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Apple Watch Series 9 release date predictions, price, specs, and must-know features

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*Header image – the Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 9 is expected to get its official unveiling alongside the iPhone 15 series, sometime in the fall of this year. We are obviously still a few months away from the official unveiling, but people are already talking about Apple’s next premium timepiece. There are already rumors starting to creep up from the Internet’s dark corners. And if you’ve been with us for a while, you know – where there are rumors about a hot piece of tech, we’re also there to share them with you!
In this article, we are collecting everything you need to know about the Apple Watch Series 9 as the info (leaks and rumors) appears. We’ll have all the latest rumors and leaks as they show up, so you’ll be as informed as we are on the next Apple wearable. For now though, there’s not much information available so we will also have some experience-based speculation of what we could expect from the device.
There was recently a sketchy rumor that the Series 9 may be called Series X. So far, no reputable leakers have confirmed this info. Apart from that, recently Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated the Series 9 may be a minor update that focuses mainly on a new processor. He expects big performance jump thanks to the S9 processor. The analyst also previously stated that the chip will be an upgraded version based on the A15.

Now, onto what to expect from Apple’s next premium smartwatch in more details.

Release date

So far, there are no concrete leaks about the release date of the Apple Watch Series 9. However, Apple’s been fairly consistent with the announcements and the releases of its smartwatches, so there’s very high chance the next premium smartwatch will be unveiled in September of 2023. It will probably see the light of an official announcement alongside the iPhone 15 series, just like (almost) every year.

Device family Announcement Market release
Apple Watch Series 4 September 12, 2018 September 21, 2018
Apple Watch Series 5 September 10, 2019 September 20, 2019
Apple Watch Series 6 September 15, 2020 September 18, 2020
Apple Watch Series 7 September 14, 2021 October 15, 2021
Apple Watch Series 8 September 7, 2022 September 16, 2022
Apple Watch Series 9 September 2023 (probable date) September 2023 (probable date)

* – probable dates

Price

As you may probably imagine (just by the fact there’s around half a year still left to go before the official release), there are no leaks yet on what the Apple Watch Series 9 will cost. However, based on previous years we expect the price will remain the same.

The Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399, just like previous premium Apple Watches. So, for now, we assume the Series 9 will start at $399 too. When leaks show up, we’ll include the info here, so don’t hesitate to bookmark this page to stay on top of all we know about the Apple Watch 9.

Apple Watch model 41mm GPS only 45mm GPS only 41mm GPS + Cellular 45mm GPS + Cellular
Apple Watch Series 7 $399 $429 $499 $529
Apple Watch Series 8 $399 $429 $499 $529
Apple Watch Series 9 $399 (anticipated price) $429 (anticipated price) $499 (anticipated price) $529 (anticipated price)

Design

We are a bit early to get any renders of the Apple Watch Series 9 that could showcase what it looks like. It is fairly reasonable to expect Apple won’t change design course that easily. This basically means we will probably have a rectangular Apple Watch Series 9 with two case sizes: 41mm and 45mm. You will likely be able to choose between aluminum for the case material and stainless steel (and probably titanium for a more expensive version).

There’s some speculation (or wishful thinking, we’ll see how that will age), that the Series 9 could take a page of the Apple Watch Ultra’s look book. The Apple Watch Ultra is bigger, bulkier, and more rugged-looking. It does sound cool; however it seems more likely Apple to release an Apple Watch Ultra 2 than to make the Series 9 look that sporty.

We expect the digital crown and the buttons to remain unchanged as well.

As for colors of the Series 9, nothing is known yet. It’s possible the colors will remain fairly similar to previous models, and we’ll most likely see Midnight, Starlight, Graphite, Product RED. For now, that’s all we can presume about the Series 9 design. We’re patiently (or not so patiently!) waiting for leaks to show up so we can know more. Stay tuned!

Display specs

The Apple Watch Series 7 in 2021 was a huge step in the right direction for Apple and wearables’ displays. The bezels got noticeably thinner and the display got bigger when compared to the Series 6. The Series 8 on the other hand kept almost exactly the same display – it differed from the previous models just by the Watch faces, pretty much. The Series 8’s Always-On Retina display features a dust and crack resistant screen, and it gets comfortably bright outside.
Given the fact that no leaks are talking about the Series 9’s display so far, we can only speculate. Although we wish Apple would go for the miniLED display (seen in MacBooks and the iPad Pro), we are uncertain at this point if the tech will make it to the Series 9. It would be great if Apple goes for a big display upgrade next year, given the fact that the Series 8 did not bring anything new in particular in this category.

Battery

Battery on Apple Watches is something Apple really needs to think about. It’s true that we got bigger battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra, but not everyone wants that big of a smartwatch to wear all-day (and night) long. So far, Apple Watch battery life has remained more or less the same.

The Series 8 sports up to 18 hours of battery life and a new Low Power Mode which can help the watch last up to 36 hours. But we know that there are similar devices with better battery life on the market. For now, there’s no leaks on that but we do hope we can see an upgrade in battery life for the Series 9. Worst case scenario – the battery remains the same. This is not a deal-breaker for many people as the watch charges relatively fast.

Speaking of charging, according to official documentation from Apple, the Series 8 can charge from 0 percent to 80 percent in about 45 minutes (with Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable and a fast charging brick). We could see some improvements here with the Series 9, but even if Apple decides to stick with this speed, it’s pretty decent in our opinion.

Features and software

Apple Watches are quite popular with their health-related features, and the Series 9 will most likely continue on the tradition. The regular features we see on premium Apple Watches will most likely be present for the Series 9. Those are Blood Oxygen monitoring, Sleep monitoring, Emergency SOS, heart rate monitoring. The Series 8 brought Crash Detection which we’ll probably see for the Series 9 as well.

We also expect the body temperature monitoring on the Series 8 (for women’s health) to make it to the Series 9. Hopefully it will be available for regular body temperature monitoring and not just as a feature for women’s cycle tracking.

Of course, there should also be plenty of workouts available with the Series 9. The Series 8 already sports quite the plethora of different workouts you can pick from, and we expect Apple to build on that. We also expect many of the already-existing health and fitness features to get refined with the Series 9.

watchOS 10 will most likely power the Apple Watch Series 9

By the way, Apple’s just announced watchOS 10, most likely the OS that the Series 9 will come with out of the box. The updated OS will bring some very useful features to the timepiece. First of all, you get a display overhaul which will allow you to access widgets from the watch face. You also get Smart Stack with watchOS 10.
But that’s not all! Apple has redesigned some of the essential apps with watchOS 10. Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, Messages, World Clock, and other stock apps will look different once watchOS 10 arrives.

Activities are also getting some very notable improvements. With watchOS 10, Apple Watch devices will be scoring advanced new metrics and data views for cyclists. For example, starting a cycling activity on your Apple Watch will automatically show up as a Live Activity on your iPhone. Once tapped, this activity to a big view that will show you your current speed, the distance, your average speed, heart rate, and more useful info.

And last but not least, the update will bring two new watchfaces – Palette and Snoopy & Woodstock.

Should I wait for the Apple Watch Series 9?

For now it’s quite early to predict exactly what the upgrades for the next Apple Watch will be. We still have half a year before the official unveiling of the Series 9, so basically, if you’re looking for a new Apple Watch now, you might just go and buy one. However, if you’re currently rocking a Series 7 and thinking of an upgrade, you may want to wait to know whether it will be worth it to get a Series 9 in the fall of 2023.

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