In no way is the Apple Watch Series 9 a revolutionary new smartwatch. It’s a by-the-numbers wristwatch with a few hardware improvements over the Series 8. Apple’s newest smartwatch includes a quicker processor, a brighter screen, and some intriguing new gesture functions while remaining mostly unchanged in style from its predecessor. This is a tried-and-true Apple method, but does it make the Series 9 worthwhile for existing Apple Watch owners, or is it better suited for first-time buyers?
Display & Design:
No matter how carefully you examine the Apple Watch Series 9, you won’t be able to tell it apart from the Series 8 or even the Series 7 preceding it. The design has been mostly preserved, so you get the same square-shaped aluminium or stainless steel frame in 41mm and 45mm sizes. Only the new Pink colourway (in aluminium) distinguishes a Series 9 from its predecessor. Midnight (our review unit), Starlight, Silver, and Product (Red) are the other colour possibilities for the aluminium model. The stainless steel variant is available in Gold, Silver, and Graphite.
The right side of the frame features the classic crown and pill-shaped button, while the left side features a speaker cutout. The aluminium variant, by the way, is composed of 100% recycled aluminium, whilst the Sport Loop straps are carbon neutral and include 45% recycled material.
The display of the Apple Watch Series 9 appears to be comparable to that of its predecessor. The 45mm model has a nicely sized screen with some bezels surrounding it. It’s still not totally edge-to-edge, but Apple is expected to shrink bezels even further with the 10th edition. It’s a visually appealing LTPO OLED display with vibrant colours and deep blacks. The major improvement, however, is the increased brightness to 2000 nits from 1000 nits. That’s a lot of brightness for a smartwatch, and it shows when you’re in direct sunlight.
Double-tap Motion –
Double-tap is a significant new feature available only on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. It was released lately alongside watchOS 10.1. At its foundation, double-tap is an accessibility feature that lets you do specific activities with only one hand. It’s designed for situations when you just can’t use your other hand, such as when you’re holding a cup of coffee or doing the dishes. As the name implies, double-tap allows you to accomplish specific operations by just touching your thumb and index finger twice.
Since watchOS 8, a version of Double-tap has been stashed away within the Accessibility settings. Using a single pinch, double pinch, or clenching your fist, you could also conduct bespoke actions like bringing up the notification centre, dock, or control centre, dismissing messages, awakening Siri, or other shortcuts. Because it provides you additional options for mapping motions, I found assistive touch to be somewhat more handy than Double-tap.
While AssitiveTouch is more helpful, it also consumes more power due to its increased processing power. Because double-tap relies on the S9 chip’s Neural Engine, it is only accessible on the Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.
In its present condition, double tap allows users to do only one action: double tap. Apple lets you use Double-tap to do things like play or pause music or bring up the Smart Stack. It also works with other significant alerts like as answering or hanging up a phone call, pausing a timer, starting a reply to a message notice, snoozing an alarm, and more. However, double-tap is configured to do the default action of that specific notification or app and cannot be modified. This means you can’t modify Double-Tap to dismiss a message notice instead of the usual reply choice or ignore a call instead of responding to it by default.
Software & Performance –
Apple’s new S9 SiP (System in Package) processor is said to be 30% quicker than last year’s S8 chip. It also has a four-core Neural Engine, which enables on-device Siri processing and the double-tap gesture, among other functions. The former implies that Siri can do basic activities such as setting reminders or alarms despite requiring an active internet connection.
If one is upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 7 or earlier model, there will be a speed increase during normal use. Animations and programme transitions are smooth, and there is little to no latency when operating applications. If one is upgrading from Series 8, then they may not notice much of a change in performance. Nonetheless, toggling between exercises, weather, and Apple Music on the fly is a breeze with Series 9.
In terms of watchOS 10, Apple has implemented a few changes to make apps easier to understand at a glance. Apple also changed the way you access the control panel and widgets. Swiping up on the main screen instantly displays Smart Stack widgets, and hitting the side button displays the control panel. It took some getting accustomed to because my muscle memory is to swipe up for the control panel. And, as expected, watchOS 10 includes several new watch faces, such as the Solar Analogue, which is rather lovely, and the Snoopy, which is more fun than utilitarian.
The durability of the Battery –
In terms of batteries, not much has changed. The Apple Watch Series 9 still has a two-day battery life on a single charge if used judiciously. If one uses any of the training modes for an hour or more, this is reduced to a day and a half. If one has an always-on display activated, this is reduced to a day’s battery life. If one is upgrading from a Series 7 or previous Apple Watch, they’ll see a slight gain in battery life, but nothing spectacular. Using a 30W Apple charging brick, the iPhone takes around an hour to charge from 0% to 100%, while a 20W adaptor takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Verdict –
The Apple Watch Series 9 lacks the introduction of a groundbreaking new design language. It resembles its predecessor and its predecessor’s predecessor, so one knows what to anticipate. The S9 SiP makes the smartwatch faster than ever, although the battery life improves somewhat. The new double-tap is perhaps the most significant change, and it feels like a feature that will only improve in the future. However, this single function may not be worth upgrading from a Series 8 or a Series 7.
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