Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 8 during the company’s annual fall product event on Wednesday. The GPS version starts at $399 (£419, AU$629), while the cellular version starts at $499. It will be available on September 16 with pre-orders starting immediately. Apple also announced the rugged Apple Watch Ultra, which starts at $799, and a new version of the more affordable Apple Watch SE, starting at $249 and on pre-order now. Here’s everything Apple announced at its September 7 event. The most significant change is the addition of a temperature sensor, marking the first time Apple has added a new health sensor to its smartwatch since the Series 6 arrived with blood oxygen saturation readings in 2020. The new batch of Apple Watches, which includes the 8 Series as well as the new SE and Ultra models, are also the first to include crash detection, further underscoring Apple’s emphasis on wellness and safety. The Apple Watch Ultra is a new outdoor version of the Apple Watch aimed at athletes, while the SE is a revamped version of Apple’s cheapest smartwatch.
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Temperature detection and traffic accident detection
The Apple Watch Series 8’s temperature sensor is the biggest upgrade to this year’s watch. There are actually two sensors, one under the screen and another on the back, closer to the skin. This will improve accuracy by helping the watch distinguish your wrist temperature from other factors affecting the temperature in your environment. The watch takes your wrist temperature overnight every five seconds and tracks it in the Apple Health app. Since this is an overnight passive read, I wasn’t able to test it in Apple’s demo room. But I was able to see how this information would be presented in the Health app. The app will display changes in your basal temperature on a graph within the app, along with context about what the data means. The company says changes in your core temperature could be indicative of exercise, jet lag or illness. There’s also a new wrist temperature tile in the summary section of the Health app where you can leverage this data. Apple’s Health app will display data from the Series 8’s temperature readings. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Apple positions the temperature sensor as the most useful for monitoring women’s health. Temperature sensors allow Series 8 to provide retrospective ovulation estimates and improved period predictions. The Apple Watch is also getting a new safety feature this year: car crash detection. If the watch detects a collision, it will alert emergency services and the user’s emergency contacts if the user is unresponsive for 10 seconds. This is only available on the Series 8, new SE and Apple Watch Ultra models because it uses the upgraded gyroscope and accelerometer. Apple/Image by Sarah Lord/CNET Go straight to the source to pre-order the Apple Watch Series 8 and get three months of Apple Fitness Plus.
Low power mode
A description of the low power mode featured on the Apple Watch Series 8. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Another notable addition is the Apple Watch’s Low Power Mode, which Apple says will extend battery life by up to 36 hours for the Series 8. The new Low Power Mode disables features like the always-on display and automatic workout detection to maintain functionality while extending battery life. Although Apple just announced the feature today, it will also be available for the Series 4 and later. Otherwise, Apple Watch battery life is generally the same at 18 hours. The overall design of the Apple Watch seems generally unchanged this year. The size and overall shape of the 8 Series remains the same and will be available in midnight, starlight, silver and Product Red with an aluminum body. The stainless steel version, which I tested during my time, will come in silver, graphite and gold. The stainless steel Apple Watch Series 8 in gold. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Most of the Apple Watch Series 8’s most significant changes, like temperature sensing and low-power mode, are under-the-hood changes rather than cosmetic upgrades. We’ll have to spend more time with the Series 8 to know how much these additions really affect the overall experience. But based on what we know so far, the Series 8 looks like another step toward making the Apple Watch an even more complete wellness device. Apple leads the global smartwatch market with 29.3% of shipments in the second quarter of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung follows in second place with 9.2% of global smartwatch shipments during the same period. However, Apple faces increased competition. Although Samsung lags far behind Apple in terms of shipments, Samsung posted 40% year-over-year growth, compared to Apple’s 8% growth, according to Counterpoint data. In August, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Meanwhile, Google is expected to release its first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch, this fall. Google hasn’t revealed many details yet, but it seems to be positioning the Pixel Watch as a premium smartwatch similar to the Apple Watch. Although the iPhone is Apple’s biggest moneymaker, products like the Apple Watch are an important part of the company’s business. The wearables, home and accessories division, which includes products such as the Apple Watch and AirPods, is the company’s third-largest business after iPhone and digital services. Apple said in a quarterly earnings call in April that its wearables business is now the size of a Fortune 100 company. Read more: Best Smartwatch for 2022
