The excitement surrounding the iPhone event and the new iPhones has now died down, so it’s time to talk about the two new Apple Watches that have also been introduced.
In contrast to the iPhones, there is initially little exciting to report: both the Watch Series 9 (from 399 francs) and Watch Ultra 2 (799 francs) look exactly like their predecessors. And there are no surprising hardware innovations to report – such as a blood sugar sensor. So if you are interested in the general possibilities of the two new smartwatches, you can read the T-Online test reports of the (pre)predecessor Apple Watch Series 7 and the Apple Watch Ultra – most of what they contain also applies to the new ones. devices.
However, there are a number of interesting improvements in both new versions. In our test we will focus on this.
The most important improvement in this year’s watches lies at the heart of the watches: the new S9 chip. Because where the same chip with a different name was always installed in the Series 6, Series 7, Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra, the S9 is a new development based on the A15 Bionic chip. This is why there is a significant performance boost on Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. The chip itself delivers 60 percent more performance than the previous model, Apple says. The graphics core is also 30 percent faster, which offers more room for animations in the weather app and other applications.
Both are probably more of an investment in the future. During our test, the new watches did not feel significantly faster, but this may be mainly because the predecessors are still fully up to the task.
This is different with the newly integrated Neural Engine with four computing cores. According to Apple, it now works twice as fast and that makes two real innovations possible.
The first is that Siri commands can now be processed directly on the Watch. Until now, voice commands to the watch always had to be sent to the cloud, where their meaning was analyzed. If the watch had a poor connection to the internet, the response could take a long time; if the connection was completely lost, Siri could not be used at all.
The problem will probably have occurred even more often with users who do not send their watch to the mobile network via eSim, but only via WLAN or iPhone – Siri is useless here during every walk in the woods where you do not take your mobile phone with you . This is changing with the new watches – and that is very nice.
In the future, Siri on the Watch will likely become even more practical: an update will arrive later this year that will allow health data to be accessed or entered using voice commands. This allows you to easily monitor the values even without a smart scale or blood pressure monitor. Unfortunately, the update is initially only available for English and Mandarin – it is not yet known when Apple will release a German version.
The new chip also comes with a new way to operate the Apple Watch: double tap or, in English, the more convenient ‘Double Tap’. This is the name of a hand gesture that can be used on the new watches for easy operation.
To do this, tap your index finger and thumb together twice in quick succession (it also works with the other fingers and the thumb). This gesture allows you to perform certain actions with your watch hand when you cannot use your other hand, for example because you are cycling, have dirty hands while cooking or baking – or are holding your child’s hand.
Once the gesture has been recognized by the watch, a small icon will appear on the display. If nothing can currently be controlled with a gesture, the icon will wiggle back and forth. In total, it can be used for over 60 different actions, including: answering or ending a call, pausing or resuming a timer, snoozing the alarm, playing or pausing music, performing the action behind a notification, and much more.
What sounds banal turned out to be extremely helpful in certain situations in the test; this small gesture is truly a game-changer. It’s a shame that the feature will only appear later via an update. We were able to test them on a specially prepared watch. Buyers of Series 9 or Ultra 2 will have to be patient.
What’s even more unfortunate is that “Double Tap” will only be available on the two new watches with the S9 chip. According to Apple, the accelerometer, gyroscope and heart rate sensor are evaluated for detection and analyzed with a machine learning algorithm, which requires the new chip. The heart rate sensor is necessary because the watch measures the change in blood flow during the gesture in the wrist.
These and other gestures can be activated for the other watches as part of the control tools – but they can only be used in very specific situations – Apple was apparently too unreliable at recognizing them to activate the gesture for older watches.
So far the two innovations that actually have a greater impact on use. In addition, both watch models also offer a few minor improvements.
Something like that is in the iPhone 15 the new ultra-wideband chip (UWB) in the clock. This also makes it even easier to find your own iPhone. Until now you could only make it ring via your watch, but now there is a search procedure similar to that of AirTags: the watch shows how many meters away the iPhone is, and shortly afterwards also in which direction you should move. When you are nearby, an audio signal will play on iPhone again. This makes finding the lost smartphone in the test very easy. However, this is only possible if you also own an iPhone 15, which also has the new ultra-wideband chip.
There is also more light because: Both watches have been preserved a brighter screen. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 now shines at up to 3000 nits (previously 2000 nits) brightness when viewed in bright sunlight, the Watch Series 9 now has 2000 nits (previously 1000 nits). For the first time, the Series 9 can reduce brightness in the dark to just one nit. However, the clocks only maintain peak values for a certain time – then they dim slightly. However, there is plenty of time to read the clock or the weather app.
According to Apple, yes Battery life Otherwise, the two watches remain the same: the Watch Ultra 2 should last at least 36 hours on a single charge, the Apple Watch Series 9 should last 18 hours. The time for energy saving mode is even twice as long. Of course, the exact playing time varies greatly depending on usage, but in our opinion Apple’s values are quite conservative, so many users should benefit from a few extra hours.
There is also WatchOS 10 for the Watch Ultra 2 and the Watch Ultra new dial with new function: the modular dial. The outer edges are used for the first time – to represent height, depth or seconds.
There’s also another trick: night mode, which was previously exclusive to the Ultra-Watchface Wegfinder, is now also available for the Modular Watchface – and is automatically activated by the ambient light sensor. Previously this had to be controlled manually via the crown. If you want, you can also disable or enable night mode permanently.
This year, the advice regarding watches is quite clear: anyone who has been thinking about replacing their four- or five-year-old Apple Watch model with a new one can buy the Apple Watch Series 9 (from CHF 399) and the Get Apple Watch. Ultra 2 (799 Fr.) is an excellent smartwatch, probably the two best smartwatches on the market for Apple users. The fact that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has become significantly cheaper will likely please many who have been waiting to buy it.
It is also nice that Apple offers both watches as ‘climate neutral’ models: manufactured with green energy and using numerous recycled materials. The remaining CO2 gap of some not yet recycled materials and lifetime energy costs were offset by investments in companies whose projects actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Nevertheless – and also for sustainability reasons: if you already own a Series 8 or Series 7, you have no compelling reason to upgrade. It is worth waiting for the model next year. This applies even more to the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Owners of the previous model can continue to use their watch without any worries. The improvements in the new version are undoubtedly positive, but do not justify an upgrade.
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
