I got my Aluminium Series 4 Apple Watch on launch day 4 years ago, and I knew my next upgrade should be a Stainless Steel watch.
Between the Series 4 and 8 this is how my brain got me out of upgrading:
Series 5: The always on display is impressive but it doesn’t do much apart from the series 4, might just save some money and get the next years one.
Series 6: The blood oxygen sensor is nice but the design is the same as the last couple of years, I am sure next years on will have a redesign as Apple seems to be operating on a three year design cycle for the watch.
Series 7: My Series 4 is now 3 years old, and I really do want to upgrade but this is not the major flat edged design the rumours were talking about. Plus we are just getting out of the Pandemic and I am still not going out too much so I think I can make do with the series 4.
Series 8: OK still no Apple Watch with flat edges, it’s the same as the Series 7; but with crash detection which my new iPhone 14 Pro Max has, and the temperature sensor which I don’t need (I am sure I don’t ovulate). In the keynote Apple said the prices are the same as the last years model, but not if you are in the UK. Thanks inflation. I think I should look for an used Series 7….
And that is what I exactly did, after looking around various online sites I found a Silver SS 45mm Series 7for £450 with a couple of extra Apple Watch bands too. It was in pristine condition as the seller stated, the battery health was on 98%, and it had warranty left until mid-February 2023.
I have had this Apple Watch for just over two weeks now and below are some of my thougths:
- The big display — from 44m to 45mm — is really nice, everything is big and easy to tap at. The size of the watch is not noticeably bigger but my series 4 was black in colour and this one is silver so it feels/looks physically bigger.
- The Series 4 had an Ion-X front glass compared to the Sapphire glass on the Stainless Steel model, which is so nice and premium feeling that I can’t exactly describe with words. I have tried SS model Apple Watches at the Apple store and never actually felt it. It just feels strong and touching it feels like I am tapping on premium material.
- The blood oxygen sensor is nice, one more health metric for me to keep track of, and also worry about.
- Battery life is better than my 4 year old Series 4 which was on 82% of battery health when I upgraded. But if both of these watches were new and I had to compare, the Series 4 would have come out on top. The always on display does seem to drain a bit more battery, and as expected this depends on the watch face too. A bright watch face definitely drains more juice than a darker one.
- It is noticeably heavy. The aluminium watch is known as the sports watch for a reason. I play tennis and I do feel the added heft on the new SS watch. I don’t feel it on daily wear, or maybe I have got used to it by now, but when being active it definitely does feel heavy.
- The taptic engine on the Series 4 was better. This is dissapointing but I knew that was the case before upgrading as I recall John Gruber in The Talk Show mention this once. This is not a Series 4 vs Series 7 issue but an issue of the case materials. When I get a tap on the Aluminium Series 4 I always felt it but in the Stainless Steel Series 7 I have missed plenty of notifications due to the tap being not strong enough. But I am guessing this is a feature? Not getting distracted is a good thing right? That said, prominent taps are always noticeable, it’s the single notification taps that I do seem to not notice.
I am now on a search for a few good Watch bands, I even ordered the highly praised but expensive Steel link bracelet only to return it as I don't think it looked great on my skin tone. Getting this watch might lead to more expensive purchases.
That said I am really happy about how the SS watch looks and feels, in the future I can see myself only sticking to SS models. Yes, the weight does come in the way when I am being active, but I rather wear something that makes me look and feel good, I think.
