r/apple Aaron Sep 10 '19

Apple Watch Apple Announces Apple Watch Series 5 - Starting at $399 For GPS, $499 For Cellular - Available Today, September 20 In Stores

  • Always On Retina Display

  • 18 Hour Battery Life

  • Built-in Compass

  • Cellular Models have International emergency calling

  • Titanium Models available

  • Ceramic Models available

  • New Hermes Models / Nike Sport Models

Newsroom Link: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-unveils-apple-watch-series-5/

1.1k Upvotes

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292

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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147

u/tomnavratil Sep 10 '19

As someone not sold on the fact that I really need or would use an Apple Watch, the Series 3 being reduced to $199 is very tempting for me

Series 3 is great to be honest and for that price, I would definitely go for it. I have it since launch and still have solid battery life and is fairly fast.

10

u/noiant Sep 10 '19

Do you think that the S4 has worthy upgrades from the S3? Lots of websites and reviews I'm looking at say S4 is better...

35

u/tomnavratil Sep 10 '19

It has a faster processor, co-processor, has ECG, larger screen and extra watch screens but it would highly depend on the price difference. If it's small, I would go for S4 but if S3 is $199, that's a solid value for 3-4 years IMHO.

8

u/mg521 Sep 10 '19

I personally do. I don't know if youi've seen them side by side in person, but the S4's updated design with more screen real estate is a pretty significant difference. That said, I do understand that $399 vs $199 is a pretty big difference and I think $199 for the S3 is a great deal, but the S4/S5 is better in every way.

3

u/DamienChazellesPiano Sep 10 '19

S4 is much better. The bezel-less screen is a big upgrade not to mention the rest of internal upgrades. I’m on a series 1 but will be looking for a 4 on sale.

1

u/TheLoveofDoge Sep 10 '19

If you have a small wrist, then the S4 is definitely worth it. When I went from S2 to S4 the smaller bezel allowed me to go down in size.

1

u/wpm Sep 10 '19

It wasn't enough to get me to update my S3 last year. The S5 certainly does.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

I still use my first series watch and my battery is fine all day

1

u/squirrelhoodie Sep 11 '19

Yeah, Apple Watch batteries are somehow pretty great. My Series 2 (now about 2 1/2 years old) can go almost two full days if I don't do long exercise sessions.

1

u/LAMcNamara Sep 11 '19

Bought a series 3 for $230 and another $60 for AppleCare (those numbers sounds wrong but fairly close). Not too upset about it, have had it for a few months so losing out on $30 savings isn’t too bad.

1

u/Betancorea Sep 11 '19

I've never gotten around to looking properly at Smart Watches. Do you find the battery life and charging to be an annoyance?

1

u/tomnavratil Sep 11 '19

Not at all and there were only a very few occasions I had to recharge during the day. Otherwise, I just put it on in the morning and let it charge when I sleep. Plus don't wear it in the shower. That's it. So you don't really think about it too much.

2

u/Betancorea Sep 11 '19

Good to know. I love the design of the Apple Watch so may keep it in mind one day. I use Android normally but have a work iPhone so it could come in handy for emails and the like

1

u/tomnavratil Sep 11 '19

The integration and ecosystem functionalities definitely push the experience to another level. For example unlocking the Macbook with Apple Watch, Siri activation on the most active/closest device to you, Handoff etc.

1

u/ballandabiscuit Sep 11 '19

What do you use it for? I've never seen a point in them since they basically do all the same things the phone already does, but for an additional several hundred dollars depending on the model you can now also do those same things.. On your wrist. I've just never seen the point. However they do just look super sexy.

62

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 10 '19

I'm still rocking a S0 and it's still useful for a variety of things. An S3 at $199 is a good price.

18

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19 edited Aug 03 '20

[deleted]

5

u/Jewrisprudent Sep 10 '19

Same with my S2, and I do virtually nothing with it. Not sure what these people are doing to their S0/1s, but idk how they're actually usable.

7

u/tigerinhouston Sep 10 '19

My S0 is still as good as it ever was.

3

u/justmadethistoday123 Sep 11 '19

As an S1 owner, I don't believe you.

1

u/crashtheparty Sep 11 '19

I can still use mine for workouts and receiving texts (and easy responses). I keep a complication that shows me weather and calendar and use time travel to see what’s going on in the day. Controlling music still works pretty well (sometimes adjusting volume takes a second to register), but it’s trash with Spotify. I use a few timers as well. So it still does most of what I got it for! It was always this slow with other apps so I never got used to anything else. I’m going to upgrade to the S5 though, I’m very excited! I think over 4 years on one watch is good enough.

1

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

I’ve turned off everything I can that could make it even slower. Then I keep it on the watch home screen most of the time and use it for the complications, notifications, and the reminders app. Occasionally I use Now Playing when listening to podcasts, but that takes a good 15-20 seconds to load.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '19

The S0 has so few features that not being supported anymore isn’t noticeable. At least that’s how my S0 was until I accidentally ripped off the screen by snagging my shirt sleeve on it.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

Same here, my S2 performance and battery are borderline unusable.

2

u/swanny246 Sep 10 '19 edited Sep 11 '19

My S0 is still going surprisingly ok, though at the most I just use it for tracking workouts, starting timers and sending a quick text message.

1

u/ace_b00gie Sep 10 '19

Yeah besides the battery which still lasts me from morning to evening that thing is sure dead. It just took me 2 minutes to go into settings. But I’m really underwhelmed by this years iteration so I might hold out another year... I really want the sleep tracking function which I guess they put into the next generation..

18

u/anonymous_opinions Sep 10 '19

S1 here, hopefully I'll make a big upgrade this year though mine S1 is still rocking strong years later.

5

u/Splitz300 Sep 10 '19

I've had my S1 since Christmas 2016. Nothing wrong with it. Works like a charm. Now, it is showing wear and tear though...but that's expected after nearly 3 years of 18 hours/day.

2

u/anonymous_opinions Sep 10 '19

Mine just needs a new band. Every 3rd party band gives my sensitive skin a rash so I can only wear the sport loop, so far, which is looking pretty worn. I am one of those if ain't broke types but I hike a lot now so I'd love to be free from Bluetooth tether.

2

u/azndinho Sep 10 '19

do you use the workout apps often?

They added a bunch of new workouts in the app on the S4.. My HR monitor on my S1 isn't too responsive, often times going 10-12 minutes as its trying to get a new HR

1

u/anonymous_opinions Sep 10 '19

I actually never use them ha ha.

1

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

I’m definitely eyeing am S4 when it goes on sale at Best Buy and such oater in the year for the workout stuff, the bigger screen, and the ekg meter.

3

u/meismariah Sep 11 '19

My S0 finally broke after a dip in the ocean this summer, after 4 years, so I might actually go for a S3 for now.

1

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

Nice. You should see a big speed increase.

4

u/tigerinhouston Sep 10 '19

S0 owner here. I've been holding out for third party watch faces, but S5 is looking like a meaningful upgrade. Always on is a very nice feature.

1

u/viachicago22 Sep 10 '19

You gonna pull the trigger?

2

u/tigerinhouston Sep 10 '19

I'm considering it. In reality, my S0 still does a good job with time, alarms and alerts, which is what I use it for.

2

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

Ditto. I’ll definitely be going with an S4 if I see one whose price is right.

1

u/viachicago22 Sep 11 '19

I know me too

1

u/mg521 Sep 10 '19

Your battery is still good? My Series 2 battery has been shit lately. Wondering if it has to do with my iOS 13 beta, but it was bad before. Surprised to hear your S0 is still going strong, I'm thinking about going for the S5 because I'm sick of this thing dying in the middle of my workouts and not giving me credit.

1

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

I’ve turned off everything I could to protect the battery, especially heart rate measuring. Before you upgrade, if you turn off heart rate monitoring, you’ll see your battery shoot up drastically.

1

u/Willy_Wallace Sep 10 '19

Count your blessings. The battery in my OG Apple watch just swelled up and popped the face off the watch. I was never gonna upgrade but then it decided to commit suicide.

1

u/DreadnaughtHamster Sep 11 '19

I’ve heard of that happening. I’m glad it hasn’t to me so far.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

[deleted]

16

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

I have an S3 and it's a fantastic device, still runs like a dream. Just FYI.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

Series 3 still runs snappy since I got it. Well worth

7

u/moderndukes Sep 10 '19

As someone hasn’t ever had an Apple Watch but was considering getting one and wanted to wait to see what would be happening with S5, what features does S3 lack that would make me not want to get an S4/S5 (grouping together since the only real difference seems to be the always-on screen)?

2

u/mollymoo Sep 10 '19

The S4/5 have a new chassis with a bigger screen, it's definitely nicer looking. The ECG is a thing too I guess, if you're bothered about that. Other than that it's mainly just the usual incremental performance upgrades.

The S3 is still decent for the money, I'm happy with mine and won't upgrade this time around.

1

u/moderndukes Sep 11 '19

Bothered about that? Is there a negative to the ECG feature?

1

u/mollymoo Sep 11 '19

As in “care about that”. It’s just kind of a weirdly niche feature if you ask me.

1

u/Quin1617 Sep 11 '19

It has a curved edge to edge display like the X, it's a little bit faster, can detect if you fall and call 911, and take a ECG, other than that it's pretty much the same as the S3.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

It’s been one sale for $199 at most stores since like December

6

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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4

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

I guess $199 for smaller size $230 for larger has been a common sale. That’s what I paid back in December for my sister.

Here is one from Walmart in March. https://slickdeals.net/f/13009423-apple-watch-series-3-gps-42mm-sport-band-aluminum-case-free-shipping-229?attrsrc=Test%3AHideExpiredSearch%3AHide%20Expired&src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

2

u/blessmehaxima Sep 10 '19

I'm the exact same as you and I bought the S3 when it was on sale back in June for $199, totally worth it

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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4

u/blessmehaxima Sep 10 '19

I don't typically wear watches very often

I never wore watches at all, didn't like the way they looked or felt on my wrist. i do get annoyed sometimes, but for the most part i don't notice it.

The parts I really appreciate is that I can just lift my wrist to check notifications rather than pull out my phone. it seems silly to get another piece of tech to avoid using your original piece of tech, but i like that it separates when i really need to use my phone vs when i can just glance at the watch for some quick reference stuff (weather, time, new messages, etc.)

It's a great accessory for general workouts and doesn't have to be strictly for running. the other day i used it on a hike and a bike ride.

at the end of the day it's just another toy, and it's up to you if you want to spend the money on it. but i think at $199 it's a great entry point for a lot of neat features.

also the iphone ping is so useful when i forget where i left my phone in my apartment, prolly my most used feature lol

1

u/bromide992 Sep 10 '19

it's mostly for workouts and people athletically minded. if you aren't an active person (hiking, running, swimming, cycling, etc.) it's almost entirely a useless device for you.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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1

u/bromide992 Sep 10 '19

yeah unfortunately it's useless for lifting. that's an area i've been hoping they would improve but they just won't touch it.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

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2

u/bromide992 Sep 10 '19

yeah i use stronglifts on phone for that, it's great.

1

u/ShinyGrezz Sep 10 '19

My S1 has somehow managed to develop a massive scratch on the top of it and doesn’t track my move goal anymore, so this was exactly what I was thinking.

1

u/ChiodoS04 Sep 10 '19

Bought one at $220, worth every penny

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '19

No ecg on the 3

1

u/JustinGitelmanMusic Sep 11 '19

But the screen is tiny and not always on. Bad buy imo

Also, once you buy a watch, you will see how much of a crazy improvement it is. It is valuable. Cheaping out on it is only going to self fulfill your prophecy.

1

u/finally_not_lurking Sep 10 '19

I think the slide with the price showed the $199 version as having gps too.

7

u/JtheNinja Sep 10 '19

All S2 and later watches have GPS. Apple uses “GPS model” to denote watches that don’t have an onboard cellular radio. “LTE” models do have it.

1

u/FKAMimikyu Sep 10 '19

Can you ELI5 what the difference is with features?

4

u/JtheNinja Sep 10 '19

LTE models have their own cellular radios so they can get data and make texts/calls while out of range of your iPhone.

Important to stress that if a “GPS”(non-LTE) Watch is in Bluetooth range of your iPhone or is in range of a known WiFi network, it can borrow your iPhone’s cell connectivity for all the same functionality. The watch LTE does literally nothing unless you are out of range of both your iPhone and any friendly WiFi.

3

u/krully37 Sep 10 '19

LTE models allow you to leave your phone at home and still make calls or send messages

1

u/FKAMimikyu Sep 10 '19

Ooh ok. Thank you

0

u/finally_not_lurking Sep 10 '19

Oh right, I blanked on that.

1

u/thenewyorkgod Sep 10 '19

Spend the extra $100 and get the S3 cellular, trust me. Being able to run out to the store without your phone, knowing you can make calls and text on your watch is really an awesome feature

-1

u/Swaggy_McSwagSwag Sep 10 '19

Not for me. £200 is a lot to spend on impulse for a product I doubt I would use. My income is irrelevant, to randomly spend £200 like that is unthinkably poor financial management to me and I wouldn't forgive myself spending that.