From Series 5 to Series 6 is a huge jump. Details inside.

[MrMacintoshIII]

I’ve just gotten my hands on my Blue 44 Aluminum S6 upgrade to my S5, and what is immediately noticeable is the speed at which webpages load. On my S5 it simply wasn‘t worth the wait. Now I actually feel like I can browse the web on a modern device with modern speeds. Pretty transformative, but many of the unimaginative here won’t see what the big deal is...

The much brighter screen while the Always On is... Less On, is noticeably brighter. I almost felt the S5’s Always On, while phenomenal in its own right, needed to be much brighter while dimmed to be taken seriously. S6 isn’t all the way there towards an evenly bright Always On that wouldn’t even need to dim at all in light, but it’s getting us closer, and immediately increases daily quality of life.


The 20% faster S6 processor, some may say is not necessary, or barely noticeable. Again, these people are either liars, or they really don’t pay attention. Sure, maybe Apple stock apps are fast enough on either the S4 or S6 (your S5 has the same processor as the S4 from 2018), but Just Press Record was noticeably laggy even on my S5.

No longer. And it’s fun to see it zip.


All this in the first hour of usage. What a joy. Can’t wait to upgrade to the S7. Apple Watch updates are like going from iPhone 2G to 3G to 4G to 5G all in the span of 4 years.


See photo for a representation of how the blue aluminum reflects light. It still looks quite dark! Only the power of direct sunlight can expose this baby’s blue shine.

 

[bluegt]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting that you browse the web on your watch! Is it for certain types of content?

The point many people are making is that the speed boost was due to WatchOS 6 vs WatchOS 7. Which were you running on the S5 that you are comparing against?

Overall, I agree the S6 is a significant update - well worth it.

 

[wilberforce]

Ugh. Why did you have to post this. I had convinced myself no need to upgrade S5 to S6.
Now I have FOMO.

(Not really. Thanks for the info.)
Good job on the clickable thread title!

 

[sjinsjca]

I’ve just gotten my hands on my new Blue 44 Aluminum S6 upgrade to ye olde S5, and what is immediately noticeable is the speed at which webpages load.

...um, web pages? As in Safari being snappier? Serious question. (Honest.)

I'm missing something. The only way I've found to open web pages on the Watch is via an iMessage that contains a link. Is there a better way now in WatchOS 7, or specific to the Series 6?

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting that you browse the web on your watch! Is it for certain types of content?

The point many people are making is that the speed boost was due to WatchOS 6 vs WatchOS 7. Which were you running on the S5 that you are comparing against?

Overall, I agree the S6 is a significant update - well worth it.

I was running both WatchOS 6, and then WatchOS 7 as soon as it came out for my Series 5, and yes, it was noticeably faster with UI transitions mainly, and that was a huge help. But, Just Press Record still remained laggier than I’d like. And the point of that app is to simply tap the button and you‘re recording, so when you get lag and you can’t tell for a second... or two... or three... if it worked or not, it gets annoying fast. I’m so happy to say that all aspects of the app are instantaneous again on my S6. I’m not a paid shill or anything, it’s just one of the main reasons I got the Apple Watch in the first place. I suppose to be fair I’ll compare it to Dark Sky, which is a hybrid stock/non-stock app at this point? Yes, it loaded faster too. Much faster. Stock Stocks app was also much faster.

And I browse the web on my watch mostly via MiniWiki, and cursory searches for front page news when pulling out my phone just won’t do.

Honestly though I didn’t use it as much as I’d always wanted to since it was so painfully slow. I’ll definitely be using it more now, as Siri now responds like some kind of wonderful mechanical woman with alacrity, and she (and Safari) seems snappier.
[automerge]1601701033[/automerge]

...um, web pages? As in Safari being snappier? Serious question. (Honest.)

I'm missing something. The only way I've found to open web pages on the Watch is via an iMessage that contains a link. Is there a better way now in WatchOS 7, or specific to the Series 6?

”Hey Siri, google macrumors.”

Theres also the app Parrity. I’ll test it right now. Brb. Yeah it works faster as well. Still not perfect, but better and bearable finally.

 

[0128672]

The 20% faster S6 processor, some may say is not necessary, or barely noticeable. Again, these people are either liars, or they really don’t pay attention.

It's nice how much you're enjoying your new Watch. However, you can discuss your perception of the speed without insulting other S6 owners who don't feel the same way you do.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

For some its worth the upgrade and for others it’s not. No need for the condescending language as it’s completely unnecessary. I’ve only had my S5 a year so I have no reason to upgrade for minimal return, not bothered if others do though, it’s their money.

 

[NickYanakiev]

I feel like the S6 is quite a bit snappier vs S5, especially in opening apps and loading times. Interface-wise, things are pretty similar as it is Watch OS7 at play. The faster Wifi and cellular definitely helps.

GPS and HR accuracy are also noticeably better even with cellular on. Battery is sitting at 38% at 21:38 after wearing the watch all day with cellular on and a run outside without my iPhone. Not bad!

 

[Apple_Robert]

The watch doesn’t natively browse the internet webpages. How it is you see this as so much faster on the series 6?

 

[deeddawg]

The watch doesn’t natively browse the internet webpages. How it is you see this as so much faster on the series 6?

FYI : https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/browse-the-internet-watchos-5/

 

[MisterSavage]

I wasn't expecting a change in battery life but my S6 is significantly better than my S5.

 

[Deadeyeshark]

I’m going from a S0 to S6.

hoping to notice a few differences.

 

[MisterSavage]

I’m going from a S0 to S6.

hoping to notice a few differences.

The screen size increase alone is huge.

 

[Ericdjensen]

I came from an s5 and it’s barely any different IMO. The brighter display is nice and definitely noticeable outside. It seems maybe 5% faster than the s5. OS7 made the s5 much faster.

Only reason I upgraded was because I wanted 44mm and titanium

 

[milhaus]

Coming from an S4, I see a huge, huge difference in overall speed. Well worth the update.

 

[iSheep5S]

I have a S5 and S6 and wear one till the battery is at 20 then change, repeat. I charge the almost dead one to full then turn it off till i need it. Hate not wearing my watch as an ex watch collector.

I can say the day to day differences are not noticeable. I could well mix them up and have to check. Both setup identical.

 

[drew0020]

S5 to S6 here. I don’t notice any significant difference between the two.

 

[Seanm87]

Why on earth would you want to view web pages on a tiny 44mm screen?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I came from an s5 and it’s barely any different IMO. The brighter display is nice and definitely noticeable outside. It seems maybe 5% faster than the s5. OS7 made the s5 much faster.

Only reason I upgraded was because I wanted 44mm and titanium

I think a lot of people who moved onto the S6 before OS7 came out don’t realise it improved the speed on the S5. I keep hearing about speed differences on here but my S5 is lightning fast switching between apps.

 

[Ericdjensen]

I think a lot of people who moved onto the S6 before OS7 came out don’t realise it improved the speed on the S5. I keep hearing about speed differences on here but my S5 is lightning fast switching between apps.

I’ve been thinking the same thing. I was shocked how much faster it was with OS7. Not that it was ever slow

 

[someoneoutthere]

Why on earth would you want to view web pages on a tiny 44mm screen?

Let's say you're in the kitchen cooking and you wanted to follow step by step directions for a particular recipe...
Can I bring my iPad into the kitchen? Absolutely. What about my iPhone? Sure. But first, let me find a safe, dry spot to place either device and find an angle that works while I am running around in the kitchen. Sounds like a hassle already? Great!
Here is what I do: I send myself the link or fire up one of the cooking apps on my Watch. With the AOD, I can mark my progress, see next few steps and tackle that particular project.
Hope this brings you a different perspective!

 

[drew0020]

I feel like apple sped up the animations in watch os7. I’m not sure if anyone could notice a speed difference between the two.

I swap my Ceramic to Hermès and except for the case they feel exactly the same. Maybe the Hermès is slightly brighter outside but both are very hard to see in bright sunlight.

 

[44267547]

I think it’s easy to distort the difference between watchOS performance and processor performance with the S-Chip. Every year, the Apple Watch becomes ‘faster and more streamlined’, but that’s mainly a tandem effort between watchOS refinement and the processor performance, But there’s so many variables that contribute to why the watch doesn’t perform the same as everybody else’s, [i.e]-depending on third-party apps, which version of watchOS are they currently running, which model Apple Watch do they have, etc.

 

[Broken Hope]

Coming from an S4, I see a huge, huge difference in overall speed. Well worth the update.

Was your S4 not on OS7 or something? There isn’t a huge difference in speed between the 4 and the 6.

 

[Puonti]

If you're not testing an S5 and S6 side by side on watchOS 7 you're seeing the quicker UI animations and thinking it's all coming from better performance.