Apple Watch Series 9 Buyer's Guide: How Incremental Upgrades Stack Up Over the Years

[ericthered926]

I just got the battery serviced on my series 6 and I’m planning on keeping it until there are significant battery improvements on the non-ultras. None of the newer watches are compelling/different enough for me to upgrade, especially considering the 6-8 all have the same cpu. Sure the 9 has some nice to have things, but nothing substantial enough for me to upgrade, personally.

 

[StuBeck]

MKBHD said that the difference is pretty big, the S9 worked every single time while the previous generations had a pretty large failure rate.

I'm not suprrised, but the core issue I have is that the publications keep stating its a new feature. It isn't. Its an improvement, but it adds more questions about their marketing when they are seemingly allowed to just say something is new when it isn't.

 

[Spidder]

Upgraded to S9 from S8, handed S8 down. Didn’t expect to notice any difference, but day to day tasks are noticeably faster and the display is noticeably brighter outdoors. I mean, not by a whole lot in both cases, but I’m pleasantly surprised!

 

[deebinem]

I have to charge my AW 6 twice a day, which makes me not want to use it.

What kinds of things are you doing in between charges? I feel like my S7 doesn't have the same longevity it would with a new battery but I also do some GPS/Heart Rate stuff during the day, with an ample enough notifications, so I'm curious how others use theirs.

 

[tomacwhite]

Got a Series 2, upgrading to Series 9 soon. Can’t wait, the S2 is slooooow

 

[nycgeo]

The Apple Watch has received some incremental updates in recent years, with significant upgrades becoming fewer and farther between as the device has progressed. Since the Apple Watch's generation-over-generation enhancements are relatively small, it is all the more important to consider when an upgrade is justified and whether an older model could suffice for your needs.

The Apple Watch Series 9's headline upgrade is the S9 chip, bringing improved performance to the Apple Watch for the first time in four years and facilitating features like Double Tap. It is priced starting at $399. Last year's Series 8 introduced body temperature sensing and Crash Detection, but the last moderately significant update for the device was 2021's Series 7, which introduced larger display sizes and fast-charging capability. All previous Apple Watch models from before the Series 9 have been discontinued, but older models may still be found for even lower prices from third-party retailers or second-hand.

Read on to see the breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with each Apple Watch model compared to its direct predecessor. Viewing each generation's changes in this way helps weigh up the accumulative upgrades one receives by skipping multiple generations when buying a new device, as well as get a sense of which generations offered the biggest overall upgrades.

Apple Watch Series 9 (2023)

• Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness
• Display can get dimmer in dark rooms and at night (down to 1 nit of brightness)
• Double Tap gesture
• S9 chip (based on A15 Bionic)
• 4-core Neural Engine (x2 faster than Series 8)
• Siri‌ processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet
• ‌Siri‌ can access health and fitness data
• 25% more accurate dictation
• Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
• Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models
• HomePod proximity integration
• 64GB storage
• Pink aluminum casing introduced

Apple Watch Series 8 (2022)

• S8 chip (same CPU as S6)
• More powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer
• ‌Crash Detection
• Body temperature sensor
• Wrist temperature sensing during sleep
• Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
• Blue and Green aluminum casings discontinued, Silver aluminum reintroduced
• Apple Watch Edition discontinued

Apple Watch Series 7 (2021)

• 41mm and 45mm case sizes
• 1.7mm display borders for almost 20% more screen area than Series 6
• QWERTY keyboard
• Up to 70% brighter display than Series 6 indoors when wrist is down
• S7 chip (Same CPU as S6)
• Crack-resistant front crystal (50% thicker)
• IP6X dust resistance
• Fast charging for up to 80% charge in about 45 minutes (33% faster than Series 6)
• Silver and Space Gray aluminum casings discontinued, Midnight, Starlight, and Green introduced

Apple Watch Series 6 (2020)

• Up to 2.5x brighter always-on display
• Access Notification Center, Control Center, and Complications when display is asleep
• S6 chip (based on A13 Bionic, 20% faster than S5)
• Always-on altimeter
• First-generation Ultra Wideband chip
• 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi
• Blood oxygen sensor
• Faster charging for a full charge in under 1.5 hours
• Improved battery life for tracking certain workouts, such as indoor and outdoor runs
• Blue and (PRODUCT)RED aluminum casing options introduced
• Space Black stainless steel casing available with Apple Watch Hermès only, Graphite option introduced
• Ceramic Apple Watch Edition discontinued

Apple Watch Series 5 (2019)

• Always-on Retina display
• Force Touch removed
• S5 chip
• Compass
• 32GB storage
• Apple Watch Edition reintroduced with White Ceramic, Natural Titanium, and Space Black Titanium casing options

Apple Watch Series 4 (2018)

• 40mm and 44mm case sizes
• Over 30% larger display with curved corners
• 3.0mm display borders
• S4 chip (2x faster than S3)
• Gyroscope and accelerometer
• Barometric altimeter
• Fall detection
• 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
• Optical heart sensor and electrical heart sensor for ECG
• 16GB storage
• Digital Crown with haptic feedback
• 50% louder speaker
• Relocated microphone for reduced echo and better sound quality
• Faster charging for a full charge in 1.5 hours
• Gold stainless steel casing introduced
• Apple Watch Edition discontinued

Apple Watch Series 3 (2017)

• S3 chip (70% faster than S2)
• Barometric altimeter
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Siri able to speak through the onboard speaker
• LTE cellular model available with red Digital Crown
• Rose Gold aluminum casing discontinued
• Gray Ceramic Apple Watch Edition model introduced

Apple Watch Series 2 (2016)

• Retina display with up to 1,000 nits of brightness (2x brighter than previous generation)
• S2 chip (dual‑core)
• GPS and GLONASS receiver
• Water resistant up to 50 meters
• Gold and Rose Gold aluminum casing options added
• 18K Gold and Rose Gold Apple Watch Edition discontinued, Ceramic model introduced in White
• Apple Watch Nike+ variant introduced

The Apple Watch Series 9 does not seem to provide a meaningful upgrade for most Series 7 and Series 8 users. If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or older, upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 9 will generally be worthwhile, with plenty of new features across the board. Discounted Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8 models are also a good option for those coming from a Series 6 or older if you are looking to save money.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has considered moving the Apple Watch away from an annual upgrade cycle to offer more substantial updates less frequently. Next year's Apple Watch "Series X" is rumored to be a significant update to mark the tenth anniversary of the device, featuring thinner casings, larger displays, microLED technology, larger batteries, blood... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Apple Watch Series 9 Buyer's Guide: How Incremental Upgrades Stack Up Over the Years

100% get the S8 in stainless for nearly what the S9 costs in aluminum. Thats what I did with the 8/7, and it was a great move.

 

[Mity]

For me, the 64GB storage is enough to entice me up to upgrade because I've already managed to fill my S7 with music since it has only 32GB. I use my watch at the gym to listen to gym and keep my workout schedule in OneNote. This way, I don't have to carry a phone with me and then worry about leaving it behind.

Also, I like the style of the regular AW. The Ultra is a bit too rugged-looking for everyday use. In case Apple drastically changes the design next year to be more aligned with the Ultra, I'm going to get the regular S9.

 

[dypeterc]

Interesting that they started experimenting w working w titanium on S7 and perfected it for Ultra so that they could make the iPhone 15 Pro en masse

 

[ndouglas]

I have to charge my AW 6 twice a day, which makes me not want to use it. I moved back to a traditional watch a few months ago and mostly liked it. But 3 days ago I started using the 6 again and it is much more comfortable than I remember. Maybe I will try out the 9.

Same here but with AW7. Really discouraging to me after being fed up with Fitbits that only last 1.5 years or so, to find this AW7 becoming such a hassle to charge 2x a day at least. And then to think OK so I get an AW9, is this going to happen again in 1.5 years? Admittedly the build quality of Apple Watches is better than Fitbit, so maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Anyway, I’m trying to still enjoy my AW7 and just accept to charge it in the morning a while, and at night for a long time. It is very useful for all the stuff it does.

 

[svish]

No need to upgrade to the latest watch if one has an Apple watch released in the last couple of years. Expecting major changes with the 10th anniversary watch.

 

[klky]

Interesting that they started experimenting w working w titanium on S7 and perfected it for Ultra so that they could make the iPhone 15 Pro en masse

They introduced titanium on the S5. Had I known they were going to discontinue it with the S8, I would have gotten the S7 titanium. With the Apple Watch Ultra, who knows if titanium will ever make it back on the regular Apple Watches.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Same. I don't see any compelling reason to get a new one and I'm on an S4 too. That's pretty sad.

My S4 also still runs fine and does all I want.
I don't think this is sad - it saves me money

 

[Spidder]

With the Apple Watch Ultra, who knows if titanium will ever make it back on the regular Apple Watches.

I know. It’s obviously the premium material for the premium product version, so it will never make it back to the regular AW.

I really hope that Apple will reintroduce ceramic instead of stainless stell. The white ceramic AW was dope!

 

[jdb8167]

I’m on my S6 Titanium until Apple brings back Titanium to the regular Apple Watch

I did upgrade my S6 Titanium Edition to a Stainless Steel S9 but I would really rather bought a S9 Ti if they still made them.

I went with the S9 mostly because of the rumor that the S10 is going to make existing watch bands incompatible. I have no idea if that is true but I wanted to be sure I could continue using my watch band collection for at least a few more years. The upgrade from the 6 to the 9 seems pretty significant to me. I’m happy with the purchase.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I think that 3 generations is the minimum before consider an upgrade for Apple Watch.

 

[jdb8167]

I think that 3 generations is the minimum before consider an upgrade for Apple Watch.

For the first six generations I updated every year and saw real improvements every year. With the Series 6 I no longer felt the need to update and the improvements in the S7 & S8 didn’t seem very important. That’s generally how it goes as a product matures.

 

[dypeterc]

They introduced titanium on the S5. Had I known they were going to discontinue it with the S8, I would have gotten the S7 titanium. With the Apple Watch Ultra, who knows if titanium will ever make it back on the regular Apple Watches.

Yeah, wish they still made a titanium non-Ultra version or a smaller cased (45 mm?) Ultra. The 49 mm Ultra is just too big on my wrist

 

[Neodym]

The Ultra is a bit too rugged-looking for everyday use.

From my POV the Ultra suddenly looks way less rugged when you replace the original sporty-type band with something more classical, like e.g. a dark leather band. Sure, it does not try to hide its size like the non-Ultra Apple watch, but I really like the change after several years of wearing various generations of the „rounded-everything” standard Apple watch.