Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.
We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.
Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.
Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.
The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.
Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.
Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.
New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.
Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.
Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Top Rated Comments
The sapphire glass on my Series 0 is now 3.5 years old and still looks brand new. I was thinking of going aluminum for a Series 4 and saving a few hundred bucks, but I am concerned about the durability of Ion-X glass. What's the user experience with this glass?
Even the sapphire glass on the Apple Watch isn't truly sapphire glass. It's embedded into normal glass in small amounts. It's only slightly better than Ion-X, but not much. On the Mohs scale, the Ion-X will scratch at a level 6 and guess what... the Apple Watch's Sapphire screen scratches at 6 too, it's just less visible. Real sapphire screens scratch at 8. Tissot watches for example scratch at 8.See here:
I feel the tap for notifications is a lot better and not as annoying
Apple have pulled off their favorite trick.....make the previous device you had feel out of date, instantly.
Ok, so I didn’t have the series 3 before, but it’s a huge step up from the series 2. No regrets about upgrading.