Remember when the Apple Watch first came out? It felt like a glimpse into the future, right there on your wrist. Fast forward a few years, and the evolution is pretty remarkable. If you're eyeing an upgrade or just curious about how things have changed, comparing the Series 3 and Series 4, especially their screens, is a great place to start.
Perhaps the most immediate difference you'll notice when you put a Series 4 next to a Series 3 is the screen size. Apple really leaned into making that display more prominent with the Series 4. They adopted a design language similar to what we saw with the iPhone X and XS, giving the Series 4 those lovely rounded corners. This wasn't just for looks; it meant more real estate for your apps and notifications.
Let's get a bit specific, shall we? If you compare the 44mm Series 4 to the 42mm Series 3, the Series 4 boasts a display area of 977 square millimeters. That's a significant jump from the Series 3's 740 square millimeters – a difference of about 32%! Even the smaller models saw a boost: the 40mm Series 4 offered 759 square millimeters compared to the 38mm Series 3's 563 square millimeters, a roughly 35% increase. More screen real estate naturally means higher resolution too. The 44mm Series 4 packs 368x448 pixels, while the 40mm version is at 324x394. For context, the Series 3's 42mm model was 312x390, and the 38mm was 272x340.
Now, it's interesting how Apple managed this. Despite the larger screens, the overall physical dimensions of the watches didn't balloon dramatically. If you weren't holding them side-by-side, you might not even spot the difference in body size. The Series 4 models are actually a touch thinner too – about 0.7 millimeters less than the Series 3. So, you're getting more screen without a bulky increase in size, which is a pretty neat trick.
This larger display on the Series 4 isn't just about showing more information at a glance; it makes interacting with your watch a more fluid experience. Reading messages, checking notifications, or even just glancing at the time feels a bit more comfortable and less cramped. It’s a subtle change, but one that contributes to a more polished user experience, making that jump from the Series 3 feel quite substantial, especially when you're looking at the vibrant, expansive display.
