TechSmartwatchesApple Watch Series 9 review: Powerful performance in a familiar packageDon’t let the look of the Series 9 fool you – it’s a big update over the Series 8 and is worth the upgradeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improvedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechSmartwatchesApple Watch Series 9 review: Powerful performance in a familiar packageDon’t let the look of the Series 9 fool you – it’s a big update over the Series 8 and is worth the upgradeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improvedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Don’t let the look of the Series 9 fool you – it’s a big update over the Series 8 and is worth the upgrade
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improved
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
T3 VerdictThe Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improved
T3 VerdictThe Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!
T3 Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 9 refines what was already great, with faster performance and improved Siri functionality. While the updates are subtle, they elevate the user experience, making it the perfect companion for fitness, wellness, and daily life. A solid upgrade for anyone seeking Apple’s latest innovation!
Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improved
Reasons to buy+Faster processor+Brighter screen+Gesture control+Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)
Faster processor
Brighter screen
Gesture control
Carbon Neutral certification (with specific bands)
Reasons to avoid-Battery life hasn’t improved
Battery life hasn’t improved
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and build quality(New) featuresHealth and fitness trackingBattery lifeVerdictAlso consider
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and build quality(New) featuresHealth and fitness trackingBattery lifeVerdictAlso consider
I don’t understand people, especially tech journalists, and especially those tech journalists who criticise the newApple WatchSeries 9, the subject of this review, for being only a minor upgrade over its predecessor. Besides looking very similar without the screen turned on, the Series 9 is a very different smartwatch. It’s faster, brighter, and features no previous generationAppleWatches will be able to get. What more do you want?
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Apple announced the latest generation mainline Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 9, along with theApple Watch Ultra 2, at the annual Apple event in Cupertino, California. We knew the Series 9 was coming, but we weren’t sure what changes we’d see, which isn’t that unusual, as Apple never discloses this information ahead of the reveal.
The more important questions we need to ask are: is the Apple Watch Series 9 thebest Apple Watch? Moreover, is it thebest smartwatch? How much better is it compared to theApple Watch Series 8(our in-depth comparison can be found here:Apple Watch Series 9 vs Apple Watch Series 8)? I’ve been testing the Series 9 for a bit, and I believe I’m ready to answer those questions. Let’s get going.
Recent updates12 September 2024– Appleannounced the Series 10, featuring a larger, brighter display, more slender form, improved speaker and faster charging. We compared the two models here:Apple Watch Series 10 vs Series 9.
Recent updates12 September 2024– Appleannounced the Series 10, featuring a larger, brighter display, more slender form, improved speaker and faster charging. We compared the two models here:Apple Watch Series 10 vs Series 9.
Recent updates
12 September 2024– Appleannounced the Series 10, featuring a larger, brighter display, more slender form, improved speaker and faster charging. We compared the two models here:Apple Watch Series 10 vs Series 9.
Apple Watch Series 9 review
Price and availability
The Apple Watch Series 9 was announced in September 2023 and is available now directly fromApple UK,Apple USandApple AU, with prices from £399/ $399/ AU$ 649. You can choose between the aluminium and steel versions, although the latter is only available in the GPS + Cellular version, which is more expensive than the non-LTE variety. Prices for the steel Apple Watch Series 9 start from £699/ $699/ AU$ 1,199 for the smaller 41 mm version.
The aluminium version is available in Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Product Red colours, as well as the new Pink colourway. The steel version is available in three colours: Gold, Silver and Graphite. Both material choices come in two sizes, 41 mm and 45 mm, just like the Series 8.
Speaking of the Apple Watch Series 8, the recommended retail price of the watch was £419/ $399/ AU$ 629, so the price in the UK went down, while in AU, there is a small price bump. The US price hasn’t changed for a while, although it’s worth mentioning that the $399 is the before-tax price, so it’s not what you pay in the shops for the wearables. Apple only states this price, as states have different tax regulations.
I tested the 45 mm aluminium GPS + LTE version in the Midnight finish.
Specifications
Design and build quality
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
You’ll see this in every Apple Watch Series 9 review, but it’s true that the new watch is the spitting image of the Series 8 and, therefore, theApple Watch Series 7. It comes in the same two sizes, the same case material options (aluminium and steel) and more or less in the same colours, apart from the new Pink colourway, which actually is really pretty.
The resolution stayed the same – 352 x 430 pixels (41 mm)/ 396 x 484 pixels (45 mm) – and so did the border, which is 1.7 mm. The Apple Watch Series 9 weighs 32.1g/ 39g (Aluminum) or 42.3g/ 51.5g (Stainless Steel) and is built to the same durability standards as its predecessor, which is WR50 (swim-proof), dustproof (IP6X), with crack-resistant front glass.
Another exciting new hardware update is the S9 SiP, which allows the Series 9 to perform tasks much faster as well as unlocking features we haven’t seen in other Apple Watches, such asDouble Tapand offline Siri. The new S9 SiP is said to be Apple’s most powerful Apple Watch chip ever, with a dual-core CPU that has 5.6 billion transistors – 60 per cent more than the Apple Watch Series 8 – and a GPU that is up to 30 per cent faster.
The new second-generation Ultra-Wideband chip also enables the wearable to use Precision Finding foriPhone. However, you can only use this feature with iPhones using the same second-generation Ultra-Wideband chip, so iPhone 15 or up.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
I won’t discuss Apple’s sustainability efforts here or what the new carbon-neutral product lineup means. It’s an admirable effort from Apple to do something about its environmental impact, not least because other companies often follow suit, but it’s safe to say that there is much more to sustainability than recycled aluminium cases with recycled plastic straps.
I was sent the new Nike strap (see above), made from recycled old Nike straps, giving each band a unique pattern. It’s super comfortable, too, which is a bonus.
(New) features
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Recent updates17 September 2024– The Apple Watch has received an early upgrade with sleep apnea detection now available inwatchOS 11. The feature, initially delayed pending regulatory approval, can now be used on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models. It uses wrist movements to monitor breathing interruptions and detect potential sleep apnea.Read more here.
Recent updates17 September 2024– The Apple Watch has received an early upgrade with sleep apnea detection now available inwatchOS 11. The feature, initially delayed pending regulatory approval, can now be used on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models. It uses wrist movements to monitor breathing interruptions and detect potential sleep apnea.Read more here.
Recent updates
17 September 2024– The Apple Watch has received an early upgrade with sleep apnea detection now available inwatchOS 11. The feature, initially delayed pending regulatory approval, can now be used on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models. It uses wrist movements to monitor breathing interruptions and detect potential sleep apnea.Read more here.
As well as being way more capable from a hardware point of view, the Apple Watch Series 9 also has a killer feature set exclusive to the new watch. While moreWatchOS 10features, including Smart Stack and updated cycling and hiking modes, will trickle down to older models, some of the new interactions are unique to the Series 9, thanks to the new processor and chipset.
The most exciting of the lot is the Double Tap interaction, which allows you to control the wearable without touching the screen. For now, the level of interaction is somewhat limited, as Double Tap doesn’t work with all the apps, but it shows great potential.
Another – probably even more important – reason we should all get excited about the Double Tap gesture is that it makes operating the watch more accessible. Sure, Apple’s example scenario was you holding a coffee or a dog leash, but Double Tap could be super useful for people who only have one hand or are limited in their mobility. I look forward to seeing where the company will take this feature in the future.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
There are other implications of offline Siri, as it allows you to check health data stored on the watch. Thanks to the advancements in AI and machine learning, I can see this feature developing into something more robust, where Siri can give you sleep, training and recovery suggestions based on your health data. Currently, the Apple Watch only stores around a week’s worth of data, so offline Siri can only see this.
Finally, the Apple Watch Series 9 has a more robust HomePod integration, which I’m sure will only affect a small percentage of Apple Watch users. When you are within four meters (approx. 12 feet) of your HomePod, Apple Watch launches Now Playing for convenient audio control or provides media suggestions in your Smart Stack to play directly on your HomePod.
And just to clarify, the Apple Watch Series 9 has all the features you’d find on any previous Apple Watch iterations.
Health and fitness tracking
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
And whilesome hiking featureswill only be available in the US, at least, for now, thenew cycling featuresare already available to everyone (it also works with theApple Watch SE 2). One feature I dearly miss from the Series 9, and all other mainline Apple Watches, isPrecision Start, which requires an extra button only found on Ultra models.
GPS and heart rate accuracy seem on point for a non-dedicated running watch. As a side note, I found the VO2 max estimations of the Apple Watch the most strict (i.e. the lowest) of all wearables. While Coros andGarmin watchesoften give me a VO2 max score of around 54-55 mL/kg/min, the highest I could get it on Apple’s wearables is around 44-45 mL/kg/min.
[As a side-side note, Polar watches are the most generous in VO2 max estimations in my experience. They often give me scores over 60 mL/kg/min, so if you need a self-esteem boost, get a Polar.]
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
General health tracking is on point, although I find the sleep data display in the Health app a bit… odd. It often says I spent nine hours in bed, whereas the first hour of my ‘sleep’ is often me winding down for sleep, watching TV on the sofa, or something similar. Surely, my heart rate is a bit higher when I’m awake than when I’m asleep? Not a huge issue, though.
One health feature on the Apple Watch Series 9 that I sadly can’t test is the cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates. Using the temperature sensor, the watch looks for temperature changes to reveal the biphasic shift, an increase in temperature that can indicate ovulation. The Cycle Tracking app can retrospectively estimate when ovulation occurred using this information.
Battery life
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Every year, we hope Apple will announce a new Apple Watch iteration with a longer than 18-hour battery life. And every year, we get disappointed, as Apple hasn’t extended the battery life of any subsequent Apple Watch since the first generation of Apple Watcheseight years ago.
Despite the 25 per cent more power-efficient S9 SiP, the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 9 is still 18 hours. With Low Power Mode, you can get up to 36 hours of battery life on a single charge. With fast charging, you can charge from 0 to 80 per cent in about 45 minutes. And if you use an Apple Watch to track your sleep, just 8 minutes of charging provides 8 hours of sleep tracking.
I mentioned this elsewhere, and I’ll say it here, too, but I think Apple treats battery life the same as the company treats any other Apple Watch features. Having consistent battery life across multiple generations of Apple Watches gives users a sense of familiarity, which isn’t a terrible thing.
I, just like everyone else, would love it if I could wear an Apple Watch for longer than a day without charging it, but I’m so used to popping the watch on the charger every evening after my rings have been completed for the day, it would almost feel natural if I didn’t have to do it. It’s part of the process of owning an Apple Watch.
That said, Apple, please,please, can the Apple Watch X have a week-long battery life? That’d be magical.
Verdict
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Next time someone says, ‘The new Apple Watch is the same as all other Apple watches in the past’, tell them they are wrong. The Apple Watch Series 9 might look the same as the Series 8 or even the Series 7, but it provides a different user experience than previous iterations of the wearable.
It has a brighter display, a faster microchip, exclusive features, and a somewhat more sustainable construction – what else do you want? Surely, no one expects Apple to launch a round watch? Or a smaller/bigger wearable? The Apple Watch already comes in too many different variations (two Watch SE sizes in three colours, two Series 9 sizes with two case materials and eight colours and the titanium Ultra 2), if you ask me.
Is the Apple Watch Series 9 worth the upgrade? From the features point of view, absolutely. I didn’t see a point in moving from the Series 7 to the Series 8, but the difference between the Series 9 and any other Apple Watch is significant enough to warrant an upgrade.
The only reason I recommend against changing your Apple Watch (if you recently bought one) is sustainability. No matter how carbon neutral the Series 9 is, the most environmentally friendly thing you can do is not to buy a new Apple Watch every year. However, if you have a Series 6 or an even older model, I recommend getting the Series 9. It’s a brilliant smartwatch.
Also consider
I mentioned several alternative Apple Watch Series 9 options in the review, but if you need more suggestions, check out T3’sbest smartwatchroundup. No other wearable will play quite as nicely with iPhones as an Apple Watch, but there are watches that work withiOS, so there are alternatives.
We also compared the Apple Watch Series 9 to other top wearables (and the Series 8) to give you an idea of how it fits into the broader smartwatch ecosystem. You can read it all about here:Apple Watch Series 9 vs Garmin Venu 3,Apple Watch Series 9 vs Google Pixel Watch 2, andApple Watch Series 9 vs Apple Watch Series 8.
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