Apple Watch 'Series 4' might use bigger 384x480 resolution

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited September 2018
The edge-to-edge display on the recently-leaked Apple Watch "Series 4" should also inflate resolution to 384 by 480 pixels, code in the latest watchOS 5 beta suggests.

Apple Watch Series 4


That compares with the 312-by-390 resolution on the Series 3. Apple is believed to have accidentally leaked images of its successor late last month, revealing a device with a bigger display, a new watchface, and new complications. More complications can also be shown onscreen simultaneously.

After testing using Xcode's Apple Watch Simulator, assuming a density of 345 pixels per inch, 9to5Mac noted that some apps may have to make serious interface changes. The company will presumably issue this code on or around its Sept. 12 press event, when it's likely to reveal the new Watch and possibly launch watchOS 5 for existing models.






Aside from support for new hardware watchOS 5 will bring a Walkie Talkie app and native podcast support, including offline playback for both first- and third-party apps. People will also be able to launch Siri by raising their wrist, and get proactive suggestions from the Siri watchface based on daily routines.

Fitness followers will get long-awaited automatic workout detection, new Yoga and Hiking workouts, and pace alerts for people wanting to keep up a certain speed during runs and walks.

In some cases people will be able to respond to notifications without opening an app, and even preview website links.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    I'm ordering in a heartbeat. Which my current Series 3 can measure for me as its last hurrah...
    peterhartSolidws-2JaiOh81king editor the grateSoundJudgmentphilboogietechprod1gywatto_cobranewBeliever
  • Reply 2 of 26
    thrang said:
    I'm ordering in a heartbeat. Which my current Series 3 can measure for me as its last hurrah...

    Same here. Showed my wife and, of course, she wants one too. Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.
    SoundJudgmentwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 26
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    Sounds like the DPI is increased significantly.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    netrox said:
    Sounds like the DPI is increased significantly.
    Hmm… an increase from 325.58 to 400.72 PPI over keeping the same PPI and moving the display from 1.524" to 1.888" without incresein the casing size? I'd rather have the larger display with the smaller bezel.
    watto_cobrapatchythepirate
  • Reply 5 of 26
    ericthehalfbee said:

    Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.


    I'll hand down my Series 0 as well; it still works fine but can't run WatchOS 5. Which raises the question of how you wipe a Watch before transferring it to someone else. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    ktappe said:
    ericthehalfbee said:

    Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.
    I'll hand down my Series 0 as well; it still works fine but can't run WatchOS 5. Which raises the question of how you wipe a Watch before transferring it to someone else. 
    I know that when it first came out that if you unpaired your Watch from your iPhone it would also erase the Watch, which is a horrible way to word it since we're used to unpairing and repairing if we suspect a BT connection issue so I've seen a lot of people think that's the solution if they ever have any Watch issues, which includes myself a few years ago.

    Anyway, here are the official ways to wipe your Watch.

    edited September 2018 sweetheart777cornchipsvanstromphilboogiewatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 26
    Add to this (and the other improvements) increased processor 'snappiness'; and I am down!
    Finally; my first Watch! I can't wait.
    SoundJudgmentrwescornchiplolliversvanstromwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 26
    backstab said:
    Add to this (and the other improvements) increased processor 'snappiness'; and I am down!
    Finally; my first Watch! I can't wait.
    Apparently you could wait…  ;)

    What made you not buy any of the earlier generations?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 26
    ktappe said:
    ericthehalfbee said:

    Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.


    I'll hand down my Series 0 as well; it still works fine but can't run WatchOS 5. Which raises the question of how you wipe a Watch before transferring it to someone else. 
    It seems many kids can have second Christmas this year :smiley: 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 26

    Aside from support for new hardware watchOS 5 will bring a Walkie Talkie app and native podcast support, including offline playback for both first- and third-party apps. 

    @ Roger Fingas can you expand on the Walkie Talkie app... This could be a killer app for both personal and business use.

    edited September 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 26
    thrang said:
    I'm ordering in a heartbeat. Which my current Series 3 can measure for me as its last hurrah...

    Same here. Showed my wife and, of course, she wants one too. Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.
    Apple Watches with LTE are perfect for kids and their parents:
    Since kids rarely have pockets big enough to hold an iPhone securely, and because it's likely to break while playing their rough and tumble games anyway, an Apple Watch can be with the at all times.  And, with LTE
    -- parents can have what amounts to a GPS ankle band on their kid.  "Do you know where your kid is?"  Yes!
    -- For those kids walking to and from school, there is instant access to emergency services if they feel threatened.
    -- The kid & their parent have instant access to each other via text or phone anywhere and everywhere.   Great in emergency situations or changing situations.

    All in all:  Improved safety and security while giving the kid more freedom.   Win-Win!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 26
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    svanstrom said:
    backstab said:
    Add to this (and the other improvements) increased processor 'snappiness'; and I am down!
    Finally; my first Watch! I can't wait.
    Apparently you could wait…  ;)

    What made you not buy any of the earlier generations?
    I know in my case there were various reasons. 

    For a long time it just did not do enough. Finally now there are getting to be enough sensors, and functions to warrant the cost.

    Secondly, I played with one. Just a year or so after it came out. Couldn't get it to do anything but show the time. In hindsight I suspect it had frozen and needed to be rebooted, but I didn't know that. This summer I had another chance to play with one. It was working properly and was much more impressive.

    Thirdly, even this summer I found it interesting but not very user friendly. Everything required tapping, swiping, twisting the crown, or some magical combination of all three. Finally with the introduction of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink display shown above, it's more what I want. A data centre that I can glance at and see whatever I want without needing to flick, and tap and twist to get to it. 

    Add to the above that I stopped wearing a watch almost fifteen years ago, and it will take a very impressive product to get me to go back. Am I going to get one this year? Probably not. For what it does I still can't justify the cost. But it's gone from "What a silly waste of money" to "It's it's getting close to where I can see myself getting one, someday."

    One interesting thing about the AW. It has to be played with to show its value. I can look at a description of a MacBook or an iPad and see the value in it, decide if I want it or not. I've mentioned here and elsewhere that I have seen exactly one (1) AW in use in this area. I suspect that's because there's nowhere here on Vancouver Island that you can play with one. There are no Apple Stores. Once you play with one, and it's working, you can see the value. That doesn't come through on a web page or a review.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 26
    DAalseth said:
    svanstrom said:
    backstab said:
    Add to this (and the other improvements) increased processor 'snappiness'; and I am down!
    Finally; my first Watch! I can't wait.
    Apparently you could wait…  ;)

    What made you not buy any of the earlier generations?
    Thirdly, even this summer I found it interesting but not very user friendly. Everything required tapping, swiping, twisting the crown, or some magical combination of all three. Finally with the introduction of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink display shown above, it's more what I want. A data centre that I can glance at and see whatever I want without needing to flick, and tap and twist to get to it. 
    Sorry but this is flat out wrong. The crown as UI element is optional and performs the same as an onscreen finger scroll. It just works better as a wheel. 

    Tapping and swiping? Yeah it’s a touch device. Just like your phone requires. They aren’t telepathic. 

    You just didnt know what to do in the seconds you played with one so you panicked and created a narrative that it was too hard to use. 
    edited September 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 26
    ktappe said:
    ericthehalfbee said:

    Will hand down our old watches to the kids, most likely.


    I'll hand down my Series 0 as well; it still works fine but can't run WatchOS 5. Which raises the question of how you wipe a Watch before transferring it to someone else. 
    “Wipe it? Like with a damp cloth?”
    —Hillary
    akindcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 26
    You don't think the date on that picture has any significance to the release date do you? I hope not because the next time Wednesday the 23rd rolls around will be January. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Am I the only one hoping/praying that the "Gather Round" invitations allude to circular watch faces?
  • Reply 17 of 26
    "larger screen will have more pixels" whoa slow down you're blowing my mind here
  • Reply 18 of 26
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    DAalseth said:
    svanstrom said:
    backstab said:
    Add to this (and the other improvements) increased processor 'snappiness'; and I am down!
    Finally; my first Watch! I can't wait.
    Apparently you could wait…  ;)

    What made you not buy any of the earlier generations?
    Thirdly, even this summer I found it interesting but not very user friendly. Everything required tapping, swiping, twisting the crown, or some magical combination of all three. Finally with the introduction of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink display shown above, it's more what I want. A data centre that I can glance at and see whatever I want without needing to flick, and tap and twist to get to it. 
    Sorry but this is flat out wrong. The crown as UI element is optional and performs the same as an onscreen finger scroll. It just works better as a wheel. 

    Tapping and swiping? Yeah it’s a touch device. Just like your phone requires. They aren’t telepathic. 

    You just didnt know what to do in the seconds you played with one so you panicked and created a narrative that it was too hard to use. 
    That seems overly harsh and judgemental. As I said in the very next line I prefer all my information on one screen. It's a watch, not a phone not a pad. I was able to get from time to settings, and to several of the apps with no problem. Navigating it was not a mystery. There was no panic, I did not create a narrative. I just didn't like it, and the screen that debuts with the new watchOS seems to resolve that issue.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    netrox said:
    Sounds like the DPI is increased significantly.
    Yeah, it's a 23.08% increase over the current display area, not the rumored 15%. It also appears as though they will have to change the ratio slightly, or lengthen the watch case, which seems the least likely unless they're making other changes. The dimensions are an extraction of the 345PPI, which assumes the same ratio. But based on the graphic below, that would exceed the current dimensions of the watch. However, if the corners are rounded as expected, then it easily fits within the case parameters, though it will be somewhat asymmetrical. Since that's another Apple no-no, I'd bet the display area will actually be slightly shorter, and slightly wider than the current ratio if this PPI is accurate. This won't be a big deal to developers who will be redesigning the display interface to take advantage of the larger display area. And shaving a few pixels off the corners and top, and adding them to sides won't be a big deal. Original apps will continue to work in the same window as they always have making the new watch appear for all practical purposes the same as the old. The following is based on Apple's actual schematics ...


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 26
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    mac_128 said:
    netrox said:
    Sounds like the DPI is increased significantly.
    Yeah, it's a 23.08% increase over the current display area, not the rumored 15%. It also appears as though they will have to change the ratio slightly, or lengthen the watch case, which seems the least likely unless they're making other changes. The dimensions are an extraction of the 345PPI, which assumes the same ratio. But based on the graphic below, that would exceed the current dimensions of the watch. However, if the corners are rounded as expected, then it easily fits within the case parameters, though it will be somewhat asymmetrical. Since that's another Apple no-no, I'd bet the display area will actually be slightly shorter, and slightly wider than the current ratio if this PPI is accurate. This won't be a big deal to developers who will be redesigning the display interface to take advantage of the larger display area. And shaving a few pixels off the corners and top, and adding them to sides won't be a big deal. Original apps will continue to work in the same window as they always have making the new watch appear for all practical purposes the same as the old. The following is based on Apple's actual schematics ...


    To be clear, you don't think the display in the Watch will get the same treatment as the OLED display in the iPhone X, which is nearly edge-to-edge and with rounded corners… because that's what your image is telling me.
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