When picking an Apple Watch to buy, the first thing people consider is its connectivity. It’s either they pick a GPS Apple Watch or get a cellular model. However, did you know that Apple Watch also offers variations according to the materials it’s made of? That’s right! Apple offers the Apple Watch in three material types: stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. In a battle between its kind, Apple Watch aluminum vs stainless steel vs titanium, which one stands out?
In this article, we will be taking a closer look into what makes these watches tick, stand out, and a top consumer’s choice. Ultimately, this comparison between Apple Watch aluminum vs stainless steel vs titanium will help you decide what unit to pick.
Related: Apple Watch Series 5 vs 6: Is It Worth The Upgrade?
Inside This Article
Apple Watch Aluminum vs Stainless Steel vs Titanium: Compared
Since Series 5, the Apple Watch has adapted three material types and built. Fast forward to Apple Watch 7 Series, this continues to be a trend. Apple offers these three types of Apple Watch in different colors as well.
- Aluminum Casing comes in Midnight Straight, Green, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED.
- Stainless Steel Casing comes in Silver, Graphite, and Gold Apple Watch.
- Titanium Casing comes in Silver and Space Black.
Aside from these, though, in what areas do these Apple Watch types vary?
A. Price Difference Between Apple Watch Aluminum vs Stainless Steel vs Titanium
If you are looking for an area of consideration before buying an Apple Watch or what type of Apple Watch to buy, the price difference would be a good place to start. Of course, there are two reputable places where you can get your Apple Watch: Apple Store and Amazon. But for ease, we have below a price comparison sample to help you make this decision.
Editor’s Note: We selected one model of Apple Watch under each category for sample purposes.
| Apple Watch | Prices | Availability |
|
Titanium with Sports Band |
Get this from $799 or $33.29for 24
Its 45mm unit sells for $849 or $35.37/mo. for 24 mo.
|
Get from Apple |
|
Graphite Stainless Steel with Midnight Sports Band |
Get this for $699 or $29.12for 24 months.
The 45mm is sold for $749 or $31.20/mo. for 24 mo. On Amazon, you can get this for almost around the same price. |
|
 Midnight Aluminum |
41mm is priced from $499 or $20.79for 24
45mm sells from $429 or $17.87/mo. for 24 mo. Amazon sells this for less than the price of Apple. |
Get from Apple Website |
If we base our decision on the price list set by Apple, we give the win to the Apple Watch Series 7 Aluminum unit.
B. Durability and Ruggedness
While there is no question when it comes to the quality of products Apple produces — Apple Watch included— there’s still a small amount of debate on its ruggedness and durability. For this, we take a closer look at how the watches are built and the materials used to compare Apple Watch Aluminum vs Stainless Steel vs Titanium.
| Apple Watch Type | Materials/Built |
| Titanium Case Apple Watch 7 |
|
| Stainless Steel Case Apple Watch 7 |
|
| Aluminum Case Apple Watch 7 |
|
Given these bullets of comparison, it does appear the Apple Watch Titanium Case is sturdier, rugged, and durable among the types of Apple Watch sold today. Additionally, Titanium does give off mirror-like shine and polish to the watch so that’s hitting two birds with one stone.
C. Availability
There is no shortage when it comes to the availability of Apple Watch Aluminum, Stainless Steel, and Titanium units from Apple Stores and even Amazon — at least as of this writing. We can safely assume Apple to continue producing these units until such time newer models and units come out thereby making the old series obsolete.
However, if you are considering buying one for yourself, we suggest doing so now. While supplies don’t run out right away, you might find yourself buying an Apple Watch of a different color than what you originally wanted. Some Apple Watch colors sell faster than others. Such is the case for the promo, limited-only, (PRODUCT)RED unit. This particular Apple product runs out faster considering part of its proceeds go to a positive cause.
Moreover, we also want to highlight that availability may also pertain to Apple Watch accessories. Again, if you are considering buying one for yourself, this might be a good time to do so.
Related: Best Apple Watch Accessories to Complete Your Smartwatch
D. Weight
Chemistry has taught us that aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium are metals. And metals, in contrast to plastics, are relatively heavier. For a consumer product like a smartwatch, comfortability and portability are essential elements in considering what to buy. While all these Apple Watch types promise great wrist comfort and are lightweight, they still vary.
Stainless steel is just a little heavier than Titanium because of its densities. However, their densities combined are relatively heavier than aluminum. So, to give us a clear picture of their weights, let’s take the 41mm unit of each Apple Watch type to compare.
| Apple Watch Type | Weight in Grams |
| Aluminum Case | 32.0g |
| Stainless Steel Case | 42.3g |
| Titanium Case | 37.0g |
Of course, we are discounting the added weight accessories might add later on. But as you can see, if you want a watch that will not feel heavy on your wrist when doing high-performance sports such as tennis, you might want to get the aluminum Apple Watch unit. Hence, we give this part of our review to Apple Watch Aluminum case.
E. Connectivity
When it comes to variants, these Apple Watch types vary as well when it comes to connectivity. This means some Apple Watch can have cellular connectivity in tandem with GPS while others are only GPS connectivity capable.
Both the Titanium and Stainless Steel types of the Apple Watch offer GPS + Cellular versions. Unfortunately, it is not offered in the GPS-only variant. That crown falls onto the Aluminum Case type; it comes in GPS + Cellular and GPS-only variants. Again, we give the win to the Aluminum Apple Watch case for having more options in contrast with the other types.
We have a detailed review on GPS vs Cellular Apple Watch. Go check it out to learn more!
F. Display
And we come down to the last item on our list: display tech. Aside from the case itself, of course, we want a crisp and clear display on a luxury watch like the Apple Watch. You will be surprised to know the three types of Apple Watch have the same materials used for their display techs. These watches use the following:
- Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display, 1,000 nits
- Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases
- Sapphire crystal display on stainless steel and titanium cases
A Sapphire crystal display is usually found on every luxury smartwatch you can find today. This is because this material makes a product study, robust, and durable on top of guaranteed protection from stains, fingerprints, and scratch. Sapphire is preferable when a diamond crystal is unavailable and too expensive.
Moreover, what the sapphire crystal display lacks, the Ion-X glass display makes up for. These two combined make the Apple Watch a true must-have consumer product where quality was, is, and will never be compromised.
Why Should You Get Aluminum Apple Watch
The Apple Watch Aluminum case has more edge in comparison to the other two types of Apple Watch on the market today. However, it should be noted that the other two aren’t inferior to Aluminum.
The aluminum type comes in two variants: GPS+Cellular and GPS-only. In addition to that, it’s comparatively lightweight (sans the added weight of accessories), which makes it good when you are into sports and other heavy-duty activities. While aluminum might be prone to cracks and isn’t as durable as Titanium, with proper care, the watch should be just fine. More importantly, it comes with a budget-friendly price in comparison to the other two Apple Watch types.
Is It Worth Getting Stainless Steel Apple Watch
Any Apple Watch — or luxury watch — is worth buying. Much like its siblings, the Apple Watch Stainless Steel is perfectly capable of carrying its job as a smartwatch. Highly customizable, you can put in the apps you specifically need on a daily. Additionally, the Stainless Steel variant can be the perfect tracker as it is equipped with GPS functionalities on top of the cellular functionalities.
Obviously, when you use this watch as a fitness tracker, don’t waste your time doubting whether you will damage your watch because of sweat or not. The watch is encased in a stainless steel material and comes in Silver, Graphite, and Gold Apple Watch. colors. And for us, that’s 10 across the board!
Why Should You Get Titanium Cased Apple Watch
While the Titanium Apple Watch only comes in two colors, those colors are to die for elegant. Not only does it have the most durable and rugged material used for the case, but this watch also has advanced technology under its hood powered by the WatchOS. Some of the Apple Watch Titanium Case features include:
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- GPS/GNSS
- Compass
- Fast Charging
Sure, it is expensive but if we consider the benefits and product longevity, the price point does come out justified.
Apple Watch Aluminum vs Stainless Steel vs Titanium: Which Is Better?
All in all, we give the win to the Aluminum Case Apple Watch in terms of price, variant offerings, color options, weight, and display tech. The Titanium Case does fall back a little when it comes to durability and ruggedness. Nonetheless, it still delivers the same functionalities and qualities one could hope for from a smartwatch from Apple.
In second place comes Titanium Case. Despite the price point, this watch is something that could last for a long time and offer many of the functionalities you could hope for from a smartwatch. With this watch, it might take years before you consider switching to another model or brand.
