Apple on Tuesday (September 12) officially announced its latest Watch lineup — the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 — at its Wonderlust event at Apple Campus in Cupertino, California. The Series 9 will be powered by the S9 chipset, which marks a jump in performance over its three predecessors, which were more or less the same chip with a different name. Apple claimed the S9 chip is 60 percent more powerful than the S8, which powered the Series 8.
The Series 9 will be available in four colours in an aluminium casing, including a bright Pink, Midnight, Starlight, and Product Red. The Watch Series 9 is also available in a stainless steel casing in Gold, Silver and Graphite finishes.
| Apple Watch Series 9 Price |
| Size | Case material | Variant | Price |
| 41 mm | Aluminium | GPS | Rs 41,900 |
| GPS+Cellular | Rs 51,900 |
| 45 mm | GPS | Rs 44,900 |
| GPS+Cellular | Rs 54,900 |
| 41 mm | Stainless steel | GPS+Cellular | Rs 70,000 |
| 45 mm | Rs 75,900 |
Most of the upgrades are on the inside, with the Watch chassis being identical. The new Series 9, which will run watchOS 10, also supports the NameDrop feature, which is a big selling point in iOS 17. The screen has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which Apple says is twice as bright as the Series 8. It can go as low as 1 nit for dark environments. It also boasts an 18-hour battery life.
The Series 9 also supports a new gesture — you can control the watch by double-tapping your fingertips. Apple says the Watch detects this gesture through a combination of blood flow and muscle movement. Double tap can be used to answer calls and control other features on the Watch Series 9. This feature will be available next month, Apple said during the keynote.
Apple also announced that it will replace its leather bands with a new material called "FineWoven", which is fabric-based. Apple also announced that it will continue its partnership with Hermes, except with FineWoven replacing leather bands. Apple's Nike sport bands will also contain chips of recycled plastic.
Apple Watch Ultra
Apple also announced the second generation of its flagship Ultra watch. Ultra 2 will sport a brighter display, an automatic night mode that will be triggered by ambient light, and improved fitness tracking features. The cycling app also allows users to connect Bluetooth accessories for better metrics.
The Ultra 2 boasts up to 36 hours of battery life on a single charge and 72 hours with low power mode on. The screen gets insanely bright, with 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The Ultra 2 comes in a case made of 90 percent recycled titanium, Apple said. Unlike rumours predicted, there was no dark colour option, The Ultra 2 will come in the same single colour as the first-generation Ultra. The Ultra 2 will cost the same as its predecessor, Rs 89,900.
The Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are up for pre-order right now and will be available for purchase starting Friday, September 22.
First Published: Sept 12, 2023 10:44 PM IST
