Apple Watch Series 9 Review | Tom's Guide

  • 7 months ago
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.

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Transcript
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.
00:11 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
00:41 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
00:51 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
01:07 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
01:43 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
01:53 even on Apple's website.
01:55 From a distance, you might not even be able to tell it apart from Starlight, which is
01:58 the silvery gold finish.
02:00 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.
02:52 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.
03:33 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.
03:45 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
03:54 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.
04:00 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
04:18 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.
04:26 It's pretty sunny.
04:27 I got my shades on.
04:28 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,
04:38 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.
05:12 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 like to take.
05:50 Instead of using your opposite index finger to answer the call and possibly lose your
05:55 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
06:14 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 accidental
06:20 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
06:53 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
07:06 software version.
07:07 I mentioned the SmartStack UI, but there are also a bunch of new cycling tools, mental
07:12 health and vision health features, and two new watch faces called Palette and Snoopy.
07:17 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.
07:30 If these software-based features sound more like what you're looking for than the Double
07:33 Tap and On-Device Siri, you might want to consider the Apple Watch SE 2022.
07:39 Though it's over a year old, it's a great entry point to the Apple Watch experience,
07:43 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
07:58 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
08:11 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.
08:20 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 are just another step forward for advancing the
08:41 smartwatch experience, making the Apple Watch a more essential device and hopefully powering
08:46 much more life-changing features in the future.
08:49 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.
08:54 The internal upgrades make a difference, the double-tap gesture is super handy, and no
08:58 one should take for granted the environmental statements 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 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]