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Should I buy an Apple Watch Series 8 or wait?

LouisMac90

LouisMac90

macrumors member
Original poster
May 24, 2022
36
21
London
Hi All.

I am new to the AW market but recently I have been really interested in getting one as I am in the eco system.

I just need help or that final push to either buy a 8 or wait for the 9, rumours online suggest there will not be a design change but wanted someone else's thoughts on this?

i was originally going to pick up a 7 but looking at prices when its nearly two years old isn't worth it in opinion.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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I think now is a good time to buy. I got my first AW, a Series 8 (Aluminum, GPS), about a month ago.

From what I have read, I don't expect much different with the Series 9. My guess is that there will some new colors and a "S9" chip which will probably not perform noticeably better than the S8. Possibly there will be a slight battery improvement, but I haven't had any battery anxiety. My boldest prediction is 5G for the cellular versions, for future-proofing.

The Series 8 and many older Watches will be able to run Watch OS 10.
 
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Now is a terrible time to buy. (Unless you do not care about money, but I am assuming you wouldn't be asking if that were the case.) If you’ve waited this long, why not wait two more months?

Then you’ll know if Series 9 adds anything you want, and if it doesn’t, you may be able to acquire a Series 8 used or refurbished for significantly less.
 
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LouisMac90 said:
Hi All.

I am new to the AW market but recently I have been really interested in getting one as I am in the eco system.

I just need help or that final push to either buy a 8 or wait for the 9, rumours online suggest there will not be a design change but wanted someone else's thoughts on this?

i was originally going to pick up a 7 but looking at prices when its nearly two years old isn't worth it in opinion.

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Is price irrelevant, a consideration, or very important?

If irrelevant, wait for the 9, it is not so very far off.

If very important, wait for the 9, and buy an 8. Others who have followed previous years more closely might be better informed about what is likely to happen to prices of the 8 around the launch of the 9.

Also, I decided to buy an inexpensive Milano-alike strap. So I have the original strap still in its sealed box to help maximise price if/when I do eventually move on. Therefore consider ordering one in time to be delivered for whichever you decide on.
 
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I would either go with a Series 7, or wait 3 months for the Series 9. The main differerence between the S7 and S8 is the temperature sensor. I picked up a Silver Stainless S7 recently for $325. It was new and had 100% battery life. It works just like my S8 except for the temperature reading during sleep. I don't think the S8 is worth buying at this point.

I'd get the S7 at a great discount or the S9 at regular price. Why buy a S8 now, unless you get at least a good discount?
 
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Buy today.

I get the distinct impression that money isn’t the deciding factor, and that you’re more likely to have FOMO if the new version has something mind-blowing you wish you had.

The chances of the new version having something mind-blowing at this point are basically nil. There will be incremental upgrades, but, as far as what you experience on your wrist, none will be as significant as whatever case colors they introduce (and I’m not getting the impression that you’d wait just for a new case color).

If you buy today, you can enjoy the watch today and for the next few months, which is infinitely more enjoyment than if you don’t have the watch at all during that time.

And, if the next version really is a mind-blowing upgrade … sell (or trade in) the watch you get today, put the money to the new one, and consider the difference the rental price for having the watch for a few months. (This should help you “price in” just how much of an upgrade it’d have to be for you to consider it mind-blowing enough to be worth the wait … which, in turn, should help you realize that it’s not going to be worth waiting.)

You may also wish to consult the official MacRumors position:

buyersguide.macrumors.com

MacRumors Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy iPhone, Mac, iPad

This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model. This page is based on rumors and speculation and we provide no guarantee to its...
buyersguide.macrumors.com buyersguide.macrumors.com

If you do so, I’d also encourage you to look at what has actually been added each year to get a good idea for how much of an upgrade this year’s model will be. (Again, spoiler: not much.)

b&
 
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3/4 of the wait for the series 9 is already over. And if the 9 doesn't add anything significant but a slight price hike, you'll probably be able to get the 8 cheaper in 2 1/2 months.

Your mileage may vary on runtime and the new SoC might add a little - but while a full week would be a gamechanger, imho it doesn't make a big difference if it got 5% more battery runtime (=around an hour) with typical use or not.
 
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I had the same conundrum and decided to go with Series 7 for now. The Series 8 didn’t add much value to me, though you can pick up new Aluminum 41mm for $329.
 
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Course of Action 1: You buy the S8 watch now.
Course of Action 2: You wait three months and get the S9 with new features for approximately the same price.
Course of Action 3: You wait three months and get the S8 at a discounted price.

For your situational awareness: MR Buyers Guide suggests caution: https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Apple_Watch

My preference would be to err on the side of obtaining the newer technology given the pace of change and the old adage that 'technology you buy now is already out of date'.
 
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LouisMac90 said:
Hi All.

I am new to the AW market but recently I have been really interested in getting one as I am in the eco system.

I just need help or that final push to either buy a 8 or wait for the 9, rumours online suggest there will not be a design change but wanted someone else's thoughts on this?

i was originally going to pick up a 7 but looking at prices when its nearly two years old isn't worth it in opinion.

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever Apple Watch you get, they're great devices.

If price is a strong consideration, purchasing the S8 when you see a sale on one is a great idea. Apple Watch updates tend to be iterative. The biggest leaps in features were much earlier in the lineup.

Later "headlining" additions have been underwhelming for most. There are no major features or design changes rumored for the Series 9, so buyer's remorse seems unlikely unless you have a case of FOMO.

At this point I wouldn't consider the S7 unless price is your only consideration or your plan is to buy cheap now and then sell for minimal loss to upgrade when the S9 comes out.

If price doesn't matter a ton, you're not in any particular hurry to get an Apple Watch, and/or you may experience FOMO, then waiting for the S9 makes sense.

Personally, if it were me making this choice to try Apple Watch for the first time right now, I'd lean heavily toward the S8 over waiting.
 
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Wait couple of months. Buy series 9 if you like, or buy series 8 at a much lower price. Either ways, waiting couple of months can be a good choice.
 
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S9 with the (proposed) new CPU will be supported longer than S8. If you‘re planning to use this Watch for a long time, waiting for S9 makes a lot of sense for this reason alone.
 
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