Apple gets adventurous with new watches

At the Apple Far Out event , the Apple Watch Series 8 was announced with an updated Watch SE for the more budget conscious. But the star of the show was the new Apple Watch Ultra which seems to have knocked the Apple Watch Nike Edition out of the new range.

Need to know

	Series 8	SE	Ultra
Display size	41mm or 45mm	40mm or 44mm	49mm
Brightness	1,000 nits	1,000 nits	2,000 nits
Water resistance	50m	50m	100m
Sensors	Blood oxygen ECG High and low heart rate Irregular heart rhythm Cardio fitness Temperature	High and low heart rate Irregular heart rhythm Cardio fitness	Blood oxygen ECG High and low heart rate Irregular heart rhythm Cardio fitness Temperature
Emergency features	Emergency SOS International emergency calling Fall Detection Crash Detection Compass Backtrack	Emergency SOS International emergency calling Fall Detection Crash Detection Compass Backtrack	Emergency SOS International emergency calling Fall Detection Crash Detection Compass Backtrack 80 decibel siren
Battery	Up to 18 hours	Up to 18 hours	Up to 36 hours
Materials	Aluminium Stainless steel	Aluminium	Titanium
Price	GPS and cellular: from $789 GPS: from $629	GPS and cellular: from $479 GPS: from $399	GPS and cellular: from $1,299

Evolutionary changes

The Apple Watch Series 8 (which is really the ninth version but who’s counting? The first Apple Watch wasn’t designated with a “Series” number) is an evolution on last year’s Series 7, which was an incremental update on the Series 6 and so on. That’s not to say the improvements haven’t been useful. Screen sizes have increased, millimetre by millimetre, and new sensors like ECG have been added. But there’s been a cadence to it. A small processor performance bump here, a new sensor there.

The Series 8 continues that evolution. And that’s not a bad thing. When a product is in its ninth iteration, things are pretty settled. This year, wrist temperature sensing is the new addition to the range of sensors. The temperature sensor is quite clever. There are actually two sensors.

One sensor on the back of the watch, nearest the skin, measures the wearer’s temperature while a second just under the display is used to reduce bias from the outside environment. Apple says the sensors in Apple Watch Series 8 sample the wrist temperature during sleep every five seconds and measure changes as small as 0.1° C. In the Health app, you’ll be able to see nightly shifts in baseline temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag or even illness.

The Apple Watch Nike hasn’t been given the update treatment but the Nike watch faces, which along with the Nike Run Club app, were the only real difference between it and the other watches in the range.

But all is not lost with the special Nike watchfaces now included in watchOS 9.

Family Setup

A nice new addition is the ability to set up multiple Apple Watches from one iPhone. With many people wanting an Apple Watch for older parents, to use the fall detection features, being able to set up multiple watches from a single iPhone is a nice new touch.

Ultra Adventure Time

The star of the Apple Watch show is the new Apple Watch Ultra. This is one the rumour mill got right with some of the leaked images being spot on. The Ultra has a larger 49mm display that’s brighter than the Series 8 and SE and has a titanium case that rises up to surround all edges of the flat sapphire front crystal, protecting the Retina display.

The Ultra gets three microphones and some nifty algorithms to reduce the sound of wind and other noise that can hinder call quality. Battery life is rated as double the rest of the Apple Watch range (something I’ve bemoaned in the past when participating in long trail events – Garmin smashes Apple on this with devices that can run for days and even have inbuilt solar charging so they keep charging while you’re out). As well the seal Digital Crown and button, which are now larger so they can be operated If you’re wearing gloves, there ‘s a new action button that changes what it does depending on what you’re doing. If you’re looking at a map on the watch, it will mark a waypoint. Or it can be used during workouts or switch between activities in a multiport event.

If you’re hiking or trail running and get a little lost, there’s a new track back feature that helps you find your way back to where you started and if things get really hairy, there’s an 80 decibel siren so you can call for help.

Apple Watch Ultra is certified to relevant aspects of MIL-STD-810H, used for military equipment and popular among rugged equipment manufacturers. Testing includes Low Pressure (Altitude), High Temperature, Low Temperature, Temperature Shock, Contamination by Fluids, Rain, Humidity, Immersion, Sand and Dust, Freeze/Thaw, Ice/Freezing Rain, Shock, Vibration and more.

Should you buy?

If you’re running an Apple Watch that’s less than three years old, then unless the temperature sensor is important to you (and it likely is a strong consideration for at least half the population) there’s not a lot I can see you get from upgrading to the Series 8. If you’re on a Series 5 the case gets stronger as your battery is likely to be struggling to get through a full day.

If you still have a Series 3, you won’t be able to update to watchOS 9.

If you’re into sports where things can get a little rough, the Apple Watch ultra is worth a look but it’s quite pricey.