Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 10 Buyer's Guide: 18 Upgrades Compared

I’d buy a 10 right now if Apple settled the patent dispute and re-enabled the blood oxygen sensor but I’m not paying more for a device that can do less. I have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea so I have zero need for that feature.

For a company with their kind of money it’s dumb not to just pay the licensing fee so US users can have it or, if they want to be cheap, allow US users who want it to pay the additional cost required to have it.

I might ditch my refurbished 7 for an early 9 that still has the sensor functional if Apple hasn’t figured it out by this time next year or has shipped a new device with a new sensor that would be useful enough to make the trade off worth it.

Right now I like the blood oxygen sensor. If there’s some kind of problem with my CPAP machine that is small enough I don’t hear it but is still enough of an issue to cause my blood oxygen to decrease while I’m sleeping I want to know.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DadofTwins, O.N.Y.X, TechFounder and 4 others
Yeah none of these are justification for upgrading from my Series 8. The S10 is basically a modified S9 without any processing improvements, and the S9 was a *minimal* improvement over the S8.
The faster charging is nice but I drop my watch on the nightstand before my daily s**t shower and shave in the morning, and then put it back on as I dress for the day so faster charging wouldn't benefit me there either.
Honestly I think anyone who is rocking a Series 6 or later should stick it out another year as long as their battery life is still above 78%. YMMV.
 
  • Like
Reactions: coolkid93
What about the O2 sensor? Does the new one have the ability to measure O2? The 9 and the ultra 2 had it taken away after the law suit.
 
flybass said:
It is annoying, but isn’t blood oxygen pretty much either 100 or you’re about to die?
Click to expand...
No one’s blood ox saturation is at 100%
The sensor is useful for tracking cardio recovery among other things, enough so that losing it isn’t worth the “upgrades” offered here, frankly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DadofTwins
Was the O2 sensor completely disabled on all S9’s, even those purchased before the lawsuit?
 
Dizzy714 said:
Was the O2 sensor completely disabled on all S9’s, even those purchased before the lawsuit?
Click to expand...
I don’t believe so. If your 9 was activated before the decision came down you were grandfathered in, but any 9 purchased after the decision had the sensor disabled in the software. I wouldn’t be surprised if all series 10’s included the hardware but the sensor is currently disabled in software as that would be cheaper than designing and building multiple sku’s: some with and some without, as the feature is present on units sold in certain international markets.

Theoretically if Apple wins their appeal or decides to pay the licensing fee, that feature could be activated in software as easily as it was disabled.
 
Health sensors are why I upgrade and this time they took one away so a series 9 from before the lawsuit is the best option. You get both the blood oxygen sensor and sleep apnea detection.
 
The larger screen of Series 10 is nice. Only an incremental upgrade when compared to the 9.
 
Lack of sapphire on the screens will mean a scratch fest within a year unless you pony up for the expensive titanium edition. And that’s within about £/$50 of the Ultra 2.

And then we are talking a lot of money for something which will go end of life / stop having battery replacements etc. I guess the idea is to trade them in before that though.
 
The bigger the better for me, just wish it was a little bigger think I’ll be upgrading from the 7 titanium and either keep it as back up, sell it or gift it.
 
krspkbl said:
they are basically the same except the S10 is slightly redesigned. Most people would never notice the difference. And the S10 has water/depth sensor, can play audio in the speaker, and maybe better noise cancellation?

S10 is basically an S revision. Should be called S9S :)

I could buy the S10 for £264 after trading in my S9 but there is no point whatsoever. I'll wait for S11 next year :D
Click to expand...
This makes no sense. If anything the S9 is the "S" model as it is the same design as S7 and S8 but added a faster chip and brighter screen. The S8 had even fewer upgrades as it added ovulation tracking.

The S10 is thinner and has a bigger screen. Not saying it is a huge step forward but to call it the "S" model vs the S9 is a bit ludicrous no?

FWIW, I own a Series 5 and will be picking up a Series 9 when all the sales hit. I prefer the design aesthetic of the S9 (bigger metal bezel but smaller glass bezel vs the S10's smaller metal bezel but bigger glass bezel). I also prefer the Starlight and Midnight colors vs the Jet Black which I think will scratch easily.
 
Not sure I’ll ever buy an AW again. I’m just so fed up of having to charge it every night and remember to bring a charger when I go travelling. I only use it because of the great WorkOutDoors app, but the battery are almost depleted after a long bike ride. I want longer battery life, not all these (to me) useless sensors
 
Why don't you compare it to something like a series 4, 5 or 6? Only people with more money than sense buy a new watch every year when the old one still works perfectly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iea96
iea96 said:
Based on?
Click to expand...
I'm assuming the S9 and S10 have the same chipset. Apple gives their watch CPUs a new name every year but they re-use the same chipset for 2-3 generations which is why you don't see a new claim that "the new Apple Watch is 2x faster" every year.

S4/5 had the same chipset, S6/7/8 had the same chipset, and S9 introduced a new CPU with "30% more GPU power". They didn't mention any performance gains with S10 so presumably it is the same chipset which would mean software support would be the same.
 
Kendo said:
I'm assuming the S9 and S10 have the same chipset. Apple gives their watch CPUs a new name every year but they re-use the same chipset for 2-3 generations which is why you don't see a new claim that "the new Apple Watch is 2x faster" every year.

S4/5 had the same chipset, S6/7/8 had the same chipset, and S9 introduced a new CPU with "30% more GPU power". They didn't mention any performance gains with S10 so presumably it is the same chipset which would mean software support would be the same.
Click to expand...

So? I have a Series 5 and it will still get watchOS 10. Which is next to useless because the battery lasts often dies before 4pm, and a battery replacement would cost so much I might as well just throw it in the electronics recycling bin and get the new one. I would imagine a Series 4 to be even worse, and it has a resale value worth less than the band and charger sold individually
 
MacRumors really should update the header image for this article. They keep linking to it in other posts and it’s clear the Apple Watch 10 doesn’t look like the picture — the bezels are way thicker so it’s pretty misleading.
 
iAppleOrchard said:
just letting everyone know, the series 9 and 10 will drop software support at the same time.
Click to expand...
Maybe but series 9 could have one year more than expected... Like series 6 because I don't think they will drop it next year... Or maybe and they will do like iPad 6 and 7... They dropped 6 but has same chip than 7...
 
flybass said:
It is annoying, but isn’t blood oxygen pretty much either 100 or you’re about to die?
Click to expand...
no. Nothing is 100%. For regular folks, it spends a lot of time in the 97% range.

For people on Oxygen, it can be in the low 90s and indicative of something they need to address with urgency.
 
stingazg said:
No kid should have a normal Apple Watch, the most they should have is an SE...., with as many features limited as they can
Click to expand...
Why?? Why not a larger screen, more resistant, better performances... with series 10?? And why not even an Apple Watch Ultra if parents can afford...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Artemis70
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back