Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 9 remain a fantastic smartwatch for iPhone user . It ’s full of detector , excellent package and in high spirits - terminal ironware . The redesign on crack from the young Series 10 may be tempting to some , however .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Apple Watch Series 9 will be familiar to anyone who used one of the vesture in the eight years since its debut .
There ’s no immense revolution from the ninth - gen Apple Watch . For that , you ’ll want the newerApple Watch Series 10 , complete with its slimmer physique , large screen and faster agitate .
But , for most people , the Apple Watch Series 9 remains a tempting buy a year after its press release , particularly if you may take reward of deals and money - off offers .
Design and Screen
I have retrospect every undivided Apple Watch for the past five age and the Series 9 feels like the most iterative in term of ocular plan changes . On the aerofoil , this is the same Apple Watch , featuring a curved screen , a rounded body and 41 mm and 45 millimetre size options .
There is a raw pinkish hue for the aluminium exemplar which geminate nicely with the matching iPhone 15 , and then the same colour collection we had with the Series 8 , include Midnight ( pictured ) , Starlight , Silver and Red . embonpoint for the pricier untainted brand model and there ’s a choice of Gold , Silver or Graphite .
It remains a very good - looking wearable , even if Apple reject to mirror Samsung and Huawei by save the Apple Watch ’s design very unlike to that of a traditional watch .
As much as I like the facial expression of the Apple Watch Series 9 , it is crying out for a rethink . This anatomy has been around since the very first Apple Watch debuted and there are sure pinch that would make it feel a touch more advanced .
The Action Button , for example , from the Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro would be a welcome add-on for add together quick memory access to more task without delving into menus . I really care being able to bug out a exercising , and then interact with that workout , all with one push button .
While much of that was n’t borne out with the new Apple Watch Series 10 , boast the same squared - off look as the Series 9 , it is 10 % thinner and cavort a more or less larger wide - slant OLED silver screen that makes for better viewability and interaction .
That suppose , the Series 9 brings with it some very important changes with the figure and materials used though , and these point to a positive futurity not just for the Apple Watch but for other Apple production too .
Certain combination of the aluminum version of the Apple Watch Series 9 are carbon neutral . partner off the 100 % recycle aluminium see with the fresh recycled Sport Loop or one of the Pride or Unity bands and you ’ve got the most environmentally favorable Apple Watch yet . A fantastic gradation in the right direction . The box the Watch comes in is low too , and destitute of single - role plastic .
The display on the Apple Watch Series 9 is great , if very interchangeable to what has been present in previous few generations . Apple says it ’s both bright and dimmer than before , and you may definitely tell the difference by putting the Series 9 next to the Series 8 . The newer model is perceptibly brighter and at night it mystify a spate dimmer – neat if you forget to put it into rest mode before bottom .
If you plan to use the Apple Watch Series 9 in brighter condition , or you palpate the previous screen did n’t get quite dismal enough , then the display updates will be of benefit .
The covering of the display varies between the two fashion model . The standard aluminium model has an ion - cristal strengthen glass display , while the stainless steel swaps that for a sapphire lechatelierite . I have always found the ion - ecstasy spyglass very durable , with nothing more than a few scratches picked up over the course of a year .
All Apple Watch models are water insubordinate , with the Series 9 try out to depths of 50 m make believe it a good choice for swimmer . The Apple Watch Ultra 2 ups that to 100 m , making it a beneficial choice for plunger .
Performance and Software
While the last few Apple Watch interlingual rendition have received unexampled check , the novel chipset inside the Series 9 represent the first meaningful performance update realise in a good few years . Apple has claim that theS9 chiphas a 30 % libertine GPU and it now includes four neural engine cores .
Those neural locomotive cores allow a lot of machine learning tasks to be treat on the wearable itself , rather than needing to station the data to the swarm first . As a solvent , any Siri request that does n’t need away knowledge – recollect setting a timekeeper or an alarm system – is all done on the sentry and can be done offline . Siri is much faster and more responsive as a result .
Not having to send data to the cloud will allow Siri to show you Health data , however this is n’t usable yet at the time of review .
Another feature enter due to the skills of the S9 is an improvedDouble Tapgesture . By tap a fingerbreadth and thumb together twice , this new gesture allow basic navigation through watchOS 10.1 .
It ’s handy to flip-flop through the new widget stack , though you ca n’t really open apps or employ it with third - political party services . I can see double tap and other gesture being a spate more prominent in the hereafter of the Apple Watch .
Fitness and Health Tracking
Without any notable computer hardware additions to the Series 9 ’s trailing arsenal , the wearable ’s prowess remains very much the same as before . That ’s not a rebuff on the gadget as Apple has really improved the sensor array and added vast amounts of fitness , wellness and wellbeing features in the past few years .
The Series 8 ’s focussing on getting you out of mortal risk remains , with SOS satellite and car clangor sensing sticking around . Thankfully I have n’t had to make use of either , but I ’d be happy they were there if I ever did .
There ’s an ECG app , heart rate , temperature and blood oxygen sensors and GPS too – although it ’s not the same multiband GNSS found on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 . Still , I ’ve found the GPS to be very exact – this has always been the case – even if it ’s not quite as precise as Apple ’s high-pitched - end scout . The ticker rate sensor is equally as accurate and will alert if the rate strike down or rises too much .
The temperature sensing element is used mainly for female cycle trailing and it is able to give ovulation engagement estimate . It can also screen for serious condition . This was a marvelous inclusion when it arrived with the Series 8 and stay welcome here .
When it comes to collecting the datum from the various sensing element , the Apple Watch Series 9 is polish off - and - miss . It ’s enceinte for some thing , like the mode it create it very leisurely to see and visualise your day-by-day move targets . There ’s also a huge raiment of workout options , include some additional ones focussed on cycling that have been added with watchOS 10 .
However , the Apple Watch is start to feel a little outdated in the way it show your information . A lot of stuff is simply delivered as raw information into the iPhone Health app . For case , I can see my sleep metrics but there are no hints , confidential information or contextual info on how to make it just . It ’s the same for resting heart rate , too . I ’d love to see this Health app get a tangible refresh in the future tense , turning all this data collected by the Apple Watch into something far more utilitarian .
This is a groovy wearable for casual use . If you want real actionable analysis and recovery information , it ’s not for you though . Any of thebest Garmin watchesdo a much full Book of Job at that .
Battery Life
Even with the add-on of the new chipset , the Apple Watch Series 9 has very like overall battery life to the Series 8 , which had fundamentally the same battery life as the Series 7 and the Series 6 . Even the newer Series 10 does n’t sway the boat where battery life is concern .
Apple has always sharpen on a single twenty-four hour period of battery life ( or 18 - hours as it calls it ) , stress to avoid wavering even with the addition of new screen technical school , redundant features and extra workout modality . It ’s a ignominy that battery technical school has n’t moved on enough in the past few years to the percentage point where multi - day usage is a given .
I ’ve always found surpassing that 18 - 60 minutes call to be easy , specially with general economic consumption . During the critique process , my day would typically consist of a forgetful physical exercise , then notifications throughout the twenty-four hours and then log Z’s tracking at night . I did n’t finish any day with less than 30 % , so plenty in the army tank to keep an eye on my slumber .
The battery will deplete quicker if you get over longer workouts and while there is a Low Power Mode , I always found this to remove too many feature article . Turning off the always - on display , for instance , can add an extra time of day – but the deal - off just is n’t deserving it for how I use the picket .
If you ’re like me and habituate the Apple Watch Series 9 to track sleep , then tear becomes a dawning ritual . It ’s welcome then that with the included USB - C to magnetic puck courser , a full battery is achieved in under an hour . A 10 - second charge will juice the watch up around 20 % , enough to track a night of sleep . If you ’ve catch an iPhone 15 you may also utilise that as a wired courser .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Apple Watch Series 9 is thebest smartwatchfor iPhone users . It ’s more low-priced than the Ultra and is packed with health and physical fitness features .
A lot of the data generated by the watch sits in the Health app . If you know what to do with it then great – but it would be much better if the Watch made it well-situated to work out how to meliorate your activity through the use of this data .
Final Thoughts
Even with the release of the Modern Apple Watch Series 10 , the Apple Watch Series 9 continue an fantabulous smartwatch , both for those who want a seaworthiness companion and others who just want an expansion of the iPhone .
Feature - wise , the Series 9 does n’t have much to tempt those who have update in late yr , and nor does it quite compete with the slim , larger , more capable Series 10 . However , the design remains iconic , and there ’s a fantastic selection of feature from accurate exercise track to fast performance , not to mention the best array of lookout faces on any smartwatch .
Plus , there ’s also the fact that it ’s now way more likely to get push aside in sales like Black Friday , with more focus on the newer good example .
That said , if you ’ve arrive an iPhone , want a smartwatch and do n’t have the trim cash for the newer Apple Watch Series 10 , the Apple Watch Series 9 is well-situated to urge .
Trusted Score
How we test
We thoroughly test every fitness tracker we review . We use industry standard examination to equate feature by rights and we use the picket as our main gimmick over the review menstruum . We ’ll always order you what we get hold and we never , ever , swallow money to review a mathematical product .
FAQs
Yes , a magnetic USB - C cable is included , however you ’ll involve to furnish your own jade .
