Apple Watch Series 9 Vs. Series 8: How They Compare

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When the Apple Watch Series 9 released in September 2023, it immediately supplanted the Series 8 in Apple’s lineup as the company’s flagship. Although it didn’t usher in many significant new upgrades, the Series 9 is the best Apple Watch you can buy, especially for new Watch wearers and those with older models. 

But that’s not to say the Series 8 is past its prime. For certain users, the Series 8 is still a highly useful wearable, especially if it can be purchased at a discount on its original sticker price of $399. Current users don’t necessarily need to rush out and upgrade to the Series 9 and can instead wait for the Series 10 (or whatever gets announced next year). 

Below is an in-depth breakdown of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 8, with comparisons of the watches’ design, smartwatch functionality, health and fitness tracking tools, and battery life. Read our full review of the Apple Watch Series 8 for more detailed insight.


Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS)

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a temperature sensor, car crash detection, and low-power mode that weren’t available to previous generations of the smartwatch. Now the Series 9 is out, we’re seeing regular discounts on the previous model.


Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm, GPS)

The Apple Watch Series 9 includes the newest S9 processor, a 2000-nit always-on Retina display, expanded Apple Health integrations with Siri, and a unique single-hand gesture to answer calls and interact with widgets.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 8: Specs

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 8: Size and design

A side by side picture of an Apple Watch Series 9 and an Apple Watch Series 8.

The design of the Apple Watch Series 9 (left) is identical to that of the Series 8 (right)

Rick Stella & Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider



Both the Series 9 and Series 8 are identical in size and appearance. However, the biggest distinguishable difference between the two is that the Series 9 is available in a new pink colorway. 

Each comes in two different display sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and both feature an always-on display, as well as two case options of either aluminum or stainless steel.  Both watches are also compatible with a variety of the best Apple Watch bands and the best Apple Watch Series 9 bands.

For the Series 9, its finish options include pink, Midnight black, Starlight tan, silver, and red in the aluminum case, and gold, silver, and Graphite black in the stainless steel case. The Series 8 comes in Midnight black, Starlight tan, silver, and red with its aluminum case, and Graphite black, silver, and gold with the stainless steel case.

Internally, the Series 9 has Apple’s new S9 chip, while the Series 8 uses the S8 chip.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Series 8: Smartwatch features

The Series 9 and Series 8 are also nearly identical in terms of smartwatch functionality. Although Apple released the updated WatchOS 10 operating system alongside the Series 9, it’s also

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General public encouraged to watch air high quality | Health and Conditioning

With spring burning year underway, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Well being Section (LLCHD) encourages area people to observe the Air Excellent Index (AQI) to establish if ranges of smoke in the air are harmful.

About the future six to 8 weeks, smoke from managed burning across the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma could trigger elevated smoke ranges in Lincoln and Lancaster County. Popular drought circumstances in the course of the central and western U.S. have also greater the risk of wildfires.

Smoke from controlled burning and wildfires can result in well being issues, particularly for kids, older older people and those people with bronchial asthma, lung disorder, other respiratory ailments or heart sickness. Those people at danger are encouraged to check out the AQI before carrying out any strenuous functions outdoors, choose a lot of breaks and observe for symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, problems breathing or chest soreness.

The LLCHD displays air quality 24 hrs a working day, and the Air High-quality Index (AQI) at airnow.gov is up-to-date hourly. The Environmental Safety Agency (EPA) also gives AirNow and SmokeSense intelligent telephone programs to support individuals stay knowledgeable of the AQI in their location.

Individuals are also reading…

The air quality stages are colour-coded on the AQI chart as follows:

• AQI values below 100 (eco-friendly or yellow) are not expected to cause health issues for the huge vast majority of men and women.

• AQI values concerning 101 and 150 (orange) reveal that air good quality is harmful for sensitive individuals. People today with bronchial asthma really should observe their asthma motion plans and have quick aid drugs quickly readily available. Young children, older grownups and those people with heart or lung disease really should lower extended or hefty exertion throughout out of doors actions.

• AQI values greater than 150 (red, purple and maroon) show that air top quality is unhealthy for all individuals. Out of doors things to do really should be moved indoors or rescheduled to a time when air high-quality will be better. Children, older grownups and persons with asthma or coronary heart or lung disease need to stay away from extended or heavy exertion throughout out of doors things to do. All other individuals must lower extended or major exertion throughout out of doors functions and consider more breaks in the course of those routines.

When air good quality is harmful, those people at risk can further more secure their overall health by keeping indoors, retaining home windows and doors closed, working with a HEPA filter and using the recirculate location when making use of a car or truck air conditioner. Individuals who expertise problems respiration, coughing, strange fatigue, coronary heart palpitations, tightness in the upper body or angina should really make contact with a healthcare care provider.

For extra data on LLCHD, visit lincoln.ne.gov/health.

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Which Fitness Tracker Is Best For You? Apple Watch vs. Fitbit vs. Oura vs. Garmin vs. Whoop

I have two watches on my left wrist, another on my right arm, a ring on my finger and a sensor embedded in my bra. No one should ever wear this many fitness trackers simultaneously. But in this moment, I am letting the latest heart-rate-sensing, sleep-capturing, workout-recording wearables from Apple, Fitbit,

Garmin,

GRMN 0.55%

Whoop and Oura capture all my data, to see which ones do the best job.

Whether you are training for a race or trying to lose the Quarantine 15, a fitness tracker can provide a helpful motivational nudge. But choosing the right one depends on your preferred activities and health goals—and requires an understanding of what data is most useful to you.

New trackers are much more than pedometers and heart-rate monitors. They also measure blood-oxygen levels, a sign of overall health and altitude acclimation. And they capture heart-rate variability, the difference in time between each heartbeat, which can provide feedback about your body’s ability to recover from exercise. But how accurate are the metrics?

The Right Metrics

Studies have shown that wrist-based wearables’ optical sensors—which beam light onto the skin to detect pulse—are generally accurate during rest, but less so during workouts with unpredictable movement, such as strength training.

The data can still be valuable. Zakkoyya Lewis-Trammell, an assistant professor of kinesiology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, said that while wrist-based trackers aren’t clinical devices, she considers them a reliable tool for comparing day-to-day changes.

One helpful approach: Pick metrics that are as close to the sensor’s data as possible—such as resting heart rate over time, said Seth Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Avoid obsessing over things like calories burned, which is just a calculated guess, he added.

A new metric popping up in wearables looks at whether your body is primed to work out. Fitbit and Oura call it “Readiness.” On Garmin, it’s “Body Battery.” Whoop assigns you a “Strain” score. Several Apple Watch apps, including Training Today, offer similar measurements. A high score means you’re ready for intense exercise; a low score indicates your body needs rest.

A new metric uses heart-rate variability to assign a score: High means ready for exercise, low means get some rest; from left, Garmin, Oura, Whoop and Fitbit.



Photo:

Nicole Nguyen/The Wall Street Journal

It isn’t as valid for people who have diabetes, heart disease or who are pregnant, Dr. Lewis-Trammell said. In those cases, she said, the data should be brought to a physician for evaluation.

For people who do outdoor workouts, GPS accuracy is important for logging distance. Dr. Lewis-Trammell found Garmin devices have a better GPS than others. I confirmed this in my own testing.

On one ride testing the wearables’ GPS-tracking capabilities, the Apple Watch and Garmin tracks were very close to my actual route. The Fitbit didn’t lock a GPS signal until about half a mile into my workout, so it displayed less total mileage. It also cut corners (literally) and showed me riding through neighbors’

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