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While we’ve been hearing a lot about the iPhone 15 and some other upcoming Apple gadgets, there’s been little concrete news about the Apple Watch 9 so far, but we’ve heard a few rumours.
An early leak suggests it might be the same size as, say, the Apple Watch 8, but as we still know very little about it, that could prove wrong.
In any case, below is everything we’ve heard about the Apple Watch 9, followed by a list of things we’d like to have. We’ll also update this article whenever there’s news about Apple’s upcoming wearable, so check back soon to stay tuned.
Contents
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next Apple Watch
- When is it out? Probably September 2023
- How much is it? Probably at least $399 / £419 / AU$629
Apple Watch 9: price and release date
The Apple Watch 9 is likely to be released in September. After all, the Apple Watch 8 was announced in September 2022, and with two exceptions every previous model has also landed in September of their release years.
More specifically, the Apple Watch 9 will likely be announced on a Tuesday or Wednesday in early or mid-September based on previous form, i.e. September 5, 6, 12 or 13. It will likely be announced alongside the iPhone 15 series and will likely go on sale around 10 days later.
As for the price, there’s no news there, but it will probably cost at least as much as the Apple Watch 8, which starts at $399 / £419 / AU$629, given the rising cost of parts, fuel and labour.
Apple Watch 9 news and leaks
Apple Watch 9:
The most significant Apple Watch 9 leak to date comes from an analyst at technology company Omdia through this MacRumors (opens in new tab) article, simply stating that the Apple Watch 9 will likely be the same size as the Apple Watch 8. That means it will come in both 1.89-inch and 2.04-inch screen sizes, likely with a 41mm body respectively and 45mm.
Then there’s a vague leak suggesting the Apple Watch 9 could be called the Apple Watch X instead, skipping the number nine entirely. This is according to a supply chain source talking to iPhoneSoft (opens in new tab).
They suggest this wearable would still land in 2023, so it would be a simple name change, but with the X being the Roman numeral for 10, that seems unnecessarily confusing. Plus, we’ve heard from the MacRumors leak that the Apple Watch X is expected in 2024 alongside the SE 3, so there are conflicting accounts here. The SE 2 was released alongside the Watch 8 and the first iteration of the Apple Watch Ultra, but there’s no news of an Ultra 2 coming in 2024 to complete the trifecta.
What we want to see
The Apple Watch 8 earned four stars in our review, so in order for the Apple Watch 9 to get five stars, here’s what we want to see.
1. Better battery life
One of our main gripes with the Apple Watch 8 – and indeed with every Apple Watch before it – was the battery life. While it’s not terrible, this is a wearable that you’ll probably need to charge daily, if not every two days.
That’s not ideal, especially for a device designed to constantly track aspects of your health, exercise, and sleep. So we’d like the Apple Watch 9 to last at least three days between charges, but as we’re asking for this every year, it probably won’t happen.
2. A major chipset upgrade
The Apple Watch 8 technically has a new Apple S8 chipset inside, but there are few upgrades here. In fact, it uses the same CPU as the S7 and even the S6 of the Apple Watch 6.
Now, in fairness, the Apple Watch 8 is a fast device, so it doesn’t feel particularly powerful. But it can always be faster. Or Apple could work to significantly improve efficiency, for better battery life.
One of the main features of the Apple Watch Ultra is an extra button, the action button. This can be customized to do a variety of things, so it’s basically a shortcut to an app or function of your choice.
It’s an extremely useful addition, and we’d like to see it make its way onto the Apple Watch 9 too, as it doesn’t seem like something we’d have to pay an Ultra model for.
4. A custom design
The Apple Watch 8 looks good, so we don’t think the design needs a drastic overhaul, but it also looks pretty much the same as the Apple Watch 7, so some tweaks to freshen it up would be nice.
That could take the form of even smaller bezels, a new case material, a slimmer case, or anything along those lines to make it feel new and modern.
5. A lower price
With a starting price of $399 / £419 / AU$629, which goes up if you want it in a larger size or cellular connectivity, the Apple Watch 8 is a fairly expensive wearable, despite not offering much more than the much cheaper Apple Watch SE 2.
So we’d like to see Apple lower the price for the Apple Watch 9. Either way, or at least make it a substantial upgrade. Doing so will ensure it ranks highly among the best Apple Watches and the best smartwatches.
