With WWDC 2023 just behind us, now is the time to start seriously thinking about the new wearables Apple might launch later this year. There are some rumours already circulating on the internet about the Apple Watch Series 9, and we not only collected them here, but we also added our speculations based on what we know about the upcoming WatchOS 10, what we learned from the release of the Apple Watch Series 8, and information already available online.
We'll go out on a limb here and say that the Apple Watch Series 9 won't be a revolutionary wearable in the sense that it won't radically redesign the physical appearance of the watch. To a degree, every new iteration of the Apple Watch is the best Apple Watch, but, generally speaking, the changes between the different generations aren't significant.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 7 or an earlier version, it might be worth seeing what the new Series 9 has to offer. If you have the Series or the Apple Watch Ultra, you'll probably be okay updating your wearable to WatchOS 10 when it becomes publicly available. Without further ado, let's discuss what we know about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9.
Apple Watch Series 9 price and availability
The Apple Watch Series 8 sells for £419/ $399/ AU$ 629 and comes in two size options (41mm or 45mm), just like its predecessor. The Apple Watch Series 7 originally sold for £369/ $399/ AU$ 629, so for the same price as the Series 8, apart from the UK, where it's more expensive.
Based on this, we expect the Apple Watch Series 9 to cost more, as it's unlikely Apple will keep the price unchanged in this economic environment (i.e. rising inflation). Based on the price change between the Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 7, we expect the Apple Watch Series 9 to cost around £449/ $430 / AU$ 659. Check out our best cheap Apple Watch deals for the latest prices on this and all other Apple wearables.
When is the Apple Watch Series 9 out?
We expect the Apple Watch Series 9 to launch at Apple's annual event, which will most likely happen in September 2023. This is where Apple usually announced the latest generation of their products. That said, tons of new hardware was announced at WWDC 2023 in June, including the Apple Vision Pro headset, a new 15-MacBook Air, a new Mac Studio, etc.
Apple Watch Series 9: design
Rumour has it that "hardware changes are expected to be minimal" in the Apple Watch Series 9. This year, Apple will focus on updating their wearable operating system. Cyclists and hikers will be the biggest beneficiaries, but it's likely every Apple Watch user will benefit from the new user interface changes.
One major hardware update we'll hopefully see is the inclusion of Apple's A15 chip, which might improve battery life, admittedly the weakest point of the wearable. We can't wait to see an Apple Watch with longer battery life than just a day, so if AI-optimised Apple silicone can make that happen, let's add that bad boy in there.
Apple Watch Series 9: features
It's hard to separate new Apple Watch releases from the latest iteration of WatchOS, which is the case with Apple Watch Series 9 and WatchOS 10. You can read more about what new features are coming in our WatchOS 10 roundup, but as a quick summary, the new operating system will put a lot more emphasis on the watch faces and the Digital Crown.
The slight issue with talking about new WatchOS features is that they will also be rolled out to older Apple Watches and, therefore, not exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 9. We haven't got any information on any Series 9 exclusive features yet, but once these surface, we'll list them here.
