Over the years, the Apple Watch has seen only modest improvements when comparing year to year, making it critical to evaluate the wisdom of an upgrade versus sticking with an older model. The latest release, the Series 9, debuts the S9 chip, offering a performance boost for the first time in four years and supporting features like Double Tap. Priced from $399, it follows the Series 8, which added body temperature monitoring and Crash Detection. Before that, the last notable update was the 2021 Series 7, featuring larger screens and quicker charging capabilities.
We break down each generation's new features and improvements to help you assess the cumulative benefits of skipping over various models when making a purchase. While the Series 9 doesn't represent a significant leap over the Series 7 and 8, it does offer compelling advantages for those with Series 6 or older models. Budget-conscious buyers might consider discounted Series 7 or 8 models as well.
Apple Watch Series 9 (2023)
- Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness
- Display can get dimmer in dark rooms and at night (down to 1 nit of brightness)
- Double Tap gesture
- S9 chip (based on A15 Bionic)
- 4-core Neural Engine (x2 faster than Series 8)
- Siri processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet
- Siri can access health and fitness data
- 25% more accurate dictation
- Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
- Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models
- HomePod proximity integration
- 64GB storage
- Pink aluminum casing introduced
Apple Watch Series 8 (2022)
- S8 chip (same CPU as S6)
- More powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer
- Crash Detection
- Body temperature sensor
- Wrist temperature sensing during sleep
- Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
- Blue and Green aluminum casings discontinued, Silver aluminum reintroduced
- Apple Watch Edition discontinued
Apple Watch Series 7 (2021)
- 41mm and 45mm case sizes
- 1.7mm display borders for almost 20% more screen area than Series 6
- QWERTY keyboard
- Up to 70% brighter display than Series 6 indoors when wrist is down
- S7 chip (Same CPU as S6)
- Crack-resistant front crystal (50% thicker)
- IP6X dust resistance
- Fast charging for up to 80% charge in about 45 minutes (33% faster than Series 6)
- Silver and Space Gray aluminum casings discontinued, Midnight, Starlight, and Green introduced
Apple Watch Series 6 (2020)
- Up to 2.5x brighter always-on display
- Access Notification Center, Control Center, and Complications when display is asleep
- S6 chip (based on A13 Bionic, 20% faster than S5)
- Always-on altimeter
- First-generation Ultra Wideband chip
- 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi
- Blood oxygen sensor
- Faster charging for a full charge in under 1.5 hours
- Improved battery life for tracking certain workouts, such as indoor and outdoor runs
- Blue and (PRODUCT)RED aluminum casing options introduced
- Space Black stainless steel casing available with Apple Watch Hermès only, Graphite option introduced
- Ceramic Apple Watch Edition discontinued
Apple Watch Series 5 (2019)
- Always-on Retina display
- Force Touch removed
- S5 chip
- Compass
- 32GB storage
- Apple Watch Edition reintroduced with White Ceramic, Natural Titanium, and Space Black Titanium casing options
Apple Watch Series 4 (2018)
- 40mm and 44mm case sizes
- Over 30% larger display with curved corners
- 3.0mm display borders
- S4 chip (2x faster than S3)
- Gyroscope and accelerometer
- Barometric altimeter
- Fall detection
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
- Optical heart sensor and electrical heart sensor for ECG
- 16GB storage
- Digital Crown with haptic feedback
- 50% louder speaker
- Relocated microphone for reduced echo and better sound quality
- Faster charging for a full charge in 1.5 hours
- Gold stainless steel casing introduced
- Apple Watch Edition discontinued
Apple Watch Series 3 (2017)
- S3 chip (70% faster than S2)
- Barometric altimeter
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Siri able to speak through the onboard speaker
- LTE cellular model available with red Digital Crown
- Rose Gold aluminum casing discontinued
- Gray Ceramic Apple Watch Edition model introduced
Apple Watch Series 2 (2016)
- Retina display with up to 1,000 nits of brightness (2x brighter than previous generation)
- S2 chip (dual‑core)
- GPS and GLONASS receiver
- Water resistant up to 50 meters
- Gold and Rose Gold aluminum casing options added
- 18K Gold and Rose Gold Apple Watch Edition discontinued, Ceramic model introduced in White
- Apple Watch Nike+ variant introduced
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg suggests that Apple is contemplating less frequent, but more impactful, updates for the Apple Watch. Rumors for next year's Series X predict a major overhaul to celebrate the device's 10th anniversary, including slimmer designs, enhanced displays, microLED technology, improved batteries, blood pressure tracking, and a novel band-attachment mechanism.
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