Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

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.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

kingjames1970 Avatar
86 months ago
I don’t say this lightly but perhaps the best upgrade to an Apple product I’ve experienced and that’s coming from a series 2. (Apple user since 1990.) The size and speed makes such a difference.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brentsg Avatar
86 months ago
Mine are sitting on the kitchen counter until the wife gets home, at which time she'll either be glad that she gets to open hers with me.. or pissed that I don't have them charged and ready to go.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FreshBoy Avatar
86 months ago
I finally took the plunge for the Apple Watch yesterday. After being an admirer for the first 3 generations but never feeling it had enough going for it to justify the purchase, I was finally ready after seeing the series 4. I went for the space grey 44mm aluminium and it’s a perfect size for my average sized wrist. After 24hours with the watch on, all I can say is, is that this could possibly be my best purchase ever. The notifications are excellent and a great way at seeing if the message is important at a glance. My screen time more than halved on the phone yesterday and hopefully that’s a trend that will continue. I used it in the gym today and it was so good to see all the info on my heart rate and calories burned etc right there on my wrist and I definitely pushed myself that wee bit harder so I could close the rings. I know I’m mentioning stuff that all previous models could do but this watch ticked all the boxes with it’s bigger screen and slimmer look. I opted for the non lte version as here in Ireland there is no company providing the lte feature and god knows when the dinosaurs in charge here will sanction a move for the technology to be available. Hopefully the EU will also approve the ECG sooner rather than later so I can try it out. Anyone on the fence about upgrading from an earlier model or finally purcashing the AW for the first time should not hesistate as it’s a real beauty and I can only imagine how nice the SS versions are in the flesh but they’re just too expensive for me. Any questions just ask
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lloydbm41 Avatar
86 months ago
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:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Game 161 Avatar
86 months ago
Loving mine...the size is a good improvement and so smooth.

I feel the tap for notifications is a lot better and not as annoying
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moakesy Avatar
86 months ago
Got the 44mm for me and the 40mm for my girlfriend.

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.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)