The choice of the Apple Watch model that one wants to buy is influenced by different factors. The economic one, the design, the straps that we want to put on it, etc. One of the fundamental and most critical differences when choosing between the sports model and the steel model (if we forget the economic factor) is the glass of the Apple Watch screen. The sports model has Ion-X crystal, while the steel model has sapphire crystal. Supposedly the second is better than the first, that's why it is included in the 'Premium' models, but it is not a question of choosing between black and white, and there is a lot to be said about both lenses, and paying more may not mean being more satisfied.
Higher image quality on the Sport model than on the steel
As the experts at DisplayMate have said in their report about the Apple Watch screen, "Apple has done very well with the OLED screen of the Apple Watch". It's the company's first device with this display, and the image quality is fabulous, as is the accuracy of the colors. Although Apple has not said anything official about it, they estimate that the pixel density of the screen is about 326 ppi, a figure almost identical to that of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, so it is a real Retina display. Despite these good words from DisplayMate, there are a couple of negative points that stand out that Apple should fix for future generations.
On the one hand, the reduction in the brightness of the screen that Apple does in bright environments and that causes it not to be displayed well, something that can be solved by means of a software update, but that would then affect the battery. But what is not solvable is that the sapphire crystal of the steel model and the "Edition" does not perform as well as the Ion-X in those environments. And the sapphire crystal is very resistant, but in return it offers more reflections than the cheaper model, Ion-X. Specifically, the crystal of the Sport (Ion-X) model reflects only 4,6% of the light in the tests carried out, but the sapphire crystal of the more expensive models reflects almost twice as much, 8,2%. To give you an idea, the glass of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is made of the same material as the Apple Watch Sport, Ion-X.
Resistance or image?
At this point we have to choose between one and the other. A much more resistant glass but with worse behavior in places with a lot of light? It is not an easy decision, since it is not that the sapphire crystal causes poor image quality, nor that the Ion-X crystal scratches to the minimum. Both have a good balance in both aspects (resistance and image quality) but each one has its strong point in one of them. Which to choose?
