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Coming from a Series 8 where they gave me $190 trade-in makes it a no brainer for a Series 9 aluminum 45mm watch. Looking forward to it.

I think the S9 SiP is going to be bigger than it is getting credit for.
I think so too. I am afraid even Ultra 1 might not get some features because of its old SiP.
 
Double tap has been available as an accessibility feature for a long time, however it maybe operates a little differently than the newly announced feature. It would be nice if someone could explain how Double Tap is different from the accessibility feature.
Exactly, and I don’t think it’s accurate to list this as a new feature (even though Apple presented it that way) until we have some specifics on how this differs from what we have already. Apple’s approach on this one seems somewhat disingenuous based on what we know right now, although perhaps there is more to this feature than what they told us.
 
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I'm upgrading from an S6 with 84% max battery life. Looks like a great upgrade, but the downer for me are the bands. I have all the bands I want or need and none of the new ones look appealing to me. Wish there was a way to buy just the Watch without a band... or to be able to swap for closeout bands or some other accessory.
 
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Disappointed that Apple doesn’t offer the sapphire crystal display option in the Aluminum case. Don’t really want to spend $300 or more (since SS isn't discounted the way Aluminum models are at retailers) for SS which has cellular that I don’t need, is heavier, is a fingerprint magnet, and has it’s own scratching issues (although easier to buff out) in order to get a screen that doesn’t get scratches on it if you look at it funny.

I'd take that over any other new S9 feature.
Believe me, even with sapphire current AW design won't save you from accidental bumps, sapphire will not scratch but it will crack. Ultra design is different and it safeguards sapphire display.
 
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"a very minor upgrade"? You're trying to justify your rumors/predictions, luckily Apple (and I) don't care. S9 + storage bump are massive for future apps etc. Better display is also great. All with unchanged battery life. And I love the form factor so it's great that it stayed the same. About to place an order trading in my Series 8. BTW - I love the new Nike bands, how about the Blue Flame?
 
I'm hoping for some of these guides for the older items out. The change from year to year is fairly minor, but knowing what I'd expect coming from several generations back would be more useful.
 
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The only owners of older model who could justify this upgrade is S3 or older. S4 and newer have zero reason. Until WatchOs10 cripples the performance after they update and they cannot revert back to WatchOs9.

Knowing that, best wait for 10 Gen when they redesign stuff.
 
The only owners of older model who could justify this upgrade is S3 or older. S4 and newer have zero reason. Until WatchOs10 cripples the performance after they update and they cannot revert back to WatchOs9.

Knowing that, best wait for 10 Gen when they redesign stuff.
Well, Always On starting at S5 is a pretty significant feature to me. I have an S5 and I'm tempted to go to S9. Or I might just replace my battery. Haven't decided yet.
 
Another difference not mentioned here is that the heart rate sensor in S9 is more accurate than the one used in previous generations of AW, according to Apple and other reports of the updates to the S9 Watch.

One of the those other reports said "the heart rate and other sensors" are more accurate than S8 and earlier but didn't specify sensors other than the heart rate.
 
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Hmm, maybe not. The new processor may be more energy efficient. And the automatic dimming could make a big difference.
Apple quoted the exact same 18 hours battery life for S9 compared to previous generations. Real life usage might vary, but if there was a significant battery life improvement, you can be sure Apple would have mentioned it in the keynote
 
The Watch Ultra is the one I was curious to see what was updated. I think if you have a Watch Ultra the Ultra 2 makes zero sense. Not once have I thought my Ultra felt the least bit slow. The S6 processor is still blazing fast so performance improvements aren’t enticing to upgrade from a S7, S8, and Ultra.
 
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I will upgrade from AW5 at some point in the next year. This is because of battery life going down. I was contemplating going to AW SE, as none of the features of the AW8 appeal to me (or not enough for the price difference). Now, with 64 GB space, there is a reason for me to consider the AW9. This is as my AW5 cannot sync my podcasts and my music both. What I need to sync just barely exceeds the free space, but barely is enough. I may hang in there long enough for the AW10 next year though. It will depend on how quickly my battery deteriorates.
 
Well, Always On starting at S5 is a pretty significant feature to me. I have an S5 and I'm tempted to go to S9. Or I might just replace my battery. Haven't decided yet.
Another update that I found very impactful is the display size - now the smaller case has a larger resolution/area than the original larger model! Each step made a very noticeable difference.
applewatchsizes2.jpg
 
I always toyed with the idea of getting a watch SE, ad I'd only be interested in sleep and excercise tracking.
 
It's finally time to upgrade from my AW gen 4… Now the question is if I should go Ultra 2 or series 9… 🤪
 
Ok I was likely to get it anyway but the HomePod integration does it for me. I’ve wanted that for years. It either flat out doesn’t pick up the what’s playing on the HomePod or it’s very hit and miss. Like I can skip or pause a few tracks then 5 minutes later it’s not detecting it in now playing anymore.

The only thing I’m not sure about is whether I should get the series 9 or ultra. I still thing the ultra is too big and bulky and I don’t really like the way it looks. However I want that battery life and night mode.

However the new pink series 9 looks so pretty.
 
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