There's one other thing to consider - availability. Apple only sells certain models of its watches, and while third-party retailers usually offer a bigger range, depending on where you run it might not be all of them.
The best Apple Watch for you varies depending on why you want one. With an increasing number of options, it isn't simply a case of being the latest and greatest with different watches aimed at different audiences. That's before you consider older devices that still hold their worth and purpose.
Review ~ Apple Watch
Incorporating many of the best smartwatches on the market, you can expect a certain baseline quality threshold here with many of them sharing the same features. That's whether you opt for an older Apple Watch 3, the Apple Watch SE, or the almighty Apple Watch Ultra.
The Apple Watch Ultra is the ultimate Apple Watch. It's bigger and bulkier, adding an action button that you can customize with genuinely useful features. Designed to survive all kinds of terrain, the Apple Watch Ultra rivals many Garmin watches.
The Apple Watch 5 is admittedly a bit past it at this point but it's almost as good as the Apple Watch 6, and like that wearable it comes with a handy always-on display. That will allow you to see all of your key stats without having to turn on your watch's screen. You've got the choice of either a 40mm or 44mm case for this watch, and it comes with a wide variety of fitness features.
The most exciting tech here, which we enjoyed testing in our review, is that this is the first example of an Apple with with ECG functionality, set within the heart rate tracker. It can test your heart to see if you're at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, which will allow you to seek help earlier if your health proves to be in danger. This is found on the Apple Watch 5 and up too, but not older models.
We wear the smartwatches all day, every day - we go for runs with them on, take calls on them, track our sleep with them, check our notifications with them, and even test out all the weird and wonderful apps available.
But if you're buying an Apple Watch 5, you'll need an iPhone 6S or later, which is the cutoff for watchOS 6, which is what that smartwatch ships with. The Apple Watch 6, Apple Watch 7, and Apple Watch SE also require an iPhone 6S or later.
There's also the Apple Watch Nike, which is the same device as the Apple Watch 6 or Apple Watch SE, but with the Nike Run Club app, exclusive watch faces, and Nike Twilight Mode, which fills the screen with solid color to help make you more visible
That's not all though. If you like the idea of a handcrafted leather strap, you may like the look of the Apple Watch Hermès. Again, it's the same old Apple Watch, but here you get exclusive watch faces as well as high-end leather straps for your wrist.
There are material and color options available including leather link, solo loop, Milanese loop, braided solo loop, and much more. Any Apple Watch strap works with any Apple Watch, as long as you've got the right smaller or larger size watch.
The latest features are useful, particularly, the temperature sensor, crash detection and the low power mode that extends usage considerably. If that sounds like a short list, it is, but factor in the already extensive features in the Apple Watch, and it adds up nicely. In fact, unless you need the extreme sports capabilities of the Ultra, Series 8 adds up to the best smartwatch around.
I'm a tech journalist working and living in Gloucestershire, in the UK. I ran my own PC hardware review website for many years before transitioning into freelance writing. I've covered everything from the rise of Bitcoin and the encroachment of anti-privacy laws, to tabletop wargaming and advances in virtual reality. I've written, authored, edited, and copywritten for a broad array of the most prominent publications, including Digital Trends, Lifewire, PCGamer, The Inquirer, and KitGuru. I've also written two novels, and contributed backstory and dialogue to a handful of games. I am passionate about all the cutting-edge hardware inside and out the latest gadgets, PCs, and consoles, even if I can't always afford them.
Alison is a Philadelphia-based writer and editor who has been sharing buying advice and product reviews for over a decade. She likes martial arts, cats, good food, and saving money. She dislikes writing about herself.
Apple has also introduced what it calls Low Power Mode, a new feature in watchOS 9 that can as much as double battery life by disabling the always-on display, as well as turning off heart-rate notifications (for irregular rhythm, high heart rate, and low heart rate), background heart-rate measurements, and background blood-oxygen measurements. Prior to the rollout of watchOS 9, your only option to preserve battery life was a Power Reserve toggle that cut off access to every feature except the ability to tell time.
There is an Always-On display that lets users see their watch face and complications at all times, and the Series 8 features crack-resistant front glass, IP6X dust resistance, and a WR50 water resistance rating. Apple Pay purchases are available with credit and debit cards stored in the Wallet app, and it has the same faster charging speeds with updated charging puck as on the Series 7. There is an S8 chip inside, but it is essentially identical to the S6 chip from two years ago with no speed improvements.
The feature is based on a two-sensor design that captures temperature information from the back of the watch near the skin and under the display, reducing environmental bias. At night, the Apple Watch Series 8 takes a temperature reading every five seconds, and it can detect changes as small as one degree. Apple Watch Series 8 owners can see nightly shifts in their baseline temperature that can be the result of exercise, jet lag, or illness.
Apple Watch Series 8 uses the temperature sensor to provide women with retrospective ovulation estimates, which can be helpful for family planning purposes. The data also provides improved period predictions, and in watchOS 9, women can receive notifications if a logged cycle history shows a possible deviation like irregular, infrequent, or prolonged periods.
Battery life remains the same at up to 18 hours, but it can be extended with a new Low Power Mode added in watchOS 9. With Low Power Mode, the Apple Watch can run for up to 36 hours, but it disables the Always-On display, turns off background heart rate measurements, limits WiFi and cellular connections, and more.
Apple has also introduced new bands and watch faces for Nike and Hermès Apple Watch models, and the Series 8 is now being sold alongside the higher-end, larger, and more feature rich Apple Watch Ultra, plus the lower-cost second-generation Apple Watch SE.
Initial reviews of the Apple Watch Series 8 were positive, but noted the very incremental upgrades compared to the previous generation. The improvements include the S8 chip, car crash detection, and international roaming.
The watch uses an OLED ultra low power temperature poly-silicon and oxide display (LTPO) to enable Always-On functionality, which allows the watch face, complications, and other information to be continually visible.
The display dims when the wrist is down in order to preserve battery life, but key features like watch hands remain illuminated all the time. Touching the watch face or raising the wrist brings the display back to full brightness, and to minimize battery drain, Apple has optimized watch faces for the feature. The Apple Watch's display also has a variable refresh rate that drops from 60Hz to as low as 1Hz when the watch is inactive.
That means if you're traveling to another country and are injured or in a situation where you need help, you can activate the SOS feature on the Apple Watch by holding down the side button to automatically get in touch with that country's emergency services. International emergency calling works with the Apple Watch's fall detection feature, so if that's enabled, it automatically places an emergency call if the watch senses the user has taken a hard fall and remains motionless afterward.
All Hermès models feature a silver or space black stainless steel Apple Watch body paired with one of the Hermès signature hand-crafted leather bands and an additional orange Hermès-branded Apple Watch Sport band. Hermès Apple Watches include unique watch faces based on Hermès watch designs.
Apple's Sport Bands are some of the company's lightest, most comfortable bands, made from a flexible and lightweight fluoroelastomer. Because they're ideal for use when exercising or engaging in vigorous activity, most of Apple's aluminum watches ship with Sport Bands. Pricing starts at $49 for the Sport Bands.
The 316L stainless steel alloy Link Bracelet, available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, is Apple's most expensive band made in-house. Available in silver ($349) and space black ($449), the Link Bracelet resembles a high-quality traditional watch band.
The Apple Watch Series 8 runs watchOS 9, the latest version of the Apple Watch operating system. watchOS 9 introduced new watch faces, enhancements to the Workout app and many types of workouts, a feature for tracking medications, updates to notifications, an AFib History option for those who have irregular heart rhythms, and more. Full details on watchOS 9 can be found in our watchOS 9 roundup.
According to analyst Jeff Pu and display analyst Ross Young, Apple is working on a new high-end watch that will feature a 2.1-inch (diagonal) micro-LED display, which could use display technology from LG. The watch is rumored to be coming in 2024 or 2025, and it is likely be an upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra. 2ff7e9595c
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