Apple Watch Series 9: what you need to know

The Apple Watch 9 release date is September 22, and pre-orders opened on September 12.

Even Apple realises that visually, there’s very little to separate the Watch 9 from the eighth generation it’s replacing – but the same can’t be said for the internals of the new smartwatch.

Apple claims it has completely redesigned the S9 chipset it’s used inside, and that’s resulted in more performance for you, the user. It allows the Apple Watch 9 to process data faster, and open apps more quickly.

It also enables a new way interact with your watch – the double tap gesture.

By double tapping your thumb and forefinger (on the hand your watch is on) you can control core functions on the Apple Watch 9.

This provides you one-handed control over your Apple Watch, which will come in handy if you’re other hand is busy holding or doing something.

The double tap gesture can do things such as answer a call, end a call, 
start and stop a timer, snooze an alarm, play and pause music or video playback, and control the camera shutter on your iPhone.

Apple spend a considerable amount of time during its launch event talking up its sustainability credentials as it works towards becoming entirely carbon neutral by 2030.

And to bolster its effort, it was able to announce that the Apple Watch 9 (and Watch Ultra 2) is one of its first carbon neutral products.

You’ll need to pair your Watch 9 with one of Apple’s new Sport Loop straps to ensure an entirely carbon neutral setup, and the company claims this combination reduces emissions by 78%.

Apple has doubled the brightness of the display on the Watch 9 versus the Watch 8 it is displaying, with a peak brightness of 2000 nits.

This will make the screen easier to see in bright light, allowing you to make sure of the information the watch can display when you’re out and about.

It can also be dimmed to just 1 nit, making it comfortable to view in low light, without giving off a harsh glare – useful if you want to check something at night.

If you’re someone who often misplaces their phone and then has to spend time finding it, the Apple Watch 9 can help.

With the Precision Finding feature, the watch can direct you to your missing iPhone, showing you how far away you are on the screen, and providing the approximate direction you need to travel in to find it.

At a time where it seems everything is going up in price, Apple bucks the trend with the Apple Watch 9.

Last year it increased prices with the introduction of the Watch 8, but in 2023 Apple has dropped the price of its latest generation smartwatch in the UK.

The Apple Watch 9 price starts at £399 for the smaller 41mm aluminium body (great for slender wrists), which is £20 less than the launch price of its predecessor.

Aluminium frame
The aluminium frame provides a matt finish and makes the Watch 9 carbon neutral when paired with a Sport Loop strap.

41mm
– GPS: £399
– GPS + Cellular: £499
45mm
– GPS: £429
– GPS + Cellular: £529

Stainless Steel frame
The pricier stainless steel frame has a polished, shiny finish and a tough sapphire crystal display which helps prevent scuffs and scratches.

41mm
– GPS + Cellular: £699
45mm
– GPS + Cellular: £749