Apple Watch Series 9 Review: Redefining Wearable Tech

Apple Watch Series 9 Review for 2023

Apple Watch Series 9 Review This is the Apple Watch Series 9 for 2023. Again, the same kind of squarish design, the same two sizes available, 41 and 45 millimeters, and a lot of changes going on inside.

What’s New with the Apple Watch Series 9?

We’re going to look at it now. Just as with last year, it’s available in aluminum for the entry-level models, and then you can get it in stainless steel, which includes cellular, though you don’t have to use 4G LTE, but it’s there if you need it.

Pricing and Design

So entry-level starting at $399, around $799 if you want a 45-millimeter stainless steel. So just like I said last year in my Apple Watch Ultra review, it’s close enough in price to the Apple Watch Ultra in stainless steel that, you know, don’t cheap out over 30 bucks or something like that; I’d rather have the Ultra, go get it. Then again, the Ultra is still a more divisive, big chunky design, so there are people who certainly don’t want it. The Apple Watch, say what you will about the square design, snark and all that sort of thing, it’s a very comfortable design, even in stainless steel, which is a little bit heavier than aluminum, even in the bigger size, which I happen to be showing off right here. And it’s an easy watch to dress up, especially if you use a leather band, which, by the way, Apple isn’t going to make anymore because it’s not good for the environment, not good for animals. But there are third-party bands, or you might have one if you’re upgrading from an older watch.

Processor and Siri Functionality

Alright, inside we have the new S9 processor, which is based on the A16 Bionic that has been used in iPhones. It’s supposed to be 30% faster on graphics and just faster in general. So what’s the big deal? In fact, sure, we get newer CPUs every so often, which we really didn’t last year, but now it enables Siri functionality directly on the watch.

How Does Siri Functionality Work on the Apple Watch Series 9?

What does that mean? Not just for privacy, it doesn’t have to go to the cloud for every single thing you ask it, but it makes it quicker. There’s no sending it to the cloud over Wi-Fi or cellular. Now, obviously, it can only do those things for stuff that can be accomplished locally on the watch. If you want to set a timer or tell you what time it is or whatever, that sort of thing. If you want to ask it what the capital of Portugal is, it’s going to have to refer to the internet.

What’s the Exciting New Feature Enabled by the S9 Processor?

And then there’s the feature that I’m most excited for, and supposedly enabled in part by the new S9 processor. I know people wish it would come to the older Apple Watch, which had accessibility features that allowed you to clench your fist to do certain actions, but this is not for accessibility. You can’t use both the accessibility feature and this new feature at once, but you can just double tap like this after you raise your arm, and it will hit the default button for you, whatever the current action button is, which is different from what accessibility features are doing.

How Does the Watch Ship and What’s Unique in Watch OS 10?

So, what does that mean? A lot of the time, your hands are dirty, you’re busy or something like that, the timer goes off, you just want it to stop so you can just go right, you’re cooking, you’ve got flour, you’ve got goo on your hands, whatever it is. You’re working underneath the car, and you’re all greasy, and a call comes in that you would like to take, you can just do this and not touch the watch. So that’s pretty nice. Again, that’s coming in October.

The watch ships with OS 10, watch OS 10, and that is not unique to this new watch because Apple always offers that for older watches as well.

What’s the Highlight of Watch OS 10?

My favorite feature there is the new Peanuts watch face. No kidding. Not really kidding. It’s a wonderful watch face. I mean, I’m the person who used the Toy Story and the Mickey Mouse watch faces, so I dig those things. It’s very complicated. It’s not just Snoopy; he does things like he’s making pizza dough, and it gets stuck on the minute arm, and Woodstock comes out. It’s really cute. It’s delightful. It’ll make you happy if you’re having a sad day. The only drawback is no useful complications there, and I’m particularly an information junkie. I like complications, which get into something else with watch OS 10. Again, not unique to this watch, but it’s your only choice with this watch.

Fitness and Sports Features

I never knew this, but I discovered that some people, to get different information like information on complications, would simply switch between the watch faces, which seems like Apple must be doing it wrong if that’s how you’re trying to get a variety of information. So, they added something called Stacks or smart Stacks. You can scroll through them using that double-tap motion as well to provide a variety of information. Some people don’t like this, some people do like this. I never did change my watch face to try to get information, and I do like it. It seems a little bit Android-sequel to me, which I like.

Power Measurement and Device Interfaces

Sports tracking features and health features have always, you know, among smartwatches, not purpose-built like a Garmin Fenix or something like that, high-end Sports and Fitness Watch. Apple has always excelled, so they just do a really good job, whether it’s your sleep monitoring or your fitness monitoring, not just the number of exercises it supports, but the accuracy of it, the GPS accuracy. You go for a walk or a run or something like that, and you look at the GPS tracks afterward, and it doesn’t look like you were wildly drunk or something like that. It’s accurate and shows straight lines. Competition in the world of Android watches has a way to go to accomplish that in some cases, sorry to say. Still, anyway, it’s good stuff.

Final Thoughts on the Apple Watch Series 9

Yeah, I’m not going to review the Watch Ultra 2. I did review the original model because the brightness and the S9 processor are the only changes. And I suspect that those of you who are hankering for the Watch Ultra probably got that one originally, and you’re not going to upgrade just for those changes. At least I wouldn’t. However, if you always CHECK GOOGLE PIXEL WATCH 2