Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 was announced on 12 September 2023 and went on sale on Friday 22 September 2023, starting at $399 in the United States. It kept the case design of the Series 8 but replaced the chip, and that single change brought the features Apple built the launch around: a new double tap gesture, a display that reaches 2000 nits, on-device Siri and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for locating an iPhone. It was also the first Apple Watch sold in carbon neutral combinations. This page is a specification-and-information review based on the published specifications and manufacturer information, so performance and battery statements are Apple's own claims. It covers where the watch sits in the lineup, the S9 chip and double tap, the display, health and fitness features, watchOS 10, battery and charging, who it suits and where it compromises.

Place in the lineup

At launch the Series 9 sat in the middle of Apple's watch range: above the Apple Watch SE, which started at $249 and kept the core experience at a lower price, and below the Apple Watch Ultra 2, announced the same day. Apple sold the Series 9 in 41 mm and 45 mm sizes, in aluminium (starlight, midnight, silver, (PRODUCT)RED and a new pink) and in stainless steel (gold, silver and graphite). The Hermès edition came in stainless steel as well. Since then Apple has moved on: the Apple Watch Series 10 brought a larger, thinner design, and newer models have followed, up to the Apple Watch Series 12. If you are weighing a Series 9 against its successor, the Series 9 vs Series 10 table lists the differences, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 page covers the bigger, tougher sibling it launched beside.

S9 chip and the double tap gesture

The Series 9 is powered by the S9 SiP, which Apple called its most powerful watch chip to date. It includes a new four-core Neural Engine that Apple says can process machine-learning tasks up to twice as fast as the Series 8. That speed is what makes the headline feature possible. Double tap lets you control the watch with the hand that wears it: tapping the index finger and thumb together twice performs the most common action in the app on screen, such as stopping a timer, playing or pausing music, snoozing an alarm, answering or ending a call, or taking a photo with Camera Remote. From the watch face, a double tap opens the Smart Stack and further double taps scroll through its widgets. Apple explains that the gesture works by reading the accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart sensor with a machine-learning algorithm that detects the tiny wrist movements and blood-flow changes of the tap. At announcement the gesture was described as coming in a software update the following month, so early buyers had to wait for it.

The same chip lets Siri requests that do not need the internet, such as starting a workout or setting a timer, be processed on the watch itself, which Apple says is quicker and more reliable and keeps the data private. Siri can now also read from and log to the Health app, for example asking how much you slept or logging weight or medications. Apple adds that dictation is up to 25 percent more accurate than on the Series 8. These are manufacturer claims and depend on language and region.

Display

The display is an Always-On Retina LTPO OLED panel at 326 pixels per inch. Maximum brightness rose to up to 2000 nits, double that of the Series 8, which Apple says makes text easier to read in direct sunlight, and the minimum dropped to one nit so the watch does not light up a dark room or a partner's face at night. Aluminium models use Ion-X glass, while stainless steel models use a sapphire front crystal. Case sizes are 41 mm and 45 mm, each 10.7 mm deep, and the aluminium GPS versions weigh 31.9 g and 38.7 g respectively. Apple does not publish a refresh-rate figure for this watch, so none is listed here.

Ultra Wideband, Precision Finding and HomePod

The S9 SiP includes a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, matching the one in the iPhone 15 family. That enables Precision Finding for iPhone: the watch can show distance and direction to a misplaced iPhone with visual, haptic and audio guidance, even in a different room. The chip also supports tighter integration with HomePod; when you come within about four metres of a HomePod that is playing audio, the watch can open Now Playing, and if nothing is playing it suggests media at the top of the Smart Stack.

Health and fitness

The watch combines a third-generation optical heart sensor with an electrical heart sensor for the ECG app, temperature sensing, a compass, an always-on altimeter, a high-g accelerometer and a gyroscope. Apple lists Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, high and low heart rate notifications and irregular rhythm notifications among its safety and health tools, and the watch supports a wide range of workouts including running, cycling, swimming and hiking. Many health features come from software and have changed since launch, and some depend on region or regulatory clearance, so check Apple's current feature list for your country before buying. The watch is water resistant to 50 metres under ISO 22810:2010, which Apple says is suitable for shallow-water activities such as swimming, but not for diving, and it has IP6X dust resistance.

watchOS 10

The Series 9 launched with watchOS 10, a milestone update according to Apple. It redesigns apps to make better use of the screen, adds the Smart Stack of widgets that surface when relevant, and brings new watch faces: Snoopy, Palette and Solar Analog, plus a Nike Globe face. For athletes there is Bluetooth connectivity for power meters, speed sensors and cadence sensors with new metrics and Workout Views, a cycling workout that appears as a Live Activity on iPhone, and new Compass Waypoints and Maps capabilities for hiking. Wellbeing additions include state-of-mind logging in the Mindfulness app and a measurement of time spent in daylight using the ambient light sensor. watchOS 10 requires an iPhone XS or later running iOS 17, which is an important compatibility point for anyone with an older phone. Apple also included three months of Fitness+ with a new purchase.

Battery and charging

Apple quotes up to 18 hours of normal use, based on a defined pattern of time checks, notifications, app use and a one-hour workout with music, and up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode. The watch supports fast charging, reaching about 80 percent in around 45 minutes according to Apple. In practice the Apple Watch is a charge-every-night device, and compared with sports watches from Garmin or COROS its battery endurance is its clearest weakness. The Series 9 stores up to 64 GB and connects over Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3, with optional LTE and UMTS on cellular models.

Environment and bands

For the first time, select case and band combinations of the Series 9 were carbon neutral, a milestone Apple tied to its 2030 climate goal; any aluminium Series 9 with the new Sport Loop qualified. Apple said it would stop using leather in new products, introduced the FineWoven microtwill bands made partly from recycled content, and partnered with Nike and Hermès for further band collections. Packaging was redesigned to be entirely fibre-based.

Who it is for

The Series 9 suits iPhone owners who want a polished, well-integrated smartwatch with strong notification, payment and health features and who are happy to charge it daily. It is a sensible choice if you find a newer model too expensive, but you give up the larger screen and later health features of newer generations. Android phone owners cannot use it, because it needs an iPhone. You can also compare it with other wearables on the rankings page.

Compromises

Battery life is short compared with fitness-focused watches. The case design is the same as in the Series 8, so there is no new look to justify an upgrade for someone who already owns that model. Some of the launch features, notably double tap, arrived later than the hardware. Apple's performance and accuracy figures are measured under its own test conditions, and the watch locks you into the Apple ecosystem for setup and updates.