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Series 0 Owner Considering Upgrade to Series 2

redman042

redman042

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 13, 2008
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I'm looking for feedback from people who owned and used a Series 0 (original) Apple Watch for a while and then decided to upgrade to a Series 2. Specifically, I would like to know whether the CPU speed increase translates to a significant usability benefit.

I've owned a Series 0 since the Apple Watch launched. I enjoy it quite a bit and get a lot of use out of it, particularly for checking time and weather, handling and responding to notifications, and using Siri hands-free. I'm a light user of third party apps. But although Watch OS3 helped performance a lot, I still find lag to be prevalent enough to be frustrating at times. The lag can be inconsistent, for example, sometimes launching Scribble doesn't take too long, but other times it's just long enough to make me want to give up. And perhaps I'm just spoiled by the silky-smoothness of using the iPhone 7. It's SO fast.

I've watched the performance comparison videos on YouTube. They make it seem like the speed difference is there but isn't all that massive. But I don't think those videos fully represent what I'd experience. The watches are freshly rebooted and they just launch a couple of apps during the test.

This upgrade I'm contemplating isn't "necessary" and would cost a premium (resale values on the old ones are poor). But I might do it anyway, if the speed increase is enough to make a difference in my enjoyment of the product.
 
I'm in the same boat as you OP and tbh playing with the in store demo watches doesn't show a massive difference but there is a noticeable difference if you get me.
 
Gav2k said:
I'm in the same boat as you OP and tbh playing with the in store demo watches doesn't show a massive difference but there is a noticeable difference if you get me.
Click to expand...

That's what makes it hard. If that is as good as it gets, it's hard to justify spending 2/3 of the cost of my original watch all over again (after selling the old one).
 
redman042 said:
I'm looking for feedback from people who owned and used a Series 0 (original) Apple Watch for a while and then decided to upgrade to a Series 2. Specifically, I would like to know whether the CPU speed increase translates to a significant usability benefit.

I've owned a Series 0 since the Apple Watch launched. I enjoy it quite a bit and get a lot of use out of it, particularly for checking time and weather, handling and responding to notifications, and using Siri hands-free. I'm a light user of third party apps. But although Watch OS3 helped performance a lot, I still find lag to be prevalent enough to be frustrating at times. The lag can be inconsistent, for example, sometimes launching Scribble doesn't take too long, but other times it's just long enough to make me want to give up. And perhaps I'm just spoiled by the silky-smoothness of using the iPhone 7. It's SO fast.

I've watched the performance comparison videos on YouTube. They make it seem like the speed difference is there but isn't all that massive. But I don't think those videos fully represent what I'd experience. The watches are freshly rebooted and they just launch a couple of apps during the test.

This upgrade I'm contemplating isn't "necessary" and would cost a premium (resale values on the old ones are poor). But I might do it anyway, if the speed increase is enough to make a difference in my enjoyment of the product.
Click to expand...

I own both models. No, the Series 1-2 isn't a huge leap in performance. It does have a quicker loading/boot time and application process. But the difference in speed between both models isn't significant to be a main selling point.
 
Relentless Power said:
I own both models. No, the Series 1-2 isn't a huge leap in performance. It does have a quicker loading/boot time and application process. But the difference in speed between both models isn't significant to be a main selling point.
Click to expand...

So the improvement in performance isn't enough to make launching Scribble or a third party app go from "it's not worth it" territory to "ok this is pretty nice"?
 
redman042 said:
So the improvement in performance isn't enough to make launching Scribble or a third party app go from "it's not worth it" territory to "ok this is pretty nice"?
Click to expand...

I honestly never use scribble and I have no third party applications. But like I stated prior, the performance is noticeable, but not blazing by any means. It's incremental.
 
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WarHeadz said:
I don't think it's worth it. I would wait for a redesign and Bluetooth 5. Series 2 is a very incremental update.
Click to expand...

It might be incremental in terms of speed performance for opening apps but the upgrade of standalone GPS and water resistance for swimming has made the 2.0 Watch much much more valuable for people who have fitness as a priority.

In my opinion the watch was not even worth getting until these features were brought in. Swimming and running with the Apple Watch has been really, really enjoyable for me.

So if you have any desire for these types of activities I would highly recommend the upgrade. If not, Then why bother.
 
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3lionsbecks said:
It might be incremental in terms of speed performance for opening apps but the upgrade of standalone GPS and water resistance for swimming has made the 2.0 Watch much much more valuable for people who have fitness as a priority.

In my opinion the watch was not even worth getting until these features were brought in. Swimming and running with the Apple Watch has been really, really enjoyable for me.

So if you have any desire for these types of activities I would highly recommend the upgrade. If not, Then why bother.
Click to expand...
Very good point. I didn't even consider that because I don't use the fitness features so for me it would be a useless upgrade.
 
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I had the Series 0 and upgraded to a Series 2. I can't say I've noticed much speed difference between the two, though it's not like I use apps on the watch much. For me, watchOS 3 pretty much solved any speed problem, even on the S0, so I haven't paid it much attention with the S2. One thing that has definitely improved is the battery life. With S0, I had to charge it twice a day to do sleep tracking. With S2, I can get away with charging it once a day. That is, I'm getting probably 20-22 hours batter life. This is a 38 btw.

I got the S2 because I wanted stand alone GPS, plus I got the Nike+ version for the exclusive band.
 
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I have a Series 2 and I've even gone back to my Series 0 just to judge the speed difference. It's not that great. With a Series 2 you still get the occasional long lag. Like on my Series 2 yesterday, I hit the Carrot weather complication to go to the full readout, and it took about 30 seconds. For whatever reason, it just took forever. Don't upgrade thinking that these kind of hiccups are going to go away.

The biggest improvement on the Series 2 for me has been with maps. And this may have more to do with the GPS than the processor. I just bought a new house and I would get confused while out running. When I use the Siri command "Siri where am I?" It's about 60% faster with my Series 2 on showing me my location on a map.

I'm actually quite surprised that a lot of the reviews talk about how much speedier it is. If someone in the middle of the night was to replace my Series 2 on my nightstand with a Series 0 I don't think I'd even notice the next day. My theory is that these are people who gave up on the Apple Watch during watchOS 2 and didn't really use the Series 0 much under watchOS 3.
 
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perezr10 said:
I'm actually quite surprised that a lot of the reviews talk about how much speedier it is. If someone in the middle of the night was to replace my Series 2 on my nightstand with a Series 0 I don't think I'd even notice the next day. My theory is that these are people who gave up on the Apple Watch during watchOS 2 and didn't really use the Series 0 much under watchOS 3.
Click to expand...

Totally agree! My partner is now using the S0, and if someone switched them around in the middle of the night, I don't think we'd notice, until I try to go for a walk without my iPhone.
 
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I have both Series 0 and Series 2.

I agree with the lagging on Series 0-I've found I've had to do a soft reset a few times.

The difference in performance is noticeable i.e. Siri but I would say it's not leaps and bounds ahead 70% of the time.

Battery life on S2 is far better-mine's been off charge since 10am yesterday morning and still has 65% left.

That's including a workout too-had it been my Series 0 it would have used a lot of battery life and be around the 20% mark now.
 
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I own an AW S0 and S2, both running WOS 3.1. As others have said, the speed is not much of a difference. I notice it is faster sometimes, but other times the App loading seems just as slow.

However, I run phoneless and swim, so the GPS and waterproofing has been a significant upgrade for me. I had a chance to use S2 in the direct sunlight the other day and I was easily able to read the brighter face, unlike my S0. The brighter screen was not that much of a deciding factor, but is a nice touch when you need it.

One further benefit is the larger battery. I am able to get a full two days of use, which includes a 60 minute Workout App run with GPS and HR on one of the days. I am barely able to get 1 day from my S0 when I run.

On a side note, I also went from a SG AW Sport to a SB SS model, so the nicer case and sapphire display has been a pleasant upgrade, as well.
 
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Relentless Power said:
I own both models. No, the Series 1-2 isn't a huge leap in performance. It does have a quicker loading/boot time and application process. But the difference in speed between both models isn't significant to be a main selling point.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I wanted the premium feel, and the water proofing.
 
I finally spent some time with an S2 at the store today, and surprisingly it did seem noticeably faster across the board, enough so to improve the experience.

I know it's not "worth it" to upgrade, but it's tempting nonetheless.
 
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redman042 said:
I'm looking for feedback from people who owned and used a Series 0 (original) Apple Watch for a while and then decided to upgrade to a Series 2. Specifically, I would like to know whether the CPU speed increase translates to a significant usability benefit.

I've owned a Series 0 since the Apple Watch launched. I enjoy it quite a bit and get a lot of use out of it, particularly for checking time and weather, handling and responding to notifications, and using Siri hands-free. I'm a light user of third party apps. But although Watch OS3 helped performance a lot, I still find lag to be prevalent enough to be frustrating at times. The lag can be inconsistent, for example, sometimes launching Scribble doesn't take too long, but other times it's just long enough to make me want to give up. And perhaps I'm just spoiled by the silky-smoothness of using the iPhone 7. It's SO fast.

I've watched the performance comparison videos on YouTube. They make it seem like the speed difference is there but isn't all that massive. But I don't think those videos fully represent what I'd experience. The watches are freshly rebooted and they just launch a couple of apps during the test.

This upgrade I'm contemplating isn't "necessary" and would cost a premium (resale values on the old ones are poor). But I might do it anyway, if the speed increase is enough to make a difference in my enjoyment of the product.
Click to expand...
Speed
Larger battery
Brighter screen in daylight
Water proof
GPS
Along with new OS 3 this watch performs very very well.
 
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redman042 said:
I finally spent some time with an S2 at the store today, and surprisingly it did seem noticeably faster across the board, enough so to improve the experience.

I know it's not "worth it" to upgrade, but it's tempting nonetheless.
Click to expand...

The processor speed is noticeable with with boot up and Navigating the Watch. But over all, it's incremental. I would say snappier, but not blazing over the First Gen.
 
Thanks to this thread I want an Apple Watch Series 2, don't even have a Watch right now. Using Runkeeper probably is more comfortable on the Watch than on my 6S Plus (heaviest and biggest phone on the planet).
 
sunapple said:
Thanks to this thread I want an Apple Watch Series 2, don't even have a Watch right now. Using Runkeeper probably is more comfortable on the Watch than on my 6S Plus (heaviest and biggest phone on the planet).
Click to expand...

Nice. Enjoy the Series 2. It's a good Watch with lots of potential.
 
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