42mm Apple Watch Series 4 to Feature Resolution of 384x480 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

42mm Apple Watch Series 4 to Feature Resolution of 384x480

Apple's upcoming Apple Watch Series 4 models will feature larger displays thanks to reduced bezel size, and information 9to5Mac discovered in the most recent watchOS 5 beta suggests the 42mm Apple Watch will likely have a screen resolution of 384x480.

The current 42mm Apple Watch Series 3 model, for comparison, has a resolution of 312x390.

With the higher resolution (and increased PPI), Apple Watch Series 4 apps will be able to display more information at a higher resolution on the display, as shown in the example image below that were taken from a modified Apple Watch Simulator using a guesstimated PPI of 345.

applewatchscreensizecomparison
As was seen in leaked marketing materials last week, the upcoming Apple Watch Series 4 models will feature at least one new watch face capable of displaying up to nine complications at one time.

Additional new watch faces could be included, and information taken from the beta suggests there will be new types of complications for Apple Watch apps to use.

Given the increase in resolution, third-party app developers will need to tweak their apps to work with the new Apple Watch Series 4 screen sizes.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Preparing 'Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone's History'

Sunday March 29, 2026 8:18 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone. In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history." "iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple to Launch These 15+ New Products Later This Year

Friday March 27, 2026 2:03 pm PDT by
March has been an incredibly busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling more than 10 new products and accessories. We said hello to the MacBook Neo at the start of the month, and we bid farewell to the Mac Pro at the end of it. Nevertheless, there is still a lot more to come this year. Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple's all-new smart home hub is...
Apple Apps Grid

Apple Releasing Two New iPhone Apps This Year

Saturday March 28, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release two new iPhone apps this year, including an Apple Business app and a Siri app with chatbot-like functionality. With the Apple Business app, employees at businesses using the new Apple Business platform will be able to install apps for work, view contact information for colleagues, and request support. Apple Business is launching on April 14, and it replaces Apple ...

Top Rated Comments

CaptMarvel Avatar
99 months ago
These should fly off of the shelves...just watch!!
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
And to think, the original iPhone was 320x480. (The original Mac was 512x342.)
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redheeler Avatar
99 months ago
Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro's pixel density has not been improved since 2012. At least we know where Apple's priorities lie...
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
99 months ago
Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro's pixel density has not been improved since 2012. At least we know where Apple's priorities lie...
Is this actually, seriously a problem? I can't even see pixel edges until I get under a foot from the display. In normal use it's fine. However, it would be nice to be able to drive an @3X display down to @2X but with a smaller UI so you can fit more on the display if you wanted to. The thing is 95% of people would never do this so Apple is probably preferring to keep their margins high until 4320x2700 15" displays come down in price. They could go all weird on the scaling like the iPhone Plus but I think they prefer not to.

What I would rather have is a 120Hz refresh rate.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RodThePlod Avatar
99 months ago
Really looking forward to upgrading to the Series 4. In fact, I'm more excited to see the new Watch than the new iPhones!
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lobbyist Avatar
99 months ago
9to5mac are on a roll
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)