Apple Watch Series 9 was launched at the recently held ‘Wonderlust’ event by the company, which also saw the debit of iPhone 15 series and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Watch Series 9 was released in 41mm and 45mm display screen variants, and was claimed to be Apple’s first carbon-neutral product. It succeeded last year’s Apple Watch Series 8 launched at the company’s ‘Far Out’ event. In terms of design, the wearables share similarities. However, Watch Series 9 has received significant upgrades over the Watch Series 8 in terms of specifications.
In order to understand the differences and similarities between the two wearables, we have compared Apple Watch Series 9 with its predecessor, the Watch Series 8.
Apple Watch Series 9 vs Apple Watch Series 8: Price in India
The Apple Watch Series 9 is offered in two display sizes — 41mm and 45mm — available in aluminium and stainless steel built. For the aluminium finish, the 41mm dial size wearable is priced at Rs. 41,900. Whereas, the stainless steal body for the same dial size costs Rs. 70,900.
For 45mm display, the stainless steel body finish is being sold at Rs. 75,900, while the aluminium finish is listed at Rs. 44,900. One can avail Watch Series 9 in aluminium body in in Midnight, Pink, (Product) Red, Starlight, and Silver colour options, where as the stainless steel look is offered in Gold, Graphite and Silver variants.
On the other hand, Apple Watch Series 8 GPS was released in India at the starting price of Rs. 45,900, while the Apple Watch Series 8 Cellular costed Rs. 55,900. It was also offered in 41mm and 45mm case sizes, with choice between Gold, Graphite, Midnight, Red, Silver, and Starlight colour variants.
Apple Watch Series 9 vs Apple Watch Series 8: Specifications
Last year’s Apple Watch series 8 was launched in GPS and cellular options. It is powered by S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, along with a W3 wireless chip and first-generation Ultra Wideband chip. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 9 is claimed to be 60 percent faster than its predecessor. It comes equipped with the new Apple S9 SiP process with a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip.
Both smartwatches get the Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display with up to 2,000 nits brightness. In terms of battery, the Watch Series 8 as well as Watch Series 9 are claimed to offer up to 18 hours of battery life, which increased to 36 hours of battery life using the low power mode.
The Watch Series 9 comes with a “Double Tap” gesture that lets users do various actions including answering or ending a call, stoping a timer, or snooze alarm. It can also be integrated with HomePod. In further specifications, the smartwatch gets cycling and hiking features, new watch faces and mental health support 2, over the Watch Series 8 which offer SpO2 tracking, heart rate monitoring, atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection, and ECG monitoring.
The Apple Watch Series 9 runs watchOS 10, while the Apple Watch Series 8 was launched with watchOS 9. In terms of storage, the latest model offers 64GB storage, while Watch Series 8 is available with 32GB storage capacity.
Apple Watch Series 9 vs Apple Watch Series 8 GPS comparison
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| Key Specs | ||
| Display Size | 41mm | 41mm |
| Dial Shape | Rectangle | Rectangle |
| Display Type | OLED Retina | OLED Retina |
| Ideal For | Unisex | Unisex |
| GENERAL | ||
| Brand | Apple | Apple |
| Model | Watch Series 9 | Watch Series 8 GPS |
| Release date | September 12, 2023 | September 7, 2022 |
| Model Name | Watch Series 9 | Watch Series 8 GPS |
| Dial Shape | Rectangle | Rectangle |
| Size | Regular | Regular |
| Water Resistant | Yes | Yes |
| Usage | Fitness & Outdoor | Fitness & Outdoor |
| Ideal For | Unisex | Unisex |
| PRODUCT DETAILS | ||
| Sensor | Compass, Always-On Altimeter, optical heart rate sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Ambient light sensor | Compass, Always-On Altimeter, third-gen optical heart rate sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Ambient light sensor |
| Compatible Device | iOS | – |
| Notification | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | 18 hours | 18 hours |
| Rechargeable Battery | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Type | – | Lithium Ion |
| CONNECTIVITY FEATURES | ||
| Call Function | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Call Features | International Emergency Calling | International Emergency Calling |
| Other Connectivity Features | Emergency SOS | Emergency SOS |
| PLATFORM AND STORAGE FEATURES | ||
| Operating System | watchOS | watchOS 9 |
| CAMERA AND DISPLAY FEATURES | ||
| Display Size | 41mm | 41mm |
| Display Type | OLED Retina | OLED Retina |
| Backlight Display | Yes | Yes |
| Other Display Features | LTPO OLED Always-On Retina display, up to 2000 nits of peak brightness | LTPO OLED Always-On Retina display |
| FITNESS AND WATCH FUNCTIONS | ||
| Step Count | Yes | Yes |
| Calorie Count | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm Clock | Yes | Yes |
| Date & Time Display | Yes | Yes |
| Language | English | English |
| Other Fitness Features | Blood Oxgen Sensor, ECG sensor | Blood Oxgen Sensor, ECG sensor |
| AUDIO AND VIDEO FEATURES | ||
| Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Gesture Control | Yes | – |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Control | Yes | – |