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Apple Watch Series 9
Editor’s choice
Apple Watch Series 9 packs in a new, more powerful processor, a brighter display capable of up to 2,000 nits peak brightness, Apple’s U2 chip that enables precision-finding of your iPhone, as well as better HomePod integration, and a whole slew of features and tech you’d expect.
Pros
- Includes temperature sensor
- Double the storage
- Offline Siri
Cons
- Likely won’t see as many discounts
- No titanium variant
- Fewer finishes
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Apple Watch Series 7
Acceptable alternative
The Apple Watch Series 7 has been discontinued and can cost as much as the Series 9. Only buy it if it’s notably discounted, as it offers a similar set of main features and health sensors.
Pros
- Will likely see more discounts
- More colorways
- Titanium variant
Cons
- Dated processor
- Harder to come by
- Dimmer display
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 7 are two of the best smartwatches iPhone users could buy. Not only do they offer seamless interoperability with iOS 17, but they also pack some advanced sensors that can help users track their health and fitness.
Though, if you’re already using an Apple Watch Series 7, is the upgrade to a Series 9 worth it? Furthermore, if you don’t own either of these models, which one should you opt for? It’s a question that should be simple, but it’s complicated by patent issues that make the Series 7 better in one way than a brand-new Series 9.
Price, availability, and specs
Similar retail prices at launch, but Series 7 is likely much cheaper
The Apple Watch Series 7 launched in 2021 for $399, but it has been officially discontinued. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 9 launched in September 2023 for the same $399 price tag. Both models also offer a GPS + Cellular variant that costs extra. They both also offer two size options: 41mm and 45mm.
Notably, the Apple Watch Series 7 offers aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium builds, and you can pick between Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, Red, Graphite, Gold, Silver, Space Black, and Titanium colorways. Meanwhile, the Series 9 misses out on a titanium build and offers Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Pink, Red, Graphite, and Gold finishes. Regardless of your color choice, though, make sure to get an Apple Watch Series 9 case to protect it from damage.
Due to patent issues, Apple Watch Series 9 smartwatches sold on or after Jan. 18, 2024 will not have support for blood oxygen monitoring. Smartwatches sold before that date will have the feature. All Apple Watch Series 7 models can utilize the feature as well.
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Apple Watch Series 7 Apple Watch Series 9 Heart Rate Monitor Yes Yes Battery Life Up to 18 hours Up to 18 hours Operating System watchOS 10 watchOS 10 Onboard GPS Yes Yes Colors Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, Red, Graphite, Gold, Silver, Space Black, Titanium Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Pink, Red, Graphite, Gold CPU Apple S7 Apple S9 SiP Storage 32GB 64GB Health sensors Blood oxygen sensor, electrical heart sensor, third-generation optical heart sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope Blood oxygen sensor, electrical heart sensor, third-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope Price $399 $399 Weight 32g (41mm), 38.8g (45mm) 31.9g (41mm); 38.7g (45mm) Brightness 1,000 nits 2,000 nits Water resistance 50 meters 50 meters
Related
Apple Watch Series 7 Review: Bigger screen, better battery and brilliant experience
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Apple Watch Series 9 review: More of the same, but it’ll be enough
The Apple Watch Series 9 doesn’t look that exciting, but the upgrades it packs make it one of the best smartwatches — again.
Design, build, and display
Mostly the same, with a few key differences
When buying a new device, you need to consider, first off, any outward differences. In this case, however, there’s not much to compare, as both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 7 share a ton of design elements. For starters, they both look the same on the outside, and you pretty much can’t tell the two apart. You get to pick between 41mm and 45mm sizes in both cases, and you also get to choose between an aluminum or stainless steel build. Unfortunately, the Series 7 exclusively offers a titanium build and a wider variety of colors, as highlighted in the previous section.
Otherwise, both watches can resist up to 50 meters of water and have curved screens that support the always-on display feature. Speaking of the display, though, the Apple Watch Series 9 has a 2,000-nit peak brightness, double what the Series 7 offers. So, if you tend to use your watch in direct sunlight often, then you may appreciate the Series 9’s brighter screen. Everything else about the screen is the same, though.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
Performance and features
Is the Series 7 actually better than the Series 9?
The gap between the Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 7 is larger in the performance department. For starters, Apple has finally boosted the CPU for the first time in three years with the S9 SiP. This upgrade is accompanied by double the storage (64GB vs. 32GB), faster and offline Siri support, a double-tap pinch gesture to interact with watchOS 10, precision iPhone finding, and better HomePod integration. That’s not to mention that the Series 9 also packs perks introduced with the Series 8, such as crash detection, menstrual cycle tracking through a temperature sensor, and more.
However, while the aforementioned sensors and features are nice to have, they likely won’t impact how you interact with your watch day-to-day. After all, both watches offer the same battery life, fast charging, and fitness and health tracking, such as ECG, heart rate measurements, calories burnt, and more. And they’re rated for similar battery life — up to 18 hours regularly or 36 hours in Low Power Mode. Plus, the Series 7 also got the upgrade to watchOS 10, so it has the subsequent UI overhauls. Ultimately, both the Series 7 and Series 9 will offer similar experiences, but the latter model packs a few extra perks.
Technically, the Apple Watch Series 7 has an extra feature (blood-oxygen monitoring) due to the patent issues related to the Series 9. Nonetheless, the Series 9 has better performance thanks to more advanced hardware as well as two generations of new features.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 9
Overall winner: Apple Watch Series 9
A newer watch with better hardware and more features
The Apple Watch Series 9 offers everything the Series 7 does and more, outside of blood oxygen monitoring. That’s excluding the titanium build option and the wider variety of colors of the Series 7, which aren’t a big deal. So, if you don’t already have a Series 7 or Series 8, then the Series 9 is definitely an excellent pick for $399. If you already have a Series 7, however, then you may want to hold on to it, as the upgrades included with the Series 9 arguably aren’t worth its cost.
If you’re upgrading from a Series 6 or a non-watchOS wearable, then the Series 7 is an acceptable pick if you find it heavily (50% off) discounted. You may still come across some major deals, as some retailers haven’t gotten rid of their old stock yet. If blood oxygen monitoring is incredibly important to you, you’re likely better off considering a Series 9 instead of the older Series 7, even if the Series 7 supports that feature.
Apple Watch Series 9
Winner
$299 $399 Save $100
Apple Watch Series 9 packs in a new, more powerful processor, a brighter display capable of up to 2,000 nits peak brightness, Apple’s U2 chip that enables precision-finding of your iPhone, as well as better HomePod integration, and a whole slew of features and tech you’d expect.
Apple Watch Series 7
Runner-up
The Apple Watch Series 7 has been discontinued and can cost as much as the Series 9. Only buy it if it’s notably discounted, as it offers a similar set of main features and health sensors.