Apple Watch 4 vs. Watch Series 3 and 2: What's new and different?
With various sales taking place before Prime Day, compare the specs between the Apple Watch Series 4, 3 and 2.
The Apple Watch 4.
With Prime Day approaching soon on July 15, sales of various tech products from various retailers are happening throughout the week. The Apple Watch and its many iterations, in particular, are being discounted by retailers like Amazon and Walmart. The Apple Watch Series 3, for example, is $200 at Amazon and starts at $230 at Walmart. You can also find several different types of Apple Watch bands to style your wearable, and they range from sleek and professional, to downright gaudy.
But figuring out what exactly each generation of Apple Watch is capable of can be confusing. For starters, the Apple Watch Series 4 is the most recent and most advanced. It has a bigger display and an ECG sensor for more accurate heart readings. The Watch Series 3 came out in 2017 and introduced LTE connectivity. The Series 2 before that featured GPS and water resistance.
With Apple unveiling the latest WatchOS 6 at WWDC 2019, we anticipate even more health features for the upcoming Watch Series 5, including a menstrual cycle tracker and a Noise app. There are also plenty of other unverified rumors that speculate a few other surprising features. Until Apple officially launches the wearable however, check out the chart to see how each Apple Watch differs from one another. And check out our in-depth comparison between the Series 4 and Series 3.
Apple Watch Series 4, 3 and 2 comparison
| Apple Watch 4 | Apple Watch 3 | Apple Watch Series 2 | |
| Display | 40mm: 1.57-inch OLED; 44mm: 1.73-inch OLED | 38mm: 1.5-inch OLED; 42mm: 1.65-inch OLED | 38mm: 1.5-inch OLED; 42mm: 1.65-inch OLED |
| Resolution | 40mm: 368x448 (369 ppi); 44mm: 324x394 (295 ppi) | 38mm: 340x272 (290ppi); 42mm: 390x312 (302 ppi) | 38mm: 340x272 (290ppi); 42mm: 390x312 (302 ppi) |
| Dimensions | 40mm (steel): 40x34x10.7mm; 44mm (steel): 44x38x10.7mm | 38mm: 38.6x33.3x11.65mm; 42mm: 42.5x36.4x11.65mm | 38mm: 38.6x33.3x11.4mm; 42mm: 42.5x36.4x11.4mm |
| Protection | All ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Ion-X glass; Sapphire crystal on Steel and Ceramic models | Ion-X glass; Sapphire crystal on Steel and Ceramic models |
| Strap size | Proprietary; interchangeable | Proprietary; interchangeable | Proprietary; interchangeable |
| Finishes | Aluminum and stainless-steel | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Processor | Apple S4 | Apple S3 | Apple S2 |
| RAM | TBD | 768MB | 512MB |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB cellular, 8GB GPS only | 8GB (2GB for music) |
| Battery | "Up to 18 hours" | "Up to 18 hours" | 38mm: 273 mAh; 42mm: 334mAh |
| Operating system | Watch OS 5 | Watch OS 4 to 5 | Watch OS 3 to 5 |
| Scroll wheel | Yes with haptic feedback | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (50% louder than Series 3) | Yes | Yes |
| Vibration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LTE | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fall detection | Yes | No | No |
| Heart-rate sensor | Yes (electrical and optical) | Yes (optical) | Yes (optical) |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water-resistant | 5 ATM; 50 meters | 5 ATM; 50 meters | 5 ATM; 50 meters |
