APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 REVIEW: THE BIGGEST UPGRADE YET
Sure, the Apple Watch is a huge success, outselling all rivals, but there are still a lot of fence-sitters not sure if it’s really a worthwhile addition to their Apple ecosystem. And not everyone is a watch person.
If this sounds like you, it’s time to get off the fence. The improvements in Series 4—a bigger display, faster processor, and better sensors—make the Apple Watch downright delightful to use, elevating it from “neat gadget for Apple fans” to “gotta-have-it addition to your iPhone.”
The $399 starting price is disappointingly high, but this is the Apple Watch that finally feels like it delivers on the promise Apple has been building toward for the last four years.
THE NEW DISPLAY: 30% BIGGER IS 100% BETTER
The most immediately noticeable difference in the Apple Watch Series 4 is the new display. It pushes out toward the edges, shrinking bezels and rounding off corners to match the curve of the case. Whether you choose the big or the small watch, you get more than 30 percent more display area than the prior Apple Watches.
And that 30-plus percent makes a huge difference in usability. For one, it means that the new small-size Apple Watch has a display just a tiny bit larger than the old large Watch. Those with small wrists, like me, will appreciate the ability to choose the smaller size without sacrificing legibility. Whether you pick the small or large model, everything appears larger and more zoomed-in. Maps display more detail. If you get a link to a web page in Messages, you can actually read it on the watch. You may not want to, but it’s not the exercise in futility it is on Series
