Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 8: everything new and different

The Apple Watch Series 9 (left) and Apple Watch Series 8 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple’s huge iPhone 15 event has travel and gone, and not only do we person a marque caller iPhone 15 lineup, but we besides person nan Apple Watch Series 9.

But really does it comparison to nan erstwhile generation? Is it worthy nan upgrade if you person nan Apple Watch Series 8? Or, if you were considering getting your first Apple Watch, which would beryllium a amended bargain astatine this point?

We break it each down here.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: specs

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: design

Palette watch face Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The creation for some nan Apple Watch Series 8 and Series 9 is nan same. This follows nan contented that Apple has kept for its mainline Apple Watch Series devices, including nan Apple Watch SE.

You’ll find nan classical quadrate creation pinch curved edges, on pinch either aluminum aliases stainless alloy casing options. The sizing remains nan aforesaid for some models, either nan smaller 41mm aliases nan larger 45mm option.

The Apple Watch Series 8 comes successful 4 colors for aluminum: Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Product Red. The stainless alloy decorativeness has 3 colors: Gold, Silver, and Graphite.

For nan Apple Watch Series 9, we person nan accustomed Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Product Red colors for aluminum, arsenic good arsenic nan caller Pink color. This is simply a subtle pinkish finish, for illustration roseate gold, alternatively than a agleam pink. The stainless alloy action has nan aforesaid Gold, Silver, and Graphite offerings arsenic before.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: screen

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The Apple Watch Series 8 has an always-on Retina LTPO OLED show that reaches 1,000 nits of highest brightness. It comes successful either 41mm aliases 45mm sizes,. The aluminum versions person Ion-X glass, while nan stainless alloy has sapphire crystal displays.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is very similar, besides offering nan always-on Retina LTPO OLED display, Ion-X solid for aluminum models, and sapphire crystal for stainless steel. It besides comes successful 41mm aliases 45mm sizes.

However, 1 of nan large changes pinch nan Apple Watch Series 9 is nan highest brightness level, which now reaches 2,000 nits. This matches up to nan first-generation Apple Watch Ultra, making it moreover much usable outdoors successful agleam sunlight. It besides goes down to conscionable 1 nit successful low-light environments, truthful you aren’t blinded successful nan dark.

The Apple Watch Series 9 has nan Series 8 hit successful position of brightness levels, truthful it’s nan amended prime overall, particularly if you’re perpetually successful bright, sunny conditions.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: processor and software

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Here’s wherever things commencement to differentiate more.

Inside nan Apple Watch Series 8 is nan S8 chip, which is fundamentally nan aforesaid arsenic nan S7 spot successful nan Apple Watch Series 7, which was akin to nan S6 successful nan Apple Watch Series 6 — you get nan idea.

Apple’s yet changing things up pinch nan Apple Watch Series 9’s caller S9 chip. It uses a caller spot exertion that hasn’t been successful nan Apple Watch before, and it consists of 5.6 cardinal transistors and a GPU that is 30% faster than nan S8’s. It besides has a four-core Neural Engine that processes instrumentality learning tasks up to doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic before.

The S9 spot besides allows nan Apple Watch Series 9 to process each Siri requests connected nan watch itself. This intends there’s nary much request for Wi-Fi aliases cellular information for elemental requests, specified arsenic starting a timer aliases opening a workout, and it besides comes pinch much accuracy erstwhile dictating text, specified arsenic a consequence to a message. Plus, you’ll now beryllium capable to inquire Siri questions astir your wellness data, for illustration “How overmuch did I slumber past night?” aliases “How acold person I walked today?” and usage Siri to log almost immoderate portion of wellness accusation you could different participate into nan Health app connected your iPhone.

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And pinch nan S9, you tin power nan Apple Watch without really rubbing nan show pinch the caller Double Tap gesture. Just quickly pat your scale digit and thumb of your watch manus together doubly to execute galore actions and navigate done watchOS 10. The double-tap motion tin extremity a timer, power audio, snooze alarms, reply aliases extremity telephone calls, aliases moreover return a photograph pinch your iPhone camera. Double Tap besides opens the Smart Stack widget connected nan watch face, and you tin scroll done them pinch nan gesture.

The Apple Watch Series 9 besides has a caller second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) spot that enables Precision Finding for nan iPhone 15 series. This assists you pinch uncovering a misplaced iPhone done visual, haptic, and audio guidance, akin to AirTags. The caller UWB spot besides intends amended integration betwixt nan Apple Watch and HomePod, allowing you to motorboat Now Playing to power HomePod media erstwhile you’re nearby. However, it’s important to adhd that, contempt this caller chip, nan Apple Watch Series 9 still can’t find an AirTag aliases different mislaid Find My point connected its own; nan caller Precision Finding is solely for search down your misplaced iPhone 15.

Apple’s caller S9 spot is simply a large woody successful position of improving nan Apple Watch’s capacity and efficiency. While nan S8 strategy successful a package (SiP) earlier it fundamentally remained unchanged from erstwhile generations, nan S9 allows you to do truthful overmuch much from your wrist. It’s an particularly worthy upgrade if you are coming from an moreover older-generation Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: artillery and charging

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Apple claims that nan Apple Watch Series 8 tin get astir 18 hours of artillery life connected a azygous charge. This is beautiful meticulous and akin to erstwhile iterations of nan Apple Watch arsenic good — you’ll person to complaint it up by nan extremity of nan day.

Thankfully, nan Apple Watch Series 8 is tin of accelerated charging, which intends it tin spell from zero to 80% successful astir 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, contempt nan caller S9 chip, nan Apple Watch Series 9 does not spot immoderate meaningful alteration successful artillery life aliases charging speed. You tin expect to get astir 18 hours of artillery life for illustration before, and nan Series 9 still has nan aforesaid accelerated charging speeds.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: fittingness and wellness tracking

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Surprisingly, Apple made nary changes to nan Apple Watch Series 9 this twelvemonth successful position of caller wellness sensors. The sensors stay unchanged from nan Series 8.

This intends pinch some nan Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Series 8, you person SpO2 (blood oxygen) monitoring, ECG, 24/7 bosom complaint monitoring pinch precocious and debased bosom complaint notifications, irregular hit notifications, debased cardio fittingness notifications, somesthesia sensors, and slumber tracking. Both watches tin besides observe if you return a difficult autumn and besides person Crash Detection for car accidents.

Both nan Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 8 tin tally watchOS 10, which has a batch of improvements for cyclists, arsenic location will beryllium caller metrics, views, and experiences conscionable for cycling. For hikers, watchOS 10 will person nan Compass app automatically make 2 caller waypoints: Last Cellular Connection and Last Emergency Call. There is besides a caller Elevation view.

Both Apple Watches tin besides beryllium utilized to way your mood, which is bully for intelligence health, and nan ambient ray sensors tin thief you way clip spent successful daylight, which is beneficial for health.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: value and availability

Nike Globe watch face Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts astatine $399 for nan aluminum version, pinch nan stainless alloy models starting astatine $749. It’s disposable for contiguous acquisition from Apple’s website and different awesome retailers and carriers.

With nan Apple Watch Series 9 becoming available, nan Apple Watch Series 8 is discontinued. However, you tin astir apt find remaining banal astatine various big-box retailers astatine a discounted price.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Series 8: verdict

The Apple Watch Series 9 (top) and Apple Watch Series 8 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Apple Watch Series 9 is 1 of nan biggest improvements that Apple has made to nan wearable successful years.

The S9 spot is simply a large deal, and rightfully truthful — Siri requests are now processed on-device, and nan Double Tap motion allows for one-handed control. The summation of a new, second-generation UWB spot makes it imaginable to usage your Apple Watch to find a misplaced iPhone 15 bid (and later), akin to really you find AirTags.

While nan creation and show look nan aforesaid arsenic before, nan 2,000 nits of highest brightness makes nan Apple Watch Series 9 overmuch much usable outdoors successful harsh sunlight.

The only overseas point astir nan Apple Watch Series 9 is that moreover pinch nan S9 chip, location are nary improvements made to nan wide artillery life. You still get nan aforesaid 18 hours arsenic before. While nan Apple Watch Series 8 felt a batch for illustration nan Series 7 and Series 6 earlier it, nan Apple Watch Series 9 feels caller and caller acknowledgment to nan S9 chip. Oh, and that pinkish colour is simply beautiful.

But is each of that worthy an upgrade from nan year-old Apple Watch Series 8? That each depends connected you. While nan caller S9 processor sounds impressive, nan Series 8 is nary capacity slouch. Considering that and nan very akin display, battery, and health-tracking experiences betwixt nan 2 watches, you’re astir apt good waiting different twelvemonth to spot what nan Apple Watch Series 10 has to offer.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is bound to beryllium a nosy upgrade if you’ve sewage nan rate to burn, but if not, don’t fret excessively overmuch astir missing retired connected this 1 if you already person an Apple Watch Series 8.

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