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Apple officially announced the Watch Series 9 on September 12 2023. It’s the company’s latest smartwatch and it comes with nifty advancements, many of which are powered by the use of the new S9 chip that’s inside of it. It’s also the same great Apple Watch you know and love in many ways. It has some improvements yes. But it still offers all the features that made the Watch Series 8 and its predecessors good watches. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the Watch Series 9. Ultimately trying to help you decide if you should spend your hard-earned money on it for the upgrade.
Apple Watch Series 9 Specs
To kick things off let’s talk about what the Watch Series 9 has going on for specs. For starters, the watch comes in two different sizes. You can get the Apple Watch Series 9 in either 41mm or 45mm sizes. We’re partial to the larger cases for smartwatches, but both will be nice. You can also get the watch case in either aluminum (which is less expensive) or stainless steel.
Both the aluminum and stainless steel also comes in multiple finishes. The Watch Series 9 features an always-on retina display with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and a size of 1.9-inches, with sapphire crystal glass for protection. The watch is IP6X certified, and it’s dust tight and capable of water immersion up to 50 meters.
Additionally, it’ll run on WatchOS 10 with the new S9 chip inside. It supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for connectivity, but it also supports Bluetooth 5.3, and you can even get the watch in an LTE version if you like. It also has 64GB of internal storage. For battery life, the watch can last for up to 18 hours, or up to 36 hours in low power mode.
How much will the Watch Series 9 cost?
There are multiple price points available. So the price tag will depend on what version you choose. The starting cost of the Watch Series 9 is $399. This will get you the aluminum model in the 41mm size. If you want aluminum in the 45mm, the price jumps up to $429. Then the price goes up to $529 if you want the 45mm with cellular connectivity. Or $499 if you opt for the 41mm size.
Meanwhile the stainless steel model will start at $699 for the 41mm size and go up to $749 for the 45mm. Both sizes of the stainless steel watch come with cellular. Now keep in mind these are the full retail prices. It will also be possible to decrease the price of the watch by trading in an older watch. You’ll get more if you’re trading in an Apple Watch Series 8. But according to Apple you can get a minimum trade-in value of $60, and it can go up to $380. So there is a chance you could end up paying only $20 for the new watch if you got the 41mm aluminum model.
On top of these choices, it’ll also be possible to finance the watch over a period of 12 months. Which will break up the cost into payments of $33.25 (starting) for the aluminum model and $58.25(starting) for the stainless steel model. Some carriers will also offer the Apple Watch Series 9 and will have their own specific pricing and deals. AT&T for example will give you $300 in bill credits over 36 months if you purchase two watches and activate them with cellular. Verizon meanwhile will offer the watch with a starting price of $6 per month.
When can you buy the Apple Watch Series 9?
You can actually already pre-order the watch as of September 12. So you can get the watch order placed right now if you want to. The watch will officially go on sale on September 22.
Where can you buy the watch?
Apple will of course directly sell the watch to you. But you will also be able to get it from various other retailers. You can find the most common retailers below.
– Apple
– Amazon
– Best Buy
– Verizon
– AT&T
What features will the Watch Series 9 have?
There’s quite a few new features being added to the watch, and many if not all of them are made possible by the new Series 9 chip inside of it. This is because it uses faster neural engines. Some of the new features include on-device Siri requests, precision finding with the new second-generation ultra wideband chip, new HomePod integrations and more. For the HomePod integrations, the Watch Series 9 will launch the Now Playing screen when you come within 4 meters of the HomePod if audio is already playing.
And if it’s not playing it’ll bring up media suggestions in the Smart Stack so you can choose something to play. There’s also a new Smart Stack to display relevant widgets. New watch faces are being added too and include options like Snoopy, Palette, and Solar Analog. There’s also a new Nike watch face called Nike Globe
The coolest new feature though, is the double tap gesture. With Watch Series 9 you will be able to do a handful of different things just by tapping your index finger and thumb together twice. This includes answering and ending calls, snapping a photo, snoozing alarms, pausing and resuming media, launching the Smart Stack, and scrolling through the Smart Stack.
Returning features
Outside of new features, Watch Series 9 will still have familiar features from its predecessor. Including an ECG app, a blood oxygen app, high and low heart rate alerts, and alerts for irregular heart rhythm and low cardio fitness. It can also sense temperature and track your cycles, and emergency SOS, fall detection, and international emergency calling make a return as well. Naturally, you’ll have access to hundreds of apps and the watch will be able to track sleep and a ton of different exercises and activities.
Will you be able to use Watch Series 8 bands on the new watch?
In short, yes. You can use your old bands from the Watch Series 8 on the Watch Series 9. Apple kept the same 41mm and 45mm sizes for the new watch, and it uses the same connecting mechanism. So all you have to do is transfer the bands over and latch them in.
That being said, there are going to be plenty of awesome new bands to check out. Like Apple’s new FineWoven magnetic link band that “feels and looks like soft suede.” Additionally, your bands from the Watch Series 7 should work too as the case for that model is also the same size.
What colors does the watch come in?
This will depend on which version of the watch you get. The Watch Series 9 will come in five colors for the aluminum model. This includes Pink, Starlight, Midnight, Silver, and (PRODUCT) RED. For the stainless steel, you have a choice of three different colors. This includes Gold, Graphite, and Silver.
Of course, you can augment the color with the bands. And there are so many different options there that you can personalize it to your heart’s content.
What new bands will be available for the Apple Watch Series 9?
There’s a handful of new bands coming and these will be available directly from Apple as well as other retailers. Though some will be exclusive to Apple. Options like the FineWoven Magnetic Link band, the Modern Buckle band, and new colors of the Sport band, Sport Loop, Ocean band, Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, Braded Solo loop and more will all be available.
There’s tons and tons of options. Rest assured, you’ll have plenty of choice in this area.