The Apple Watch Series 9 needed to deliver a more convincing experience than ever since the Apple Watch Ultra stole the show in 2022. But with the exception of a subtle pink finish, there's really nothing noteworthy looks-wise with the Apple Watch Series 9.
Instead, its S9 processor introduces the watch's most significant performance boost in years, powering a brighter display and faster Siri interactions. An improved ultra-wideband chip enables new ecosystem functions, too. What’s more, the new double tap gesture makes it possible to carry out a slew of Apple Watch Series 9 controls one-handed.
In this Apple Watch Series 9 review, we go over what the biggest upgrades and new features mean, and whether you should consider upgrading to this year’s watch.
Instead, its S9 processor introduces the watch's most significant performance boost in years, powering a brighter display and faster Siri interactions. An improved ultra-wideband chip enables new ecosystem functions, too. What’s more, the new double tap gesture makes it possible to carry out a slew of Apple Watch Series 9 controls one-handed.
In this Apple Watch Series 9 review, we go over what the biggest upgrades and new features mean, and whether you should consider upgrading to this year’s watch.
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TechTranscript
00:00 I've been using the Apple Watch Series 9 for the past week, and let me tell you, it
00:08 tries really hard to steal back the show.
00:10 Obviously last year we saw the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra, and while I did have a
00:14 fun time experimenting with a different kind of Apple Watch, and even using it as an iPhone
00:19 replacement back in December, it kind of made everyone forget about the flagship Apple Watch,
00:24 which starts at $399.
00:27 So what makes the Apple Watch Series 9 special?
00:30 How is it reminding us that this is the very best of what Apple has to put forth in the
00:34 world of wearable computing?
00:36 First and foremost, the S9 processor introduces the watch's most significant performance
00:40 boost in years, powering a brighter display and faster Siri interactions.
00:46 A new ultra-wideband chip enables new ecosystem experiences that makes it more compelling
00:50 than ever to adopt the Apple Watch, too.
00:53 And if that's not convincing enough, there's a new double-tap gesture that makes it possible
00:57 to carry out a slew of Apple Watch Series 9 functions one-handed.
01:02 But most importantly, in my opinion, is the Apple Watch Series 9's progress for Apple's
01:06 larger sustainability missions.
01:09 Eco-friendly watch bands, reduced packaging, and recycled parts throughout make this year's
01:13 Apple Watch family, including the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and returning Apple Watch SE, the
01:18 first set of carbon-neutral Apple devices to hit the market.
01:21 But let's back up and go over all of the upgrades in this Apple Watch Series 9 review.
01:26 You'd have a hard time telling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Series 8 apart
01:35 just by looking at them side-by-side.
01:37 Though I have a 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 and a 41mm Apple Watch Series 9, the Series
01:42 9 does come in both sizes.
01:44 The big exception is if you're checking out the Apple Watch Series 9 in pink like you
01:48 see here.
01:49 I will say the pink finish is a bit more subdued in person than it looked in the keynote and
01:52 even on Apple's website.
01:54 From a distance, you might not even be able to tell it apart from Starlight, which is
01:58 the silvery gold finish.
01:59 But let's talk a bit more about this band and Apple's greater environmental commitments.
02:04 The new Sport Loop features 82% recycled yarn, so when paired with the aluminum watch, it's
02:09 the first carbon-neutral certified Apple device.
02:12 Otherwise, Apple is phasing out leather bands in lieu of a new recycled textile called fine
02:17 woven.
02:18 Already, all of the aluminum Apple Watch models are made of 100% recycled aluminum, but now
02:23 they have even more recycled internals, including a 100% recycled cobalt battery.
02:29 The Apple Watch box is also smaller than before using less paper, and Apple also says it's
02:34 shifting away from air shipping and offsetting power demands to make this its first carbon-neutral
02:39 certified product.
02:41 The rest of the products are on pace to get this certification by 2030, but as an Apple
02:46 Watch person, I'm definitely excited that this family of devices is leading the way
02:50 for change.
02:51 If we could take a closer look under the hood, that's where we would find most of the Apple
02:55 Watch Series 9 upgrades.
02:57 Apple touts some major specs for its smartwatch to look in.
03:00 The Series 9 chip should see a 25% improvement to efficiency thanks to 5.6 billion transistors
03:06 and four core neural engines that can power machine learning twice as fast as before.
03:11 Effects should look smoother with a 30% faster GPU, while Siri should work faster with new
03:16 support for complete on-device computing, so nothing is being sent up to the cloud.
03:21 Apple says that dictation is 25% more accurate now as well.
03:25 Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9, here's the first thing I noticed.
03:29 When I open up the app cloud, this is far more responsive, with closing it too.
03:34 I'm not saying it's a huge difference that every single person will pick up on, but having
03:40 used both watches, I can tell that the Series 9 is more responsive.
03:44 Something pretty underrated here too is that Siri now works for some use cases offline.
03:49 So on the Series 8 and previous generations, if I left my iPhone in my apartment when I
03:53 went down the hall to change my laundry, I couldn't ask Siri to set a timer until I was
03:58 back and connected.
03:59 Similarly, if you didn't want to bring your phone out with you on a workout, you couldn't
04:03 use your voice to launch the workout, but on the Series 9 you can.
04:07 The S9 also helps maintain the Apple Watch's 8-hour all-day battery life despite the brightness
04:12 now reaching 2,000 nits.
04:14 That's double the brightness rating of the Apple Watch Series 8, though the Apple Watch
04:17 Ultra 2 is now the brightest Apple Watch with a claimed 3,000 nits peak brightness.
04:23 I'm out for a walk with the Apple Watch Series 9.
04:25 It's pretty sunny.
04:26 I got my shades on.
04:27 And what I want to check out is how well the display is holding up in these bright conditions.
04:33 Now if I can compare this to something, it would be the Apple Watch Ultra from last year,
04:37 and that totally checks out because they have the same brightness rating of 2,000 nits.
04:43 While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 was bumped up to 3,000 nits, I would say the display brightness
04:47 on the Series 9 is definitely a welcome improvement.
04:51 In addition to the S9, the Apple Watch Series 9 gets Apple's new U2 Ultra Wideband, or UWB,
04:58 chip, which introduces some fresh functionality.
05:01 I for one always misplace my iPhone and rely on my Apple Watch's ping feature to find it.
05:07 With the U2, the Apple Watch Series 9 can actually direct me to my phone's location.
05:11 But there's a big catch.
05:13 This feature only works in this way if you have an iPhone 15 that also has the newer
05:18 Ultra Wideband chip.
05:19 Now I am upgrading my iPhone and know I'll be taking advantage of this all the time.
05:24 I just wish that others didn't need to get a new phone for one of this Apple Watch's
05:28 key upgrades to be functional.
05:30 Speaking of key features, it's time to talk about Double Tap.
05:33 Even if you already know about controlling your Apple Watch with hand gestures from an
05:37 accessibility standpoint, the new dedicated Double Tap control looks to make single-handed
05:42 Apple Watch control highly practical for all users.
05:46 Imagine this, you've just picked up your coffee but you're getting a call you'd
05:49 like to take.
05:50 Instead of using your opposite index finger to answer the call and possibly lose your
05:54 oat milk latte in the process, you can double tap your index finger and thumb on your watch
05:59 hand to start the call.
06:01 Another double tap gesture will end the call when you're done.
06:05 Double Tap is only available for the Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 because even though
06:09 the heart rate sensor is the same, the S9 processor powers the algorithm that detects
06:13 an intentional double tap gesture.
06:16 That said, if it doesn't sound like something you'd like or you're worried about some
06:19 accidental triggers, you can disable it, but a few things to know.
06:23 It only works when your wrist is intentionally raised and sleep mode does automatically disable
06:28 it as well so you won't have to worry about double tapping apps while you're in bed.
06:32 And an important disclaimer, double tap will not come to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple
06:36 Watch Ultra 2 at launch, it will become available in October.
06:40 Ahead of then, Apple has provided me a pre-release unit specifically for the purpose of showing
06:44 the feature in action ahead of its release next month.
06:48 Up to this point, I haven't mentioned a lot of the features that people often think about
06:52 when they think about owning an Apple Watch.
06:55 I'm talking about fitness tracking, health alerts, sleep tracking, phone calls, and using
07:00 apps.
07:01 The Apple Watch Series 9 has all of these features, but it ships with the Watch OS X
07:05 software version.
07:06 I mentioned the SmartStack UI, but there are also a bunch of new cycling tools, mental
07:11 health and vision health features, and two new watch faces called Palette and Snoopy.
07:16 I'm still a modular person, but there are plenty of ways to customize your experience.
07:21 And luckily, a lot of these things are available for older Apple Watch models as well.
07:25 Specific to Apple Watch Series 9, these aren't the features that you're going to be writing
07:28 home about.
07:29 If these software-based features sound more like what you're looking for than the double-tap
07:33 and on-device Siri, you might want to consider the Apple Watch SE 2022.
07:38 Though it's over a year old, it's a great entry point to the Apple Watch experience,
07:42 starting at $249.
07:45 Also worth mentioning that the Apple Watch SE internals and bands are following the same
07:49 carbon-neutral practices going forward, but some of the advanced health sensors, such
07:53 as the skin temperature reader for menstrual cycle tracking and ECG reader that can detect
07:57 signs of AFib, are reserved for the Series 9.
08:01 If you're worried about longevity, the Series 9 is definitely more future-proof too, since
08:05 it has the S9 processor.
08:07 You can rest assured that upcoming features on newer Apple Watch models for probably a
08:10 few years going forward will be built on the same processor.
08:14 If you've been with me here for a while, you know I've been using the Apple Watch pretty
08:18 much non-stop for years.
08:19 So when I say I'm actually able to see and feel the performance upgrades, I'm not doing
08:24 so lightly.
08:25 Now, do I think you need to go out and get a new watch if you have the Apple Watch Series
08:29 8 or Series 7?
08:30 No, not necessarily.
08:31 I wouldn't say the types of improvements we saw this year are must-haves for most people.
08:36 Instead, these usability-centric updates, it's just another step forward for advancing
08:41 the smartwatch experience, making the Apple Watch a more essential device and hopefully
08:45 powering much more life-changing features in the future.
08:48 For now, if you're in the market for a new smartwatch, the Series 9 is really the best
08:52 you're going to find.
08:53 The internal upgrades make a difference, the double-tap gesture is super handy, and no
08:58 one should take for granted the environmental statement that this year's family of Apple
09:01 Watch devices make.
09:03 Tell me, are you impressed by what you've seen in the Apple Watch Series 9 or do you
09:06 think that Apple should have done more?
09:08 Also, be sure to let me know if you want to see an in-depth comparison with the new Apple
09:12 Watch Ultra 2, which I've been testing simultaneously this past week.
09:16 Otherwise, you know you can find more of me and Tom's Guide on social @tomsguide.
09:20 As always, I'm @kaykocic.
09:22 Thanks for watching.
09:23 I'll catch you next time!
09:24 [MUSIC]
09:34 you