could have been immensely worse. I've had a couple of close calls with deer on my road bike and it's actually terrifying. Both times were going downhill 30-35 mph and I'm certain that if I'd hit the deer I would have gone over the top of the deer and been scraped off the road by the paramedics with squeegees at the end of a long bloody smear.
You can make a shortcut that changes faces and sets AOD on. So if you have a face you want to use with AOD, you can switch to that face and turn on AOD with one tap. You can also create an automation to do this when you leave/arrive at a certain location, or by time of day. So if you, for instance, like having a nice face on AOD while at work, you can create an automation that switches to that automatically when you arrive at your workplace. A shortcut just to turn on/off AOD might be worth it, since you can then toggle AOD with a single tap instead of digging into settings.
Luckily I was rolling down the street at only 20MPH or so, but I went down fairly hard. I was back on the bike in less than 90 seconds - still on the way the group ride. 😄 I just needed a new helmet, handlebar, and watch. What’s interesting is what happened to the back of my jersey, there’s no road rash or anything under the hole. I’m thinking it might have been from the horns of the buck as I was in mid-air.
Wow that’s one hell of a visual! 😂 As they say, keep the rubber side down.
Thanks! This is interesting and I can definitely see uses for it. I was actually wishing there was a way to have one face while the watch was in passive mode and a different one in active mode. So i would have a very simple face always on, and then when I raised my wrist, it would change to a face with complications. For example, I love the look of the typograph face with no complications, and would like that to show when I’m not actively looking at the watch, but when I raise my wrist, I want to see the round California face with all 5 complications.