Apple Watch Series 9: Specs, pricing, availability, and more

Launched in 2023, the Apple Watch Series 9 was added to the company’s list of best-selling smartwatches. It might appear similar to its predecessors, but Apple promises several changes beneath its skin. Read on to discover the critical details surrounding the Series 9.

Apple Watch Series 9: Release date and price

Apple launched the Series 9 on September 12, 2023, alongside the iPhone 15 series and Watch Ultra 2. Series 9 buyers can choose between two body sizes, two body materials, Wi-Fi-only and LTE variants, and several colorways.

We’ve seen remarkably consistent pricing from Apple over the years, and the Series 9 is yet another example of this. Bucking the trend of other devices launched in 2023, the wearable kept its predecessor’s $399 starting price, jumping to $499 for the LTE option. The stainless steel options start at $699. General sales of the watch kicked off on September 22, 2023.

Apple Watch Series 9: Design, colors, bands, and sizes

The Series 9 largely shares body shape with the Series 8. Regarding the colors on offer, we get a new pink colorway to join Starlight, Product (Red), Midnight, and silver on the aluminum models. The steel option is available in more subdued gold, silver, and graphite shades.

Apple uses more recycled material in the Series 9’s construction than the Series 8, extending to the watch bands. There’s also a new FineWoven option, which Apple notes is a more environmentally friendly alternative to suede-feel leather and features a magnetic buckle. Existing band styles, like the Nike Sport Band and Apple Sport Loop, are now made with more recycled fabric and fluoroelastomer. There are still plenty of third-party bands if you don’t like the official offerings. One of our top Apple Watch Series 9 tips is to grab two bands for everyday wear and activity.

Up front, you’re getting 2,000 nits of maximum brightness from the display, but it can drop to just 1 nit in dark environments. This should make for considerable power savings in the right conditions.

Apple Watch Series 9: Features and specs

Internally, the Series 9 welcomes several new components. Apple’s new S9 silicon now commands the Series 9 and features a four-core neural engine that processes Siri commands on-device. This means you don’t need a data connection to control your device via the voice assistant.

This chip powers features beyond Siri, too. The Series 9 now comes with a nifty gesture command. Double tap your index finger with your thumb twice with your watch hand to control apps on your wearable. The gesture interacts with the main command button in your app, but it can also be used to swing through the widgets on offer. Again, this is powered by the watch’s new neural smarts.

You can also use Siri to access general health data on the fly using your voice or use the voice assistant to prompt specific health details, like what time you took your medication.

Also joining the fray is an upgraded ultra-wideband chip dubbed the U2. This should elevate the Series 9’s Find My device capabilities. You can ping your iPhone 15 from your watch, which will navigate you to your smartphone’s location within 20 feet. Apple’s calling this feature Precision Finding. If you get within four feet of a HomePod, the Series 9 will launch the now-playing screen or suggest media to play on the smart speaker.

For those wondering, there aren’t any new health sensors on the Series 9. This means there’s no built-in blood glucose or blood pressure monitor. Apple has disabled the blood oxygen monitoring system due to an ongoing legal dispute, but the feature could theoretically be reactivated once the dispute is resolved.

Alongside the Series 9’s new hardware comes watchOS 10. Although it’s no longer the latest version of the OS, this version brought the most visible changes to the Apple Watch Series 9. The most notable is the return of widgets. Dubbed Smart Stack by Apple, these contextual information cards replace Glances and can be rotated by twisting the digital crown. watchOS 11 made its debut with the Apple Watch Series 10, so expect it to land on the Series 9 in due course and bring with it sleep apnea monitoring.

Apple also brought navigation tools to the watch, including offline maps support for Apple Maps. Alongside iOS 17, Apple Watch users can access mapping tools even when they’re nowhere near a cell tower or Wi-Fi coverage. We discovered during our review that the Apple Watch Series 9’s GPS performance is as great as its predecessor’s.

There have also been some changes to Apple’s software fitness approach. The Series 9 brings follow-up medication reminders, open Workout APIs for third-party app access, Apple Fitness+ custom training plans, and new cycling metrics. Apple Health also gets mental health tools, including a mood logger and details about time spent in daylight. watchOS 10 is not exclusive to the Series 9, and the software is now available on devices as old as the Series 4.

Apple Watch Series 9: Battery life

The Apple Watch is not renowned for its stellar battery life, and the Series 9 doesn’t change this. While the new chipset and tweaked display will likely translate into better battery life than its predecessors, Apple still claims the watch will last 18 hours on a single charge. During our review, we regularly managed around 26 hours between charges. That’s excellent compared to Apple’s claims but falls short of its rivals.

In our experience, Apple usually sells its smartwatch battery life short, so you might exceed that figure depending on how you use the device. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that low-power mode will provide an additional 18 hours of juice, even if it disables non-essential systems.

Should I buy the Apple Watch Series 8 or Series 9?

The Apple Watch Series 9 offers just enough to entice those with older models. If you compare the new watch to the Series 8, Series 7, or Series 6, onboard Siri processing and smarter gesture controls are enticing. If you must have these features, opt for the Series 9. But, if you’re looking for novel health tracking advances, you might be left wanting from the lack of new sensors or core features.

Now that the Series 9 is official, the Series 8 has seen a stark price drop. If you want to board the Apple wagon on a budget and skip the Watch SE 2, the Series 8 is still a good idea.

Of course, we’ve seen seen the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 in September 2024, which offers larger dial sizes, an upgraded chipset, and upgraded displays. It also starts at $399. There are also many Apple Watch Series 9 alternatives available beyond the Cupertino family. Wear OS is stronger than ever, while Garmin, Withings, and Xiaomi may offer something a little different for disillusioned shoppers.

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