Which one to buy?

[Fenix458]

I have never owned an apple watch before and Im trying to decide between the series 3 and the series 4. I want some opinions. Is the series 4 worth the extra money or is it sort of the same thing with added extras. I want to know. If so how many other features are there that would make it worth it. What are your thoughts. If anyone has owned one or both of them, which do you like best? This is a hard decision for me and I want to make a good choice.

 

[tromboneaholic]

Series 4 has a larger display, which adds support for watch faces with more information (complications).

It also supports the ECG feature if you buy it in the US.

Most importantly it is the first Apple Watch with a 64 bit chip, which means it will perform better than Series 3 down the road as more software is written to take advantage it.

 

[akash.nu]

Worth is a very subjective thing. I think it’s better if you think about the possible ways you want to use it. This is a decision nobody else can help you with. Watch a few YouTube videos if that helps. As it stands the Apple Watch is a luxury accessory for the iPhone. If you’re willing to casually spend the money anyway then better get the latest so that it’s lasts longer.

 

[perezr10]

I upgraded my Series 3 to a stainless steel Series 4. Outside of heart rate analysis, the Series 4 doesn’t really do anything that the Series 3 can’t. It’s a little faster and has a larger screen. But the Series 3 isn’t slow and the 42mm screen is just fine for anything.

With the big price difference, I would recommend someone who has never had an Apple Watch before to get the Series 3. it’s gonna take you a year to figure out how it’s going to fit into your lifestyle anyway. If after that year, you use it a lot and love it, it’ll be about time to get a Series 5. And that probably will have stuff that the Series 3 won’t.

But if you get a Series 3, you’re not really missing out on much. I couldn’t care less about having an EKG on my wrist.

Coincidentally, this video just came out which addresses your exact question. And I love MaxTech...

 

[tromboneaholic]

I upgraded my Series 3 to a stainless steel Series 4. Outside of heart rate analysis, the Series 4 doesn’t really do anything that the Series 3 can’t. It’s a little faster and has a larger screen. But the Series 3 isn’t slow and the 42mm screen is just fine for anything.

With the big price difference, I would recommend someone who has never had an Apple Watch before to get the Series 3. it’s gonna take you a year to figure out how it’s going to fit into your lifestyle anyway. If after that year, you use it a lot and love it, it’ll be about time to get a Series 5. And that probably will have stuff that the Series 3 won’t.

But if you get a Series 3, you’re not really missing out on much. I couldn’t care less about having an EKG on my wrist.

Coincidentally, this video just came out which addresses your exact question. And I love MaxTech...

I agree with you, but I also disagree.

You are absolutely right. Buying an Apple Watch Series 3 would give you most of the experience of the Series 4. It wouldn't give you the best part of the watch though, which is the larger screen. I say that as someone who skipped Series 3 since I didn't see it as a needed upgrade from my Series 1.

I also think Series 4 is going to start to outperform Series 3 as more apps and watchOS itself start to take advantage of the 64 bit architecture.

Having said that, you could argue that someone who bought a Series 3 today could buy a Series 5 or 6 in a year or two and be ahead of someone who bought a Series 4 today.

Series 4 was the first jump in both processing architecture and display size we've seen for Apple Watch. In a way it's the true second generation of the product.

TLDR: It just depends on the perceived value, as akash.nu did a better job of succinctly expressing.

 

[PaladinGuy]

I’ve had every series. I didn’t originally plan on getting the Series 4, but once I saw the major difference in screen sizes, I made the upgrade. I think for an active person, the series 4 is definitely the better choice over the series 3. Here are my thoughts/observations:

1. The larger screen on the series 4 makes a huge difference, particularly with watchOS 5. The UI now really is made for the larger screen and just looks much better on it.
2. The extra battery life while using workouts is easily noticeable.
3. I have found the heart rate sensor to be more accurate on my series 4.
4. The larger screen makes reading data much easier while running/exercising.
5. The 64 bit processor is much more future proof.

Those are the reasons for me that the series 4 are most practically worth it.

As a bonus, I like the design changes to the series 4. The thinner body is definitely noticeable.The speaker volume is definitely noticeable.