Apple Watch Series 8 Launched, And It’s A Carbon Copy Of Series 7
Apple has finally launched the much-awaited iPhone 14 in today’s event, and alongside that, the giant has also launched its next-generation wearable device, the Apple Watch Series 8. Here’s everything new in the latest Apple Watch and how it compares to the previous generation.
Lots of previous rumors suggested a design revamp and lots of new hardware features, but have they all made it to the Series 8? Read more to find out.
Apple Watch Series 8 Specifications
| Features | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.99-inches |
| Design | Similar to Series 7’s |
| Performance | Apple S8 SoC |
| Size | 47mm |
| Colors | Red, Silver, Midnight, and Starlight, Silver (metal finish), and Gold (metal finish) |
| Battery | 18-hour battery life without Low Power Mode 36-hour battery life with Low Power Mode |
| Software features | Temperature tracker, menstrual cycle tracker, heart rate monitoring, fall detection, crash detection |
| OS | watchOS 9 |
| Pricing | Starts at $399 (GPS variant) and $499 (Cellular variant) |
Let’s get the design part out of the way first. A few months ago, rumors suggested that Series 8 would embrace a more symmetrical and flattering design language compared to Series 7’s curved design. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Apple has retained 7’s design on the Series 8 while bumping the screen dimensions to 1.99-inches from 1.91 inches on the Series 7.
That said, don’t expect huge upgrades in performance as Apple has only ever slightly tweaked its “latest” S8 custom SoC. Series 8 will perform similarly to Series 7.
What’s intriguing is the addition of a Temperature sensor, which Samsung also included this year in its Watch 5 and 5 Pro, and new software features like car crash detection, blood pressure monitoring, diabetes detection, menstrual cycle tracker, and more in the latest watchOS 9.
Should you buy the Series 8 over Series 7?
Not if you already own a Series 7. All the new watchOS 9 software features will arrive on the Series 7 too, and the temperature sensor isn’t that big of a deal, at least to most people. S8 performs similarly to S7 or even S6; hence, it’s not worth upgrading to Series 8 if you already own Series 7 or even 6. However, if you own a Series 3 or 4, Series 8 is a great upgrade. If you really want to upgrade, you should look out for the next Apple Watch, which will supposedly arrive with a “new and powerful” processor.
What are your thoughts on Series 8? Let us know in the comments section below.
