A few weeks ago, I finally replaced my Apple Watch with a new 44mm Stainless Steel Series 4. My previous watch was the original Apple Watch from 2015 dubbed by many as Series 0.
It goes without saying that the new Series 4 is vastly better than the original Watch in terms of performance, but for someone coming from a three year old device, there’s a lot more than just speed.
Speed and Performance
Ok, so let’s just get this one out of the way. The original Apple Watch was never fast. It always felt like it needed to be held back another year to get the right hardware inside. It was usable, but using it beyond telling the time, getting notifications and tracking your health, you really didn’t want to push the device and further as the experience was slow and frustrating. Something as simple as relying to a message would be so agonizing. From launch the app, to scrolling through the messages and replying would take so long, you ended up using your iPhone.
The minute I started using the Series 4, I knew I was in for a treat. The immediate response to tapping something on the watch face was revolutionary. I have to issues now opening an app and immediately being able to set a timer, scribble back a reply, check the weather. No load times, no lag.
I know has been incrementally addressed in all the versions of the Watch since the original. I remember hearing that the Series 2 was such an improvement in performance when it was released. But, making that leap from 0 to 4 was so dramatic, I feel like this is a completely new product. It’s like I’m experiencing the Apple Watch for the first time.
The Display
I’ll talk about the new display size in a second, but first I need to mention the screen brightness. The original Apple Watch’s display was 450 nits. It was well known that if you were outside in the sun, it sometimes was hard to see your watch face. Every Apple Watch from the Series 2 onward, has had a display with 1000 nits, including the Series 4. This was a much needed upgrade and the benefit is subtle, but a great improvement.
Of course, the most notable display difference, and the most notable difference of the whole Series 4 line, is the larger, rounded screen. The new curved corners add a little height and width to the display, but more importantly, it bring the display closer to the edges of the watch itself. Apple calls it edge-to-edge and I can tell you it’s not quite that close. But, it does make the display more naturally blend into the whole device. It also doesn’t hurt that the watch is a little bigger. The larger screen is luxurious.
The Infograph Watch Face
A byproduct of the larger display and new rounded, edge-to-edge design is the new Infograph watch face. Able to showcase upto eight complications, the new face really gives the flexability to customize your watch like never before. Many complications, if put in the corner positions, give additonal information in the form of a bar of text or a scale. For example, putting the Weather complication in a corner position gives the additional information of a temperture scale that tell the low and high of the day. You can pack so much information in one place, I hardly ever have to leave the main watch screen.
Lots of Great Little Things
The Series 4 is as big as an overhaul you will see with the Apple Watch anytime soon, and while it does have some key changes, it’s really a lot of little things that make this version feel so refined and fully realized. The way the entire Watch is just a little more rounded makes it feel even more precious. The slight clicking of the digital crown when scrolling through lists. The better speaker and mic. The list goes on and on. My Series 4 feels familiar, but also like I’m using an Apple Watch for the first time.
