Apple has been regularly evolving its flagship device, the Apple Watch, since the device’s launch in 2015. With all the naming conventions and other minor changes, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest information about the Apple Watch. Here’s some basic information about the Apple Watch and more details about Apple’s popular wearable device. The Apple Watch Series 8 is the latest iteration of the Apple Watch, which originally launched in 2015, replacing the Apple Watch Series 7.
The Apple Watch Series 8 does not offer any design updates compared to the previous model and has the same features and functionality. It still comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and the cases feature the same rounded edges, slim display, sapphire crystal back, and Digital Crown with haptic feedback.
The Apple Watch Series 8 was announced alongside the next-generation Watch SE and the rugged Apple Watch Ultra. While the Ultra claims the spotlight for being the new and shiny toy, the Series 8 humbly stays in the background. With a similar design to its predecessor and the same chipset, the Apple Watch Series 8 plays it safe this year, just like the iPhone 14 compared to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Design
It’s almost impossible to tell the Apple Watch 8 apart from the Apple Watch 7. The new smartwatch features the curved case and thinner display edges that were introduced last year. This screen, which is 20% larger than the Apple Watch Series 6, is optimized for features like the Always-On display, the new watchOS 9 faces, and a Qwerty keyboard for sending messages.
Yes, these are things we’ve had for a year with the Series 7. But we expect people upgrading from older Apple Watch devices will see the new design as a big improvement. If you’re thinking about upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 5 or Series 4, get ready for more usable screen real estate.
On the side of the Apple Watch Series 8, you’ll find the familiar digital crown and side button, which are used along with the touchscreen to navigate the device. Although it would be nice if there was an action button on the side like on the Apple Watch Ultra, the design of the Apple Watch Series 8 is still very intuitive. The colors of the Apple Watch Series 8 are Midnight, Silver, Starlight, and Product Red. The blue and green watches are no longer available, although I don’t think either way about their departure.
Display
If you’ve used the Apple Watch 7 in the slightest, you’ll know what the Watch 8 looks like. It’s identical in every way. If you’ve ever tried the Apple Watch 5 and above, you’ll have the same feeling – only the slight increase in screen size suggests it’s a different timepiece. But let’s assume that you’ve either never used an Apple Watch before or simply forgotten what one looks like because you put your old watch in a drawer because you lost the charger.
The design and display are exactly the same as the Watch 7 – the same curved back with a bulbous but comfortable heart rate monitor, a bright and easy-to-read display that blends smoothly into the case, and a smooth digital crown on the right side of the display. The design is typical of the Apple Watch and looks almost exactly like the first version, just a bit larger. If you’re looking for something that will stand out on your wrist, the Apple Watch Ultra is for you.
It’s just that we’ve seen all of this before with the Watch 7. So it’s more of an iterative upgrade that should appeal to Apple Watch users who are still using a Watch 4 or 5 and think it’s time for an upgrade. As for the screen, it has the helpful always-on display that shows basic information when idle before lighting up when you raise your wrist in our tests, this was fast and accurate as always, as the new S8 chipset inside gets things done quickly and efficiently.
Features
The big new feature of the Apple Watch Seres 8 is a temperature sensor, similar to the Galaxy Watch 5, but unlike Samsung’s cavalier attitude toward its use, Apple has provided examples of its use from day one. First, the temperature sensor allows for more detailed tracking of menstruation by analyzing body temperature to provide an estimated date for the start of ovulation.
It can also detect “possible cycle abnormalities,” which are temperature fluctuations that occur during events such as spotting and could indicate broader health problems. You can also check your nighttime temperature in the Health app to see if you’ve had any major deviations from your baseline temperature. The Series 8 also features a new accelerometer that detects motion four times faster to detect a car accident and alert emergency services and anyone listed in your emergency contacts.
While standard battery life remains unchanged at 18 hours, there’s a new power-saving mode that disables features like the always-on display, automatic workout tracking, and fall detection to deliver up to 36 hours of battery life – a big plus for those who didn’t like the one-day battery life of previous Apple Watches.
Skin Temperature Sensor
Let’s take a closer look at the skin temperature sensor that Apple introduces with this update. The skin temperature sensor feeds into two areas of Apple’s Health Suite: sleep monitoring and cycle monitoring. As for sleep, deviations from your nighttime baseline temperature can help you figure out what external factors are affecting your regular rest. For example: traveling or long parties. If we were trying to get pregnant, the Apple Watch Series 8 could predict our ovulation window based on the temperature on our wrist and other information about my period.
Changes in wrist temperature have been shown to be accurate indicators of likely ovulation. If you have a medical condition that affects your cycle, overnight wrist temperature data can provide a sense of reassurance. I suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which was highlighted in the Apple Women’s Health Study, so maintaining a “normal” ovulation cycle requires certain lifestyle habits on my part. If my wrist temperature data is off in a given month, it could mean we need to take better care of symptom management. This function needs at least one month to calibrate.
Car Crash Detection
Another new feature that we can’t test yet, however, is the car accident detection feature. With the help of an improved gyroscope and accelerometer that can now sense G-forces of up to 256 GS, Apple is pretty confident that the new Watch 8 will be able to tell if you’ve been in an accident and immediately alert emergency services and transmit any data if you’re unconscious.
This feature only works when you’re moving, meaning it uses GPS and the iPhone connection to detect if the wearer is in a car think of this feature as something that gives you peace of mind, not a specific reason to buy the new Watch 8. It’s a tough sell when you can get the Watch 7 or even the Watch 6 for much cheaper at some retailers buying the Watch 8 feels like investing in a really comprehensive insurance policy, just for peace of mind.
When every Apple Watch you can buy has car accident detection, that will be a real reason to join Apple’s smartwatch camp, because it’s a brilliant feature. As for the health features, all the previous ones are there: Atrial fibrillation detection, blood oxygen, an ECG, and more to alert you to abnormalities.
Outdoor and Safety Features
While the Apple Watch Series 8 has turned out to be a repetitive update, the $799 Apple Watch Ultra is unlike any other smartwatch we’ve seen from Apple so far, the largest and most durable Apple Watch ever, as well as the most rugged. There are several differences between the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra, including size, design, and features.
And mostly it makes sense why the Apple Watch Ultra has certain features that the Apple Watch Series 8 doesn’t; we don’t plan on going deep sea diving with the Apple Watch Series 8 anytime soon. But the one feature of the Apple Watch Ultra that I think Apple should have included in the Series 8 is the siren.
The siren on the Apple Watch Ultra is 86 decibels loud, made possible by a new speaker system in the larger watch. Even though it’s not quite as loud, we wish the regular Apple Watch had a siren app that could be triggered in case of an emergency. Personal safety is not only an important concern in the great outdoors, but also in the city we live in.
Battery Life
The battery life of Apple Watch models has slowly improved while remaining the same. Why is that? The improved battery life that comes from the more efficient chip and (probably) larger battery inside provides more power, but then you add other features like a blood oxygen sensor and an always-on display that make everything better and require more power. In our initial testing, the Watch 8’s battery lasted 38 hours on a single full charge, far more than Apple’s predicted 18 hours.
Since we were on sick leave due to an unfortunate illness, we achieved our 38 hours with a lot of lying down and only a single trip, as well as a small portion of music control via the phone. Further testing yielded even more interesting results. In short, you still need to charge the device daily, but how long you need to charge it depends on how often you use it. After 17 hours without charging, with about 70 minutes of GPS-assisted running, a short bike ride, and some music control via the phone, the Watch 8 dropped about 55%.
That’s quite a bit, and you’re probably looking at about 30 hours of use if that fits your daily routine. If you use an older Watch charger, the juice will charge at about 1% per minute, which means you’ll get a full charge in just under two hours. But why mention an older charger when the Watch 8 comes with a fancy new fast charging block? Well, this block uses a USB-C connector on the end, rather than the blocky and traditional USB-A connector that most people are familiar with.
Price and Availability
The Apple Watch Series 8 will be available from September 16, 2022, at a starting price of $399 (AU$629) for the 41-millimeter model (GPS only). It will be priced at $499 (AU$789) for the version with GPS and cellular. The 45-millimeter variant starts at $429 (AU$679) and goes up to $529 (AU$839) for cellular support. There are two more Apple Watch models to choose from this year: the $799 Apple Watch Ultra and the $249 Apple Watch SE (2022).
You won’t be too shocked (unless you live in the UK… thanks, inflation) – the Apple Watch Series 8 price has been set at $399/£419/AU$629 for the GPS model and $499/£529/AU$749 for the cellular model. Of course, this is the base price for the 40mm variant the smaller of the two and if you opt for the 45mm variant, expect to pay $429/£449/AU$679. In short, this is not one of the cheapest smartwatches out there by far.
Final Words
We hope you like this article on Apple Watch Series 8 review. It’s really hard to get excited about the new Watch 8, especially since the Watch Ultra shows how much more can be gotten out of the device. Apple’s habit of only slightly improving last year’s devices is still evident here, playing on the fact that users will only go to the Apple Store to get the latest model rather than intentionally going to buy a dedicated watch.
A smartwatch is a type of watch that comes with a local touchscreen interface for everyday use. It offers additional features to the standard watches like pedometer, GPS and more. Often, they are also connected to your smartphone and show you content that you could also see on your phone without having to pick up your phone.
