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RIP, Apple Watch Series 4
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It definitely is. This whole thread reeks of Apple fanboys who forget that Apple Watches haven't had any new life changing features for 99% of people for many years and that there are people out there with 40 year old watches, most of them considered to be high tech back in the day, still working. I think that Apple should change their vintage policies for these, considering how cheap and easy to source their batteries are.
No man, the S9 and S10 are significantly faster than the S4. Additionally, the AW4 does indeed have much less memory, restricting the software.Honestly, the CPU differences between models seem pretty underwhelming and shouldn't be limiting anything. The Series 4 appears to have 16 GB memory which was increased to 32 with the Series 5, which could explain this cutoff, as their CPUs were pretty much only different in name, IIRC, and my Series 4 still functions well. The only major jump currently is in the Ultra 2 with 64 GB, so the earlier generations shouldn't be holding anything back CPU wise that isn't exactly as Apple intends. There is no reason the other additional hardware features of the watches themselves should hold back the software, either, so it isn't like Apple would add suddenly more features than they already intended.
All Apple Watches Compared by Ken Rockwell
All Apple Watches Compared by Ken Rockwellwww.kenrockwell.com
The AW11 might be the biggest leap with the S11 and possibly a doubling of memory for AI features.
That is not to say those older watches do not still perform well for what they do. I’m a heavy user for fitness and I upgraded from the S5 to the S10 and outside of significant better battery life (with “always-on” display disabled), the capabilities have remained quite similar.
Honestly, changing the battery is fairly simple. You can buy a kit on Amazon for $10-15 and do it yourself in less than 10 minutes with a battery that will cost you $20. Apple will charge you $79, I believe, for something so easy to do.
It just means they won’t have parts and replacements when they give it this designation.
I definitely can feel the difference in performance going from the S4 to the S9. Apple is doing a tick-tock-tock progression with their AW SIPs, the S4/S6/S9 getting tick cycles. Going from S4 to S9 I got a slightly bigger always-on display that's also much brighter, sleep apnea detection via a coming software update, and the general snappier performance that comes with a processor upgrade (more responsive GPS, quicker app switching, faster syncing). Maybe the AW11 will also get a tick upgrade because of increased Apple Intelligence capability. I'll be fine without it there while Apple continues to work out the bugs.
I still use my series 4 and will wait until apple release a watch with glucose level reader!
For me, I’d like to see the Apple Watch gain sensors that are possibly years away like:
• Blood pressure
• Blood Glucose
• Hydration levels
In addition, a new processor can hopefully finally give us an extra hour or two of battery life!
For now, there’s plenty of glucose and hydration monitors that connect to your phone, but it is annoying to have to change them once a week, so I have so far passed.
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
Every time Apple updates their Vintage and Obsolete list I'm very curious why some really old devices still persist as Vintage devices and are not Obsolete. Were the 4th Gen iPod Touch and iPhone 4 8GB really still being sold less than 7 years ago alongside the 2019 iPhone 11 series and actually still have service and parts available in 2025? I have an old 4th Gen iPod Touch that I'm tempted to bring in to the Apple Store for a battery replacement just to see what they say.
My point is I’m happy my S3 is still going strong. Still completely functional and the original battery is good. No need to update it. Completely rational.
Honestly, the CPU differences between models seem pretty underwhelming and shouldn't be limiting anything. The Series 4 appears to have 16 GB memory which was increased to 32 with the Series 5, which could explain this cutoff, as their CPUs were pretty much only different in name, IIRC, and my Series 4 still functions well. The only major jump currently is in the Ultra 2 with 64 GB, so the earlier generations shouldn't be holding anything back CPU wise that isn't exactly as Apple intends. There is no reason the other additional hardware features of the watches themselves should hold back the software, either, so it isn't like Apple would add suddenly more features than they already intended.
All Apple Watches Compared by Ken Rockwell
All Apple Watches Compared by Ken Rockwellwww.kenrockwell.com
Yeah for regular watch stuff I notice zero performance difference between my s4 (still use occasionally) and my ultra 2.
For those who were between upgrade cycles at the time: s4 is the model that finally got “fast enough”.
S2-s3 and s3-s4 were big jumps. S4 onward is not noticeable performance wise.
Spot on with the Good Value Statement!
This series for certain put the Apple Watch on the global map of just about every iPhone users' most wanted list! It was jut that good! I miss my Nike+ S4 model as I really pushed that watch through its paces! By stop caring too much about its price and having to be delicate with it first and foremost.
unfortunately it was VERY prone to dents and scratches, far too easily.,
Does anyone know what happens to an existing monthly applecare plan for vintage products? I still have it going on monthly for an Apple Watch 4. Battery health is at 83 percent and I was hoping to have its battery replaced when it goes down to 79 percent.
Guessing it won't be long now until my series 5 watch will be declared "vintage". I got mine when the series 6 came out. My AW5 was on sale at Walmart then and I picked one up.
Still runs great. My battery capacity is still 81%. Probably will wear it until it finally gives out. Until then, I'll just keep on wearing it as long as it suits my needs.
Still runs great. My battery capacity is still 81%. Probably will wear it until it finally gives out. Until then, I'll just keep on wearing it as long as it suits my needs.
Same with my Apple Watch SE and I can't afford a new watch at the moment + the new ones are probably coming soon.I'm still wearing my Series 4 every day. 82% battery health remaining.
I was very disappointed that watchOS 10 doesn't receive any security updates.
Well, 5 and 6 generation newer CPUs being significantly faster is pretty underwhelming, honestly. I meant that between single models, such as in the S4 to S5, there isn’t a very big jump (in that specific case especially).
You made it sound like anything other than the most recent processor is holding things back, but I’m just of the opinion that Apple does what Apple wants, so if there was a feature they really wanted to add that the old hardware didn’t support, they would leave the hardware behind like floppies and USB-A.
To be fair, it seems like they have hit a wall watch the Apple Watch. The AW10 was a nice upgrade if you're coming from an AWS4, but it's not that crazy.Well, 5 and 6 generation newer CPUs being significantly faster is pretty underwhelming, honestly. I meant that between single models, such as in the S4 to S5, there isn’t a very big jump (in that specific case especially).
You made it sound like anything other than the most recent processor is holding things back, but I’m just of the opinion that Apple does what Apple wants, so if there was a feature they really wanted to add that the old hardware didn’t support, they would leave the hardware behind like floppies and USB-A.
