How to Choose: Stainless VS Aluminum Apple Watch! 

I wear an aluminum version for about 400-500 days now, everyday. Ok, it‘s just an office job but watch and screen look like new. I‘m still amazed! A friend has a stainless version and that thing is full of scratches on the other hand. Just thought this might help someone with the decision. The aluminum is also very light, much cheaper and looks classy enough with a milanese bracelet. It can literally do everything. 100% would buy again.

Wish they made the Stainless Steel in a non-cellular configuration. Some people don’t or can’t use cellular.

Im still gonna rock my stainless steel series 0 for another year. Worn it for about 12 months, and still not a scratch on the screen! Great watch

It really comes down to what you can afford. I got the Gold Stainless steel and never looked back. This this is amazing. I get compliments at the office and out on in the town on it. It is so elegant and perfect. Can never go wrong with gold.

That gold Stainless Steel looks so amazing, day one for that watch 😍

I love the look of the aluminum models, but stick with stainless steel for the extra tough sapphire display and the ability to polish the case back to brand new (with the silver).

Aluminum no doubt! I mean this is a pice of tech that is going to be obsolete in a few years. It not like this is going to be a family heirloom or something.

THANK YOU KIND SIR, was looking for this comparison, GREAT VID!!

I always go for Aluminum. Had my Apple Watch Series 0 in stainless steel and hated the micro scratches that needed to be polished only to reappear in few weeks on normal wearing. Aluminum cover is much more durable in real life as it is very hard to ‘ding’ the side when the watch is on your wrist and most of the damage comes from scratches not from hard blows. I also prefer matte finish of the aluminum over shiny stainless steel version. Especially in space gray version it perfectly matches the screen creating seamless effect vs stainless steel space gray that always looked plasticky and fake to me. Finally, with these watches being replaceable pieces of jewelry, no reason to spend more then you need when you pretty much know that in a year or two nobody would care about the case material but everyone will see that you are wearing an obsolete smartwatch.

Thank you for doing this review, it’s hard to find any videos on how the Apple watch wears out. Most videos sound like the reviewer is just reading of the consumer website every one sounds the same. You sir actually sound like you know what your talking about!

had a aluminium space grey for 3 years. It never got dinged/bent up in my case, but i am a white collar worker. Aluminium should be strong enough though, they do make aircraft out of it.

They should just make a aluminum version with a sapphire glass option for 100 USD more. Or include it on the LTE one.

Just bought the gold ss, 44 mm with the stone colour band and OMG its stunning i would never look back. Yes it cost mych more but boy is it worth every penny. It just feels and looks so luxurious - im just totally in love with it.

I prefer the stainless steel in terms of looks because it looks classier and the aluminum looks way out dated or old like the previous Apple Watch series, but in terms of money I think the stainless steel is way more expensive and pricing quite absurd

This was a great video--just the kind I needed, since I am about to purchase a new Apple Watch.

Great vid for sure! Thanks for sharing!

I just bought the stainless steel model, because I use my watch all the time. Yes, it's a lot more, but it really is all about what you want in a device. May daughter got the aluminum case, and she loves it. I opted for more durability, and took advantage of the Verizon Cyber Monday deal and got a $100 off. My thinking is that it's worth $5 more a month. But, as your reviewers comment, it will be outdated and/or cost you more in the long run because of the cellular feature. I agree that the stainless steel in no-cellular would be a great option.

Thank you. Very helpful!!

I’ve read that the sapphire appears more washed out and hard to see in ambient outdoor light because it is nearly twice as reflective than the Ion-X Glass. Is this your experience? I want sapphire for the shine and scratch resistance, but that has me concerned.

Thanks andrew! Great work

Any issues with micro scratches with the SS Gold ? Too soon?

Thank u for the details

Great video very helpful thank you.

Ive got a s1 so its time for an upgrade. Had it for about 2 1/2 yrs and looks brand new. Used a screen protector and a case most of the time tho. I really want to get the gold ss but im worried about the scratches. Thoughts??

Great video Helped me out a lot

Crystal clear to the point review!

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for.

I bought the aluminum model last year and it still looks brand new.

Thanks for drawing attention to the weights! I want the lightest possible for my small wrists and so I have to necessarily stick to 40 mm aluminium; Found that to be already 4 grams heavier than the 38 mm I have. So no stainless steel for me :(

Great Video! Can you do a video comparing Stainless Steel VS Hermes series 4

How to choose? The thickness of your wallet decides, not anything else.

very useful information. Thanks.

I picked up a stainless steel 42mm from the apple store earlier, i absolutely love it!

omg i am falling in love with that navy blue color band ♥♥♥

Could you supply a link to the leather band for the stainless steel space grey Apple Watch please.

what is the name of that blue colored band you have on the gold stainless? is that the horizon blue or denim colored ????

Great video

Can I ask you where to buy the black leather strap you used on the space grey aluminum in the video?

Great video thank You

Finally an explanation .. 👍

Thank you!

Got the aluminum 44m Gold..Looks great with the Max in gold! No need to pay an extra $200 for SS shiny material.

I prefer the stainless steel version, good video!

What is the brown leather watch strap on the ss space black you have Please.

Finally picked up my SS Gold ! Coming from the Series 0

What band do you have on the Series 3 Space Black? It looks really good with the Space Black S3 you have. I have the Leather Loop (Stone) that I periodically used on my 42mm Space Grey S3 and now 44mm Space Black S4 but I want something that will math the case a little more. Could you let me know what band it is and where (or if) I could get it for the Series 4?

As much as I like the look of the SS, I absolutely cannot justify spending $300 extra just for that... Also because I have no interest in cellular for its higher MSRP + $10+ dollars a month for some separate data plan that should not be a thing in 2018 to begin with.

Love my Silver SS, definitely worth the extra money over the Aluminum no question

Aluminium is the only option in Norway, making the choice easy😂😅

I’ve loved my SS Series 1 watch and was thinking of upgrading (as 2 and 3 didn’t seem like much of an upgrade) but as someone who travels for work getting a cellular watch where I’m tied to it working in only 1 country is pointless but I don’t think I could go from SS to Aluminium aesthetically. Hope they bring out some more options further down the line as this is a nice watch.

What brand are you using on the aluminum black?

I really like the space gray aluminum watch BAND (black color BAND), can you send me a link where I can buy?

Where is that royal blue band on the ss gold model sold? I am in LOVE

I have had Series 0, Series 1 Aluminum models and now have a Space Black SS S3. Both the aluminum models ended up with pretty noticable scratches to the screen after normal use after only a few weeks and really annoyed me. I went with SS for series 3 and after a full year I have 0 scratches to the screen or body. It is heavier but you get used to it. Stainless models are worth the extra money to me based on the more durable screen alone.

Whats the name on the blue band?

If they were all the same price, I would have still gone with an aluminum AW. I like the lighter weight and scratch resistance. I am always careful with my watches so I never get a ding anyway. The extra cost and unneeded cellular option of SS will never get my pick.

I have a space grey series 2 and have had no problems with scratching. For the price and features, I will now order the aluminium series 4.

Aluminum all the way just for the price.

Does anyone know if the Aluminum still has the better display? (Better color and less glare) I know older models the sapphire had way more glare and washes out the color. Please respond if you know. Finding it impossible to find out this info online. Was hoping they would compare that here.

Last year I got the cellular version for the larger storage. This year the price difference between cellular and gps is even more and there are fewer differences. This year I really want the stainless steel, but then I have to eat the cost of the cellular, which I don't need. If there was a gps only stainless steel model for $100 less, I would definitely opt for it. Knowing myself and the fact that I upgrade watches and phones each year, I can't justify spending the extra $300 for the stainless steel model. Though I would really really love that space black with a sapphire crystal display. That would be amazing, but I just can't bring myself to eat the extra cost....

Under the water which one is more waterproof, aluminium or inox?

How did you polished your black stainless steel?

How good is the ion x glass? Obviously it's not as good as Sapphire Crystal but I don't plan on deflecting bullets with it.

What kind of blue color is the strap that appears with the golden stainless steel watch and the kind color of the orange or maybe brown that appears too with the black stainless steel watch?

Are the ringtones any different between aluminum and stainless steel editions?

The list of differences is short and you did a good job presenting the ones you mention. However, you failed to mention two very important differences (1) The stainless watch costs $200 more than the equivalent aluminum model. (2). The gold watch in stainless is a deeper, richer bourbon gold compared to the aluminum slightly pinkish light gold. Should have mentioned these differences. Lack of band choices is also worth mentioning without going into detail.

where did you get the black leather band for the SS model?

When I get my report card back, I be getting one of these. which color should I get for series 4? this is awesome.

Well, I went for the stainless steel (gold) for the first time. Now I have the 2nd generation in gold, before I had the 0-gen in space black. But that one gave me a rash. The gold one was marked as not containing nickel back then, so I went for that next. Now they don't say what model contains more or less nickel anymore. I didn't think about the additional weight, I will see how that bodes. But I also don't like the way the aluminium version get the display scratched easily. I got my 2nd gen replaced (for the 2nd time) recently and after a few weeks the display is already quite badly scratched again. None of my previous watches had that kind of problems.

Love the stainless steal ones. But hate the £800 price tag.

Hei, is it possible to polish space gray steel version?

Nice vid. I would recommend the Skinomi screen protectors especially for the aluminium model. I prefer aluminium mainly due to price.

Whats the orange/brown band on the series 3 stainless steel space black?? im dying to get it

SS looks great, but can't justify the price. Picked up a s4 44mm space gray on launch day. Seems you guys had alot of focusing issues with this video

What is that stainless steel box in your video please?

I got the black SS in 44mm and I LOVE IT

Literally my dilemma right now going on in my cart. So glad to come across this video!

First Apple Watch so went cheap with the aluminum to see if it’s for me. As a newcomer to the Apple smart watch I was quite surprised by the huge price difference between the two. The only thing I really will miss is the sapphire glass vs the more scratch prone ion x. My premium watches are all sapphire, that glass is superior, extremely durable and scratch resistant vs any other glass. Figure on using a screen protector to help out the ion x glass. As someone mentioned upgrading a $700 watch every couple years is allot more painful than a $500 one, especially if your already upgrading a $1200 iPhone

does apple this replosing of watch and how much it costs?

you mentioned that the black stainless hides minor scratches better than the stainless silver. What is your opinion on the new stainless gold? Do you think the gold would hide scratches equally as well as the stainless black, worse, or better?

I currently have a Space Grey aluminum Series 3 LTE watch. While I love it and I’m waiting for ECG to be approved in Canada before I upgrade, I think my next watch will be the Space Black stainless steel watch. It’s just so nice. Hopefully I’ll get some trade in value.

The apple store employee told me the differences between the two versions is "basically a mercedes and a honda" word for word. this video is well informed and visually pleasing, way better than what that employee told me

Just buy the cheaper version. It’s not for long term use. You will be replacing it in a few years. Not like you have a Rolex that you can wear forever.

What colour band is that's with the gold stainless steal? Doesn't look like deep navy blue. Looks really good 😍

What do you think of the glass ? I had an apple watch S2 sport version which i had completely scratched all over the glass in 2 weeks. I didn't even realize i scratched it until i saw it. I am usually very careful with my tech and the glass from the Series 2 still scares me to buy another aluminium watch. I have two gen 0. and 1. stainless steel watches which i use and until today they don't have any scratches. They still look like new.

Is there a cover that’s a see through to avoid the micro abrasions?

What’s the make of the black leather watch strap on the aluminium Space grey model?

So can you polish the black and gold ss like you can the silver?

To everyone talking about going for aluminium due to price and future trading up... which do you think will resell for more/hold its value better? I’m guessing buyers would opt for SS in the used market 🤷🏻‍♂️

I was a huge fan of the ceramic Apple Watch. Gonna miss that thing.

I thought I liked the stainless but I am glad that I went to see them in the store because I actually liked the look of the aluminum watches better. They look clean and matte. The SS ones looks sort of smudged up and gross to me.

I have the Series 2 aluminum. A great series. Have one scratch and two small cracks. You have to be looking for them to find them. No effect on performance.

The one In the top which on is that 2:37 as I prefer that way better??

My Series 1 is aluminum and my Series 2 is stainless. I absolutely agree that the stainless steel version looks more like jewelry. I didn’t think that would matter to Mr. Practicality Engineer Geek here, but much to my surprise, I really do have an appreciation for the high-quality jewelry look and feel of the stainless steel! It looks classy, and surprisingly, that matters to me! However, much more importantly, the sapphire crystal makes a real, practical difference, as well as simply looking better: The glass front on my aluminum S1 did get scratched, in only one year of use, whereas the sapphire front of my stainless S2 is still pristine after two years of use. Consumer Reports did some scratch testing on it, and concurred that the sapphire crystal is indeed very hard to scratch. In short, it really does make a difference, folks!

What band is that on the series 3 space black?

SS silver 44mm to replace my OG series 0 SS silver. Can’t wait for the speed!

Please I wanna ask you its works with Samsung i mean android?

Stainless Gold 44 for my first Apple watch to match my XS Max!

Wanted one ever since the first one came out but I wanted better health tracking. I like got the black SS with the malinese loop band. Was expensive but I like premium watches.

Finally I got my Apple Watch series 6 aluminum T-Mobile 32 GB I love it