Apple Watch Series 7 vs. Apple Watch Series 8 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?

[MacRumors]

The Apple Watch Series 8 replaces the Apple Watch Series 7 in Apple's smartwatch lineup, but how different are the two successive smartwatch generations?

In 2021, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 7, including features like taller casing sizes with larger displays, slimmer bezels, improved durability, and faster charging technology. The Apple Watch Series 7 has now been discontinued by Apple, and as year-old models, prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to upgrade to a Series 7‌ or a Series 8‌.

The Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8 share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the Series 7 to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the new Apple Watch brings to the table.

Differences

Apple Watch Series 7	Apple Watch Series 8
S7 chip	S8 chip (Same CPU as S7)
Gyroscope and accelerometer	More powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer
-	‌Crash Detection
Third-generation optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor for ECG, and blood oxygen sensor	Optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor for ECG, blood oxygen sensor, and body temperature sensor
-	Wrist temperature sensing during sleep
-	Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Aluminum casing in Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED), Blue, or Green	Aluminum casing in Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED), or Silver
Stainless Steel casing in Gold, Silver, or Graphite	Stainless Steel casing in Gold, Silver, or Graphite
Titanium casing in Titanium or Space Black	-

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a very minor upgrade over the Series 7, with the body temperature sensor and Crash Detection being the only significant changes, meaning that it is difficult to recommend upgrading. Many Apple Watch Series 7 users will likely not be able to justify upgrading to the Series 8, but some customers coming from an older model could still have good reason to preference the latest models, namely those who do not have an iPhone 14 model with Crash Detection and women who want to take advantage of the cycle tracking features. The Apple Watch Series 8 is very similar to the Series 7, so customers who have an older Apple Watch model and are looking for an upgrade may prefer to look for a discounted Apple Watch Series 7.

Article Link: Apple Watch Series 7 vs. Apple Watch Series 8 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?

 

[MacLawyer]

My Watch 7 is fine. I'm sitting on my Apple toy money until the new large screen iMac comes out.

 

[IzzyMandelbaum]

So it takes body temp and a longer battery life....no blood sugar levels as was rumored earlier.

Nope, series 7 is fine still with me...maybe series 9.

 

[HappyDude20]

If MacRumors can speculate then I can as well:

If you have a Series 7 then there isn’t a reason to upgrade to the yet to be announced Series 8.

 

[tonie walker]

…the watch should be in a 2 year cycle, not much innovation neither features, i might cop on series 8 though.

 

[jbachandouris]

Depends on if someone wants to buy my SS AW7……

 

[icanhazmac]

Not enough to jump from my 6, probably looking at the 10 or later.

 

[AppleUser2]

I think it's a no brainer. No chip improvements (can they really re-name it?) and just a body heat sensor and slightly longer battery life? That's it - if that is all there is then has to be one of the weakest upgrades of any Apple product?

 

[stiligFox]

If the chip is the same, or very close to the same, I’m still annoyed that my S7 won’t get low power mode…

 

[8CoreWhore]

Why even ask this question... should we upgrade from 7 to 8? Less than 1% of people get a new watch each year. But the question implies that this is a real consideration.

 

[cmChimera]

I want an orange and blue band now.

 

[catracho504]

Regular S9 Apple Watch will have the new design for S8 Apple Watch "Pro"

I will skip, again, the Apple Watch this year.

 

[tagsaid]

I’m still rocking the S4 - still have a good 83% battery, runs the latest OS and everything.

I’m looking to upgrade this year, but even for me, the newer sensors make no difference since I won’t personally use them. The thermometer/temp sensor would be the one to look for since it could come in handy.

But I have no issue sticking to the 4 until I see a good redesign or the battery doesn’t hold anymore.

 

[salutcemoi]

…the watch should be in a 2 year cycle, not much innovation neither features, i might cop on series 8 though.

Lol I still have the Series 3

Still works great and they fixed the storage issue that was problematic for Watch OS updates

Does everything I need it for tbh

Plus I have tiny wrists and the 38 mm size (the smallest now is 41 I think but it shouldn't be a huge difference) is perfect for me

 

[Eric_WVGG]

I want an orange and blue band now.

nothing could be easier: go buy and orange band and a blue band and install one piece of each

@macrumors… what's the point when you're just gonna write another, better-informed article with the same title in eight days…

 

[GaryMumford]

Still happy with my Series 4. My battery lasts longer that my wife's series 7 (even with her display set to turn off)

 

[Morgenland]

So it takes body temp and a longer battery life....no blood sugar levels as was rumored earlier.

Nope, series 7 is fine still with me...maybe series 9.

yes, blood sugar level would be a game changer for for a large number of people. Worst case scenario for Dexcom.
But at least they've been too stupid (google servile) at Dexcom for years to link their good stuff to the Apple Watch without any detours. That weakens the grace with many people

 

[tubomac]

Blood sugar level would be the real deal here. Otherwise I keep my stainless steel watch 6. Body temperature is not that useful.

 

[paradox00]

Apple updates their devices every year, but consumers generally shouldn’t.

 

[ralph_sws]

Blood sugar level would be the real deal here. Otherwise I keep my stainless steel watch 6. Body temperature is not that useful.

no sugar level monitoring for next decade or two, its must be 100% accurate, not a toy

 

[iksnirks]

waiting for the comparison that matters, the 8 vs 4

 

[Cromulent]

As I said in another thread, the series 8 will be perfect for me as my first ever Apple Watch. I'm keeping a close eye on it.

 

[bowens]

My 4 is still working fine. There was a rumor about a hydration sensor a while back. If that's in the 8, I will upgrade for sure.

 

[tubomac]

no sugar level monitoring for next decade or two, its must be 100% accurate, not a toy

Good! in that case for one or two decades I will not feel the pressure to upgrade

 

[mansplains]

For whatever reason my eyes turned the bottom portion of the watch in the image orange.. An orange AW and iPhone would look interesting, as my favorite color. I've bought orange cases in the past but now that I go caseless.. I wonder how well particular iPod colors sold and whether they influenced iPhone color decisions back in the day