The Apple Watch Series 9, the latest iteration of Apple’s popular smartwatch, has arrived with a few new features and some software upgrades, but its biggest disappointment is the lack of a redesign. Despite consistently strong sales, Apple has chosen to keep the same design for the past three years, prompting questions about whether the company is relying too heavily on its established formula. While features like Crash Detection and double-tap gesture control bring some new functionality, the overall impression is one of incremental updates rather than a significant leap forward. Let’s delve into the details of the Series 9 and see if it’s worth your hard-earned money.
Apple Watch Series 9: A Closer Look
Price & Availability
The Apple Watch Series 9 is available in the same two case sizes as its predecessors: 41mm and 45mm, each available in GPS or GPS and Cellular versions. You can also choose from aluminium or steel cases, with varying prices depending on the configuration. The aluminium case models start at ₹41,900 for the 41mm and ₹44,900 for the 45mm. The stainless steel versions are more expensive, starting at ₹70,900 and ₹75,900, respectively. Apple offers a selection of straps for the Series 9, including the new Sport Band and Sport Loop with the aluminium case, and the Sport Band and Milanese Loop (metal) with the stainless steel case.
Design & Specifications
The Apple Watch Series 9 maintains the same design as the Series 8 and 7, so if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Apple has opted not to slim down the bezels around the display, and the overall aesthetic remains familiar. The only way to distinguish the Series 9 from the older models is a small engraving on the ceramic back case indicating the series number.
Apple proudly claims the Series 9’s aluminium case is made from 100% recycled materials, although this doesn’t apply to the stainless steel model. The Sport Loop strap is advertised as a completely carbon-neutral product.
The Watch Series 9 features a 1.9-inch Retina LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 484 x 396 pixels. Apple boasts of enhanced brightness compared to previous models, although in real-world usage, the difference is negligible. There’s a new S9 SiP within the watch, which Apple claims offers faster processing speeds, particularly for Siri commands and common tasks, leading to a more responsive user experience.
The Series 9 boasts the same impressive sensor array as the Series 8, including a blood oxygen sensor, an electrical heart sensor, a third-generation heart rate sensor, and a second-generation ultra-wideband chip (UWB). This means the watch can track your vital signs, assist in finding a lost iPhone, and even recommend music based on your location through the UWB’s capabilities. The Series 9 also retains the temperature monitoring and crash detection features, which were introduced with the Series 8.
The watch supports the usual global positioning systems and comes with dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3. Internal storage has doubled to 64GB, which is a significant improvement for users who prefer to store music locally on the watch.
Performance
Powered by the new S9 SiP, the Apple Watch Series 9 feels a little faster in everyday use. However, the increase in speed is not groundbreaking compared to the already snappy Series 8, making it unlikely to be a primary reason for upgrading.
watchOS 10 brings a few significant changes to the user interface, introducing four new watch faces, including the fun and playful Snoopy face, the customizable Solar Analogue and Palette faces, and the Nike Globe watch face, specifically designed for Nike Run app users.
watchOS 10 adopts a more functional approach, reducing reliance on gestures and leveraging both physical buttons and the new virtual, on-screen back button, making navigation in native apps more streamlined. The Smart Stack, a collection of widgets, is accessed by scrolling the digital crown after waking up from the default watch face. The Control Center now requires a press on the side button, making its activation more purposeful. All native apps have undergone a design overhaul, incorporating the new on-screen back button and presenting a fresh visual appeal.
The double-tap feature is touted as a significant new addition, enabling various functions without touching the watch. However, it’s limited to activating or deactivating single-button functionalities, such as accepting calls, starting/stopping a stopwatch, playing/pausing music, and setting a timer. It’s not a fully-fledged navigation tool, and, unfortunately, it doesn’t even allow you to open notifications.
Additionally, double-tap requires two steps: first, you must raise your wrist to activate the watch, and then perform the double-tap gesture. The double-tap, in my experience, feels sluggish, requires a conscious effort to activate, and doesn’t always register reliably.
Health & Fitness Tracking
The Apple Watch Series 9 delivers accurate and reliable health and fitness tracking. Sleep tracking with sleep stages remains fairly consistent with the Series 8, offering accurate and helpful insights. While SpO2 readings have improved, they still aren’t as precise as a dedicated pulse oximeter but are fairly close.
Heart rate readings are spot on, and GPS tracking during walks without an iPhone is also accurate.
Apple’s commitment to mental health is evident in the new mood tracker, accessible through both the Health app on the iPhone and the Mindfulness app on the Series 9. This feature allows you to log your mood throughout the day, helping you better understand your mental well-being and identify potential triggers or mood-enhancing activities. While a dedicated Journal app is missing and is promised to arrive “later this year,” the mood tracker is a welcome addition, paving the way for a more comprehensive mental health-focused experience on Apple Watches.
Battery Life
Despite the same battery size as its predecessor, Apple claims to have made improvements in battery life, which is likely due to the more power-efficient S9 SiP. In my testing, battery life was comparable to the Series 8, with sleep tracking and GPS-enabled walks being the most significant power drainers. With sleep tracking, all notifications turned on, and automated health tracking features enabled, the Series 9 lasted around 1.5 days on a single charge. Disabling sleep tracking and no workouts extended the life to almost two days. Charging remains the same, with the magnetic charger reaching 65 percent in 30 minutes and fully charging in an hour and seven minutes.
Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 9, while solid and with some improvements, feels like a minor upgrade rather than a significant overhaul. While the double-tap feature holds promise, it’s not nearly as useful as anticipated, and its limitations make it more of a niche feature than a game-changer. If you own a Series 7 or 8, the Series 9’s incremental improvements probably won’t justify an upgrade unless you are a die-hard fan of the new double-tap feature. However, if you’re using an Apple Watch Series 6 or older, you’ll find the Series 9 to be a desirable upgrade due to the faster S9 SiP, double the onboard storage, and improved software features, ensuring your watch is future-proof for upcoming watchOS updates.
Ultimately, the Apple Watch Series 9 is a capable smartwatch, but its lack of a refreshingly new design and the underwhelming double-tap feature leave it feeling like a safe and familiar upgrade, rather than a groundbreaking leap forward for the smartwatch category.
