New S5 Aluminum vs Used S4 Stainless Steel

[oneMadRssn]

My SO and I currently both have S1 aluminum AWs, which are basically too slow to use for anything but the built-in apps. I plan to upgrade both in the next few months.

It seems the new S5 Aluminum models and used great condition S4 Stainless Steel models are both roughly $400 (looking at prices on Swappa). I expect there to be a steady stream of used S4s on Swappa for the coming months are people upgrade and as holiday gifts are given. We would be getting a gold 40mm, and silver 44mm.

I think I understand the pros and cons of each option (below), but I just wanted to see if other folks have an opinion on the choice.

Pros of New S5 Aluminum
- New Warranty
- Lightweight
- Nobody has sweat/bled on it yet
- Always-on display and compass
- New battery design in the 40mm version

Pros of Used S4 Stainless Steel
- Premium materials
- Durable sapphire glass
- Same speed/power SoC as S5
- Great bang/buck

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The stainless is an awesome secondhand buy as they are on eBay for around £300 right now. I did consider this exact dilemma but fancied the S5 space grey aluminium Nike purely for the always on and the additional faces. I think either way you’ll get a nice watch for around the same money.

 

[bruinsrme]

Not an easy choice.
Personally I like the Nike version.
But then again I like the screen and case of the higher priced models.

If you could find a SS S4 with Apple care that would be the deciding factor.
However, without Apple care the choice is difficult

 

[Monkswhiskers]

I had this dilemma last year. S4 Alu v S3 SBSS (used). I went for the latter, found one for £300 with Apple care which I ended up needing. Depends on your use-case and how much you need AOD...oh yeah, and the compass lol.

 

[bruinsrme]

What about a S3 ceramic?

 

[oneMadRssn]

What about a S3 ceramic?

I really want the larger edge-to-edge display - that and the fastest SoC speed/power are probably tied for most important factors.

In terms of materials - I really like the titanium model personally. It looks great, and it's a bit lighter than SS. But the prices is too high for me to justify. Though, another option is to slog another year with the S1 and upgrade to a used titanium model next year...

I don't really care for the Nike watch faces, so those aren't really a factor for me.
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I had this dilemma last year. S4 Alu v S3 SBSS (used). I went for the latter, found one for £300 with Apple care which I ended up needing. Depends on your use-case and how much you need AOD...oh yeah, and the compass lol.

What did you need AC for? We've had the S1s for 3 years now, and while they're definitely scratched, they've been pretty darn robust and durable.

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Smashed screen from a drop onto tiled floor, sapphire is quite brittle under certain impacts.

 

[myapple2019]

Smashed screen from a drop onto tiled floor, sapphire is quite brittle under certain impacts.

It happened to my series 2. The Apple Store employee stated that sapphire glass on the premium material AW was not stronger than ion glass on the aluminum version although the sapphire is scratch resistance compared to ion glass.

 

[perezr10]

I’d get a used Stainless over new aluminum.

 

[jaytee86]

if the always on display is a dealbreaker for you, then get the S5.. otherwise i think both are similar and just an alu vs SS preference..

i heard about the new battery design in 40mm, but i don't think it gives u significant enough battery life to be a deciding factor.. for all we know it could just be a design with no benefit?

 

[44267547]

It happened to my series 2. The Apple Store employee stated that sapphire glass on the premium material AW was not stronger than ion glass on the aluminum version although the sapphire is scratch resistance compared to ion glass.

That Apple employee either blatantly lied to you or has no idea what they’re talking about. I’m guessing they just have no idea what they’re talking about. Sapphire is a very hard material, second hardest to diamond. The Ion-X Glass is the same material that the iPhone displays use, there’s no comparison in terms of glass versus sapphire. Now, in terms of what ‘stronger’ means, that doesn’t really explain much, because sapphire provides a very hard outside surface, making it difficult to scratch.

 

[oneMadRssn]

That Apple employee either blatantly lied to you or has no idea what they’re talking about. I’m guessing they just have no idea what they’re talking about. Sapphire is a very hard material, second hardest to diamond. The Ion-X Glass is the same material that the iPhone displays use, there’s no comparison in terms of glass versus sapphire. Now, in terms of what ‘stronger’ means, that doesn’t really explain much, because sapphire provides a very hard outside surface, making it difficult to scratch.

As I understand it, hardness and brittleness go hand in hand. While a hard material cannot be scratched easily (or at all), it can be smashed more easily than a soft material. On the flip side, a soft material will absorb any impact without smashing, but can very easily be scratched. E.g., A diamond is so hard that cannot be scratched, but a hit with simple steel hammer can crack it into a million little shards; sodium is so soft it can be scratched with a fingernail, but if hit with a hammer it will just plastically deform and absorb the hit rather than cracking.

It is sort of a holy grail currently for materials engineers to design a material that is both hard and not brittle. There are some such materials that aren't practical for consumer electronics (such as silicon carbide) and some experimental composites using carbon nanotubes. But in terms of consumer electronics screens, we currently have to pick and balance the lesser of two evils: brittleness vs scratchability.

So in terms of structurally being able to absorb impacts without breaking (brittleness), you can argue that Ion-X Glass is "stronger" than Sapphire.
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I’d get a used Stainless over new aluminum.

I think that's where I'm leaning.

 

[jbachandouris]

As an owner of a SS AW5 (after selling my SS AW4), I would find a used AW4. You may even find one with Apple Care still on it. AW5 is nothing special.

 

[supertomtom]

I would personally:

- Gold 40mm: Go for the 2nd hand s4 SS. I have the gold stainless steel and I love the beautiful finish, it’s durable so you should be able to get a used one in great condition. Also the battery life would be pretty good despite it being a 40mm since there’s no always on display to worry about.

- Silver 44mm: I had an old silver SS and unless it’s been nicely polished, a used one will likely have scratches on it. I’m not a huge fan of the silver aluminium look (don’t mind the space grey) but if you like it I personally would rather get a new s5. And since it’s a 44mm with a larger battery, you get the benefits of the always on display without having to worry about the battery life.

 

[Strangedream]

That's a tough one, personally I like the look of SS better, and while I think the AOD is a lovely addition it's not so useful imo. Hence I would go with second hand SS S4.

In all fairness I would add a pro to the new alu model - you get one-year complimentary AC which I doubt the SS has.
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So in terms of structurally being able to absorb impacts without breaking (brittleness), you can argue that Ion-X Glass is "stronger" than Sapphire.

I would advise against planning to drop your watch. Both can shatter equally, and the "sapphire" Apple uses in their watch is impure and won't be as scratch resistant as say a Rolex's. A guy tested out Apple's version of sapphire and you could see scratches at only 7 Mohs - barely 1 unit higher than Ion-X.

 

[oneMadRssn]

That's a tough one, personally I like the look of SS better, and while I think the AOD is a lovely addition it's not so useful imo. Hence I would go with second hand SS S4.

In all fairness I would add a pro to the new alu model - you get one-year complimentary AC which I doubt the SS has.

Yea, I am definitely leaning towards the S4 SS. I know I want 44mm silver, but my wife who will get 40mm isn't sure between silver or gold. So we need to go to the store and take a look in person.

Most of the S4s on Swappa have at least some warranty left of the original 1-year, and some even have AC+. I would obviously prefer one with AC+. However, but at the end of the day I am not too worried about it because we've had these S1s for 3 years now without any accidents or major damage.

 

[Diminish82]

Was in this same predicament, but went with a used S4 SS. Found one on Swappa for $315 shipped with warranty good through April 2020. Kind of a no brainer, I think.