Apple has finally released two new Apple Watches this year, the Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra. We’ll look at the new features and differences between the two and guide you to which watch makes more sense in your use case.
Apple Watch Series 8
This year the Apple Watch Series 8 looks very familiar from the outside but has a few new tricks up its sleeve on the inside. Specifically, one of the new features is a body temperature sensor. But it’s not meant to check your body temperature for when you’re sick; the way Apple is marketing this new feature is around menstrual cycles and cycle tracking for women. Apple states that body temperature is monitored while you’re sleeping when the user is also using the cycle tracking feature; the watch can provide a more detailed view of a woman’s menstrual cycle and help with family planning.
Apple has also enhanced the sleep tracking features of the Apple Watch. Instead of only recording the hours you slept, you will see a breakdown of your sleep by time in REM sleep, core sleep, and deep sleep, as well as how many times you might’ve woken up in the middle of the night. I think this feature was long overdue for the Apple Watch because I have been using this app called Pillow for years now that has given me detailed stats about my sleep, similar to Apple, so I’m glad Apple has brought this for all users natively.
The Apple Watch also received the new Crash Detection feature in the new iPhones. Crash Detection is a nice feature in case of emergencies, and Apple Watch can also trigger calling emergency services if you end up in an accident and can’t respond. Hopefully, no one ever has to experience this feature firsthand, but it’s nice to know that it’s there and ready to keep you safe. Among other health features that are not new but worth mentioning is the watch's ability to take an ECG at any time or monitor your blood oxygen levels. I hope Apple continues to innovate the watch's health features by adding additional sensors. I'm very excited about the prospect of glucose monitoring coming to fruition one day because they seem to focus considerable time on health. I'd love to see the watch become an all-around health focus device.
Now there aren’t any new specific features in Series 9 related to the fitness app, but there are lots of changes that came with watchOS 9. You will now see different views during workouts, and some exercises, like outdoor runs, have more unique workout views. For example, you’ll be able to track your heart rate zones during a workout; knowing your effort relative to your heart rate zone will help you avoid overworking yourself during a run or HIIT workout.
We’re also getting the ability to create custom workouts. Also, if you’re an outdoor runner, Apple Watch will track your last run and ask if you want to try to beat your last time on the same route.
Now let’s talk about the Apple Watch Ultra.
Everything about the Apple Watch Ultra is new. We have a redesigned chassis that’s made out of titanium. The digital crown is now more oversized and protected right next to the home button, and there’s an additional new side button on the left side called the Action button. The Apple Watch Ultra has a 49mm face, the largest Apple Watch ever. It can dive down to 100m now, making it a potential divers watch, which we’ll talk about more in a second, and it has an IP6X dust rating. Apple Watch Ultra is the toughest Apple Watch ever made.
The Apple Watch Ultra features the brightest display ever, reaching a peak brightness of 2000 nits. This is twice as bright as the previous Apple Watch. Apple Watch also has a new night mode helping you look at your watch in low light scenarios with a vivid red filter view. As I mentioned, the watch also comes with the new action button on the left side, which will provide additional functionality in various apps and act as a quick toggle button to perform certain functions. The Apple Watch also has a dual speaker, providing a much louder volume than previously, and a three microphone array, so making calls on the Apple Watch will be even better.
In my opinion, the most notable improvement in the Apple Watch Ultra is the battery life. Apple claims with everyday use, you’ll get up to 36 hours on a single charge, and if you use the new low power mode, you will get up to 60 hours on a single charge. I think these are bold claims, and we’ll see how this goes in real-life testing, but this would be the best battery life we’ve ever seen on the Apple Watch. I think this makes the Apple Watch Ultra a good contender for those extreme athletes that need a device to power through their entire workout, and I think that’s Apple’s exact target audience for this watch. Apple has included a new GPS chip in the Apple Watch, allowing more accurate tracking of runs or walks outside. The compass app has also been updated so that you can see your longitude, latitude, current elevation, and incline. If you’re hiking on a trail, you can drop pins along your route, and Apple Watch will map out and track your entire hike.
The Apple Watch Ultra has a built-in siren that can be heard from up to 600 feet or 180 meters away. It can operate at temperatures ranging from -20°C to 55°C, so the watch is suitable for most outdoor activities, which leads us to our next topic—Suba diving.
Yes, Apple has made a scuba diving watch and surprisingly priced it fairly compared to the competition. Apple Watch Ultra features a new depth gauge that allows you to scuba dive up to 40 meters down, and it’s also EN13319 certified. Though it doesn’t seem you can interact with the watch underwater, it is tough to interact with an Apple Watch when the screen is wet. Maybe next year.
So, as far as both watches go, you’re probably wondering which watch is for you. I would say for your everyday use and regular workouts like going to the gym or going for a run, the Series 9 is perfectly capable. Now, if you’re some kind of extreme athlete who needs a watch that can track something like a triathlon or you are running in the Mojave desert, then you probably are more geared for an Apple Watch Ultra. I think Apple created that watch for a particular market, so I’m not entirely sure how many people will buy the Apple Watch Ultra; I will not be. Regarding pricing, the Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 for the aluminum case and $699 for the stainless steel case. The Apple Watch Ultra starts at $799, with three choices depending on which band you want. Note that if you had the 45mm Apple Watch, those bands will supposedly work on the Apple Watch Ultra, but that will have to be confirmed by going to an Apple Store and checking hands-on.
All in all, I think the pricing of the Apple Watch Ultra is interesting. It’s almost the cost of a series of stainless steel, so I guess Apple is hoping some people may just go for the larger watch because they want the larger face or all those pro-athlete features. Hopefully, this article was helpful for you, and deciding whether or not you will be buying a new Apple Watch is here upgrading from a previous watch. If you had last year’s Apple Watch Series 7, there aren’t any notable features that should make you need to upgrade this year.
