My biggest concern prior to receiving this in the mail was of the material. I used to wear and collect G-shock watches and anyone who has done that has most likely at one point inadvertently purchased a fake/fraudulent “authentic” G-shock watch. One of the easiest ways to spot the majority of fake G-shocks is by the material of the band. No matter how long you wear it the band retains a straight shape and will not hold the curl of the wrist. This SUPCASE band does obtain a worn curl from your wrist (take a look to the last picture I added”.
I really like the feel (both to the touch and on my wrist) of the Apple Watch band that comes with the watch. Please note that the SUPCASE band does not feel the same way. When I first opened this band and saw that it feels different than the original I was worried. I almost thought to send it back without even trying it and I am so so so glad I didn’t.
Other concerns initially:
-The power button would not work well or at all, this couldn’t be further from the, it works impeccably.
-I have a 44mm watch so I was worried that with this band it would be too big. I am 230 pounds and 6’ tall. I love a bulky watch and this band is large, but my arms and hands are slightly above average in size and this was not a problem at all.
-I was worried that the loop would regularly slide off. This has happened once, maybe twice. I do check it several times a day out of habit from my G-shocks, but it hasn’t proven to be an issue for me. The once or twice it did slide down was not a problem. The watch manufacturer put time and consideration into this product when it was developed so even if it slides down the watch remains fastened.
-A big concern I saw in several reviews was that this watch did not remain in contact of the users skin and therefore anything related to heart rate was not reliable or even effective at all. I have not had that experience. I use my heart rate for several things and it has worked superbly for me.
-Perhaps my biggest concern (based on other user reviews) prior to receiving my SUPCASE Apple Watch Series 4 44mm band was that it made the pedometer completely useless. Several people said that the fit of the case into the band wasn’t perfect therefore the pedometer became less than useless. This has not been the case for me. Pedometer still works extremely well.
This wouldn’t be a helpful review to anyone if I didn’t list my personal “negatives” for this band. Please know these are my issues or things I find to be less than ideal about this SUPCASE Apple Watch Series 4 44mm band.
-This band and case is one piece. If you want the case you have to use the band and vice versa.
-The outside edge of the case is raised substantially so it definitely helps with protection from bumps and drops, however the screen has no protection and SUPCASE does not include its own screen protector so I found it of extreme importance to purchase screen protectors. I preferred the ArmorSuit (6 Pack) MilitaryShield Screen Protector (I will do a review for that soon).
-The material feels slightly underweight, but at this point I’m really going out of the way to find “complaints.” It works beautifully well.
Final Thoughts:
Spending $350 on a watch then $20 on a case and band just seemed weird. This is my first Apple Watch I kinda thought that in order to get something of quality I was going to have to spend $50, $60, $70. I was wrong. This band is amazing and realistically could not be better for the price. My wife gave me the watch as a Christmas gift and she bought it on Black Friday. Since I have the best wife on the planet and she knew how long I had been wanting one she gave it to me the day she bought it. So I had about a month with the original band. I loved the material, but I just felt extremely vulnerable to impending damage. I made the decision I had to get a case ASAP. I HAD NO IDEA what to order. Please heed my following advice...unless a waterproof case is 100% necessary I’d stay away from it. I looked at dozens of waterproof cases and the negatives far outweighed the benefit of being able to take my watch in the shower.
Finally, if you’re on the fence about this product just order it and give it a try. The worst thing that happens is you don’t like it and you send it back at zero additional cost. The best thing that happens is you love it or learn to love it once it’s broken in and you’ve found an amazing case and strap for $20. Sounds like a win-win to me.
This is the first review I’ve ever written, but this product definitely deserves a positive review. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it has helped you to come closer to making a decision on how you can better protect your Apple Watch.
Joshua