The New Apple Watch Series 9: Does it add worth to your time?
Introduced on September 12, 2023, the Apple Watch Series was released on September 22, 2023. This means that you should be able to purchase it from the market now.
Probably you already know this and are here to find out whether it’s worth replacing the previous Apple Watch Series that you might be using. This article will discuss some of the unique features the newly released Apple Watch Series 9 includes, in contrast with its predecessors. We hope that by the end of the article, you’ll know if the Apple Watch Series 9 is worth your expense.
The latest Apple Watch Series 9 is said to represent the best release of its all wearable platforms. Compared to its predecessors, the latest launch is considered indistinguishable look-wise. After all, you can’t judge a device merely by its outer looks, but also by the features that it possesses.
However, reviews convey that the overall experience is nearly the same as compared to the previous watches in the series. But there are always some surprises with new releases and does Apple Watch Series 9 offers a few — like the Double Tap Gesture feature, on-device Siri, etc. which we will discuss in detail in the later part of the article.
There are also a few minor features and performance improvements that the readers would appreciate.
New Features at a glance:
- Double Tap Gesture & On-device Siri
- Brighter Display
- Additional health apps, etc.
- Second Generation Ultra Wideband Chip
- Blood oxygen, heart rate, ECG, and temperature sensors restored
Pros:
- Double tap gesture
- New S9 SiP chip
- On-device Siri
- Brighter display
- First carbon-neutral device
- Better health tracking features
Cons:
- Identical design
- Nearly the same battery life
Design
Let’s begin with the design of the new Apple Watch Series 9.
Don’t feel confused If you observe the wearable from different angles and yet not spot any difference in its display or casing, compared to the Series 6 or later releases. But you can find a “9” etched at the back of the watch that outstands it.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is available in two case sizes. One is 41mm and the other is 45mm. Weighing 42.3 gms and 52.5 gms respectively, these shouldn’t feel heavy for your wrists.
There’s a variety that adds to it as the watches come in 2 cases i.e. Aluminium cases and Stainless steel cases. Certainly, the premium colors of Apple watches are what users often love. The Aluminium cases are available in pink, midnight, starlight, silver, and red. The stainless steel cases are available in gold, silver, or graphite colors.
The Apple Watch Series 9 price in India, for the Aluminium cases, is ₹41,900 and ₹44,900 respectively, considering the 2 sizes. Parallelly, the Apple Watch Series 9 price for stainless steel watches are ₹70,900 and ₹75,900 respectively.
Interestingly, the Aluminium case of the Apple Watch Series 9 is the brand’s first carbon-neutral product, which is provided with a Sport Loop band.
Features
While there’s nothing new in the design section of the new watch, there’s certainly you can look forward to, in the feature zone.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is powered by the S9 System-in-package chipset (SiP) which gives it a faster CPU, a better GPU, and an improved four-core neural engine. As per the creators, the watch can process double the inputs as compared to the previous version.
Thanks to SiP which makes way for new features such as the Double Tap Gesture feature. This feature offers advanced accessibility over the existing versions.
The Double-Tap Gesture
With the double-tap gesture feature, you can perform many actions without having to touch the device. Instead of tapping the device, you just need to do tap your thumb with the forefingers, while facing the watch. The Apple Watch Series 9 with its advanced algorithms and sensors detects various movements including blood flow. This gesture substitutes pressing a button on the watch and activates the main action button which is on the display screen at that moment. It could be accepting a call, hanging a call, pausing the music, snoozing an alarm, etc.
Second-Generation Ultra Wideband
The Second-Generation Ultra Wideband chip is another unique feature of the Apple Watch Series 9. This feature helps you in finding devices at longer distances simply using your watch. You can track your iPhone or AirTag in another corner of the house while sitting in the opposite corner of the house. The function is similar to the Find My app on the phone which is used to locate the AirTag. This feature also offers advanced interactive options with HomePod.
On-Device Siri
Thanks to the improved neural engine that makes the watch process faster and makes way for the new On-Device Siri. This means Siri will process your data on the device itself without requiring the nearby iPhone’s digital assistant. Getting data from health apps or logging any other data has become easier and faster. As long as the data doesn’t require internet, it’s on-device. This addresses the privacy and security concerns of many users, who were uncomfortable about Apple accessing their data.
Additionally, the faster speeds also improve dictation by 25% as compared to the previous Apple watch versions. So you might love Siri more for her quick responses, in case you were bored.
Improved Mental Health Tracking
Another interesting feature is the Ambient Daylight feature which helps you track the duration that you’ve spent outside in the sunlight. This helps you safeguard against the risk of diseases like myopia and other physical or mental diseases, depending on your age. There are a few other added features such as being able to log your mood, to track and improve your mental health.
Extended Storage
Great news! Apple Watch Series 9 comes with 64 GB storage capacity, which is double the capacity as compared to last year’s model. This is a dream come true for users who prefer storing songs on their watch, eliminating the need to always carry the phone for playing music.
Battery
The Apple Watch Series 9 is equipped with a 308mAh Li-Ion battery. As per the company, it can run the phone for 3 days on low power mode. However, in a normal scenario, it can manage to run for a day at max, depending on the usage. A full charging takes nearly an hour or so.
The night sleep tracker consumes almost 50% of the battery. So based on your usage of high energy-consuming apps, the phone may require a charge in the later half of the next day, or at best, in the early morning. If you don’t use many apps, the phone might probably last for 2 days at max, on a single charge. Compared to the previous series, not much improvement has been reported in the duration of the device’s operation.
With the S9 SiP chip, improved speed and better performance can be experienced to some extent while swiping through the apps, opening and closing them swiftly, as well as while navigating through the interface. But this still might not give the users a euphoric experience they might look forward to.
Conclusion
You will feel comfortable with the new Apple Watch Series 9 on your wrist throughout the day. While there’s no change in the design or hardly any addition in the sensors, you can experience some newness in the added features such as — double tap gestures, on-device Siri, Second-Generation Ultra Wideband chip, expanded memory storage, mental health tracking and logging, etc. Consider purchasing the new Apple watch, if it’s going to be your first Apple product, or if you haven’t purchased one in the last 3 years.
