Look at those two:
OK, I will say I do like the new neck better. But the shading is awful.
If you're going to use solid-color shading you can't be progressive. It just looks awful. And the spots of lighter color around the edges at the bottom look awful and could not possibly come from the same "light source" as the rest of the body. The colored outline looks crappy, especially against the horns. Solid-color shading only uses one shade, although ahighlight can be added.
Looking at those two, I can't see why on earth you'd choose the second. It looks like a sloppy, unprofessional, unfinished piece of work with lots of mistakes so far. The first is smooth, easy on the eyes, solid and simple. It looks like something from a WW-esque sort of game. The second looks like a badly animated children's game.