The Apple Watch Collection 8 remains on the most sensible via staying the path. It does not be offering too many {hardware} upgrades over its predecessor, however a brand new temperature sensor supplies in-depth sleep and menstrual cycle monitoring, whilst watchOS 9 brings a number of recent watch faces and refreshed apps. Apple’s flagship wearable does not totally shut the door on its Android competitors, but it surely nonetheless has an overly wholesome lead.
We’ve all heard the tale of the tortoise and the hare. One races out to an early lead ahead of coasting on its good fortune, permitting the opposite again into the image. If we observe the metaphor to top rate smartwatches, the jobs are transparent. The Apple Watch is our hare, depending on its top rate {hardware} and fine-tuned tool however liable to complacency, whilst the herd of Put on OS tortoises seeks to make up gradual however stable floor.
The Collection 8 is possibly the lightest replace to Apple’s mainline wearable to this point, however is it just about giving up its lead? In finding out in our Apple Watch Collection 8 assessment.
About this Apple Watch Collection 8 assessment: I examined the Apple Watch Collection 8 (45mm, Wi-Fi) over a duration of 2 weeks. It was once operating Watch OS 9. The unit was once bought via Android Authority for this assessment.
What you wish to have to understand in regards to the Apple Watch Collection 8
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (41mm, aluminum, BT): $399 / £419 / €499
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (45mm, aluminum, BT): $429 / £449 / €539
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (41mm, aluminum, LTE): $499 / £529 / €619
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (45mm, aluminum, LTE): $529 / £549 / €659
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (41mm, chrome steel, LTE): $699 / £729 / €849
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (45mm, chrome steel, LTE): $749 / £779 / €899
The Apple Watch Collection 8 alternatives up proper the place the Apple Watch Series 7 left off, right down to the millimeter and the gram. It introduced along the iPhone 14 sequence in September 2022 and took its position as Apple’s flagship wearable, flanked via the extra reasonably priced Watch SE 2 and the all-new, mega-premium Watch Extremely. Like its predecessor, the Apple Watch Collection 8 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes and provides Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity. This is, on the other hand, solely the top of the iceberg on the subject of similarities.
Apple’s Watch Collection 8 sticks with a well-recognized always-on OLED panel, which is in a position to as much as 1,000 nits of height brightness. You’ll be able to select chrome steel or aluminum instances, regardless that the chrome steel style adopts a sapphire crystal show instead of the aluminum watch’s conventional glass. We examined the aluminum style in Moonlight, but it surely’s additionally to be had in Starlight, Silver, and Product Pink. The stainless-steel case is available in gold or silver. All fashions raise an IP6X rating for mud resistance and a WR50 water resistance score.
The Apple Watch Collection 8 alternatives up the place its predecessor left off, right down to the millimeter and gram.
Below the hood, Apple’s newest smartwatch packs a brand new S8 chipset, regardless that any enhancements over the Apple Watch Collection 7’s S7 system-in-chip are nominal because it’s constructed at the identical 7nm procedure and has the similar core structure. It additionally packs the similar U1 ultra-wideband chip and an similar 32GB of mounted onboard garage. Bluetooth 5.3 takes where of the former watch’s Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for some welcome future-proofing, and there’s an NFC chip for wi-fi bills.
The actually significant updates are a temperature sensor that permits for complicated menstrual cycle monitoring, and a brand new Crash Detection characteristic — the latter of which was once additionally offered to the iPhone 14 sequence. Apple’s Watch Collection 8 nonetheless provides complicated sensors for metrics like an electrocardiogram (ECG) and SpO2. Every other trade of observe is the improve to watchOS 9, which brings updates to the Exercise and Compass apps and a brand new Medicines app.
As with each different Apple Watch, the Collection 8 isn’t suitable with Android telephones. Fortunately, there’s a rising choice of excellent alternatives to choose from for those who don’t like iOS.
Apple’s lengthy, slender packaging pairs your watch and band of selection in two separate bins and a USB-C charging cable, however that’s all you get along with your acquire. You’ll be able to purchase the Apple Watch Collection 8 from the Apple Retailer, Amazon, Very best Purchase, and different main shops in america and world wide.
What’s excellent?
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The Apple Watch Collection 8 falls about as just about the tree as imaginable, selecting up strengths from its predecessor — itself a minor iteration over the Watch Collection 6 — alongside the way in which. It doesn’t damage any of the Watch Collection 7’s defining options and brings a couple of welcome tweaks to the desk.
Apple’s construct high quality stays superb. The Watch Collection 8’s show stretches around the 45mm case with minimum bezels, and brightness and readability are spot-on. It provides greater than sufficient actual property to faucet and swipe my manner thru Watch OS 9, and the headaches on each and every watch face are big enough that they require little greater than a look. I will be able to admire the always-on serve as, too, which lets you briefly look on the time with no need to swing the watch up in entrance of your face to wake it. That is one space the place the Collection 8 separates itself from the entry-tier Apple Watch SE.
Continuity within the Apple Watch Collection 8’s design additionally implies that you’ll be able to persist with your current set of watch bands. There aren’t many thrilling new choices like the partiality ones which introduced with the Apple Watch Extremely, however I’m relieved to not have to interchange bands that experience served me smartly through the years.
It is difficult to discover a dependable smartwatch extra delicate than the Apple Watch Collection 8.
The Watch Collection 8 nonetheless lags at the back of on battery existence (we’ll get to that), so it hasn’t discovered some way out of standard charging appointments. At the brilliant facet, you’ll solely need to spend about 45 mins tethered to a charger for a complete fee (Apple says 80% on this time frame however our unit was once constantly complete) — sufficient time for breakfast and a bath. It nonetheless is determined by Apple’s proprietary magnetic cradle, and also you’ll want a 20W adapter with Power Delivery for the quickest fee instances. Both manner, 45 mins is lightning-fast for a smartwatch and is among the key benefits over the slower-charging Apple Watch SE 2.
Apple’s new temperature sensor — technically two, one at the again and one below the show — is the primary {hardware} replace of observe, which is able to be offering wrist temperature information for all customers. It’s now not a competent metric to decide for those who’re getting in poor health (a excellent reminder that the Apple Watch isn’t a scientific instrument), however the wrist temperature knowledge does play into Apple’s sleep monitoring. The entire procedure is simple to arrange, requiring your bedtime and wake-up time, along side dressed in the watch in a single day for 5 days to construct a baseline. For those who pass over an evening (or your battery dies whilst you sleep), you received’t have to start out again over from 0.
One of the vital different major promoting issues of the Watch Collection 8’s new temperature sensor is complicated menstrual cycle monitoring. You’ll have so as to add a couple of elementary main points throughout the Cycle Monitoring app, however then the Watch Collection 8 can take over. It screens your wrist temperature whilst napping to construct predictions on your duration and retrospective ovulation estimates. After all, the extra signs and knowledge you input, the easier your total monitoring information will probably be. I lack the needful organic {hardware} to check Apple’s cycle monitoring, however you’ll be able to learn extra about it in our guide here. We’ll even be digging deeper into the characteristic in our Apple Watch Extremely assessment coming quickly.
Even though it’s now not unique to the Watch Collection 8, watchOS 9 is the motive force at the back of many of the new options on Apple’s newest wearable.
Your choices for amusing watch faces stay lovely smartly locked down, however Apple has a minimum of offered a couple of new ones for those who fancy a change. I’ve been moving between Lunar and Metropolitan, which you’ll be able to see above. Lunar provides as a lot knowledge at the section of the moon as that you must ask for, whilst Metropolitan is principally a vintage, elegant face. There’s additionally a Playtime face, which turns the time into a collection of caricature characters.
A couple of different faces were given updates — Astronomy, Modular, and Portrait. Modular merely provides extra colour choices, however the Portrait face now permits for a similar intensity results as Apple added to the iPhone lock display in iOS 16. In the end, the Astronomy face can display your present location and cloud protection for those who set Earth as your background, or you’ll be able to scroll forwards and backward to peer the moon’s stages play out.
New watch faces are amusing, however there’s much more to watchOS 9. The Exercises app picked up plenty of new show choices, which means that you’ll be able to test on metrics like Task rings, center fee zones, and your present task energy. It’s possible you’ll finally end up proper again at the default show — as I did — but it surely’s great to have possible choices for various exercises. Later this 12 months, you’ll additionally have the ability to nearly race your self to set your very best time on a favourite direction.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I took the Apple Watch Collection 8 out on a couple of runs, hoping to peer the way it in comparison to the Collection 7. Necessarily, the effects are similar. GPS accuracy on each watches was once spot on and solely deviated moderately from my Coros Tempo 2. You’ll be able to see the path comparability above, regardless that it’s price noting that probably the most diversifications could have come from dressed in one watch on each and every wrist. The center fee knowledge has additionally been moderately extra correct at the Watch Collection 8 in comparison to our hit-and-miss experiences with the Collection 7 — my moderate and height center charges have been inside of one beat in line with minute of my Coros, which was once paired to a Polar H10 chest strap.
watchOS 9 brings a couple of health-based enhancements with a brand new Medicines app and up to date sleep monitoring. It’s possible you’ll or would possibly not want the medicine reminders, however the brand new sleep tracking information with sleep phases is efficacious to somebody. The Apple Watch Collection 8 calculates your time spent in each and every degree of sleep, from REM to deep sleep, and slowly builds up a report through the years. You continue to don’t get any recommendation or training to lend a hand toughen your sleep patterns, but it surely’s excellent to peer Apple making small steps to meet up with the likes of Garmin and Fitbit right here.
Apple’s up to date Exercises app provides extra information than you might be able to use, and moderately stepped forward sensors make sure the knowledge is extra dependable. Sleep monitoring is upgraded too.
Like with maximum Apple {hardware}, the whole integration with the remainder of the Apple ecosystem could also be 2d to none. Dressed in the Watch Collection 8 appears like an extension of the iPhone, with thorough integrations for many first-party apps. Even though now not a brand new characteristic, the turn-by-turn instructions thru Apple Maps are priceless when looking to stay your eyes at the street, and I had no 2d ideas about taking a telephone name proper from my wrist all the way through checking out. It nonetheless makes me really feel just a bit bit like James Bond, and who doesn’t need that?
Just like the iPhone 14 and its siblings, the Apple Watch Collection 8 alternatives up a brand new Crash Detection serve as. It really works the similar manner, kicking in robotically when your watch detects a significant twist of fate. Your watch will robotically touch emergency responders after 20 seconds of state of no activity, offering them along with your final identified coordinates and an approximate seek radius. I clearly didn’t put Crash Detection to the check, however I feel we will all be grateful it’s there.
What’s now not so excellent?
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
There’s solely goodbye you’ll be able to keep the path ahead of it comes again to chunk you — simply ask the team of the Titanic. I’m now not pronouncing there’s an iceberg looming in entrance of the Apple Watch Collection 8, however the wearable is indubitably due for a extra sizable improve after a number of generations of stripling adjustments. The Watch Collection 8 doesn’t repair what wasn’t damaged, but it surely doesn’t make significant efforts to handle some current flaws, both.
For starters, the battery existence. Apple described the Watch Collection 8 as lasting “all day,” with as much as 18 hours of juice out of doors Low Energy mode. Ultimate I checked, 18 hours is not up to a complete day and no more than many different smartwatches can be offering. That stated, I incessantly discovered myself attaining past the marketed battery existence, getting nearer to 24 hours with out Low Energy mode. Oh, and it took Apple till watchOS 9 to introduce a Low Energy mode — in reality? Fortunately, it’s a excellent addition a minimum of. Activating Low Energy mode will disable background monitoring for center fee and the like, however for those who get started a exercise it’ll chill in along side GPS and the whole lot else you wish to have.
The Apple Watch Collection 8 hardly places a foot mistaken, but it surely does not repair too most of the Collection 7’s flaws, both.
For those who’ve used an Apple Watch ahead of, it’s possible you’ll take into account that it sends a pleasant reminder for those who’re about to visit mattress with out sufficient battery last. The standard advice is set 30% — so much to lose in a single day — regardless that I discovered that the Watch Collection 8 struggled with reminding me. I went to mattress greater than as soon as with now not moderately sufficient juice and aroused from sleep to a lifeless watch. It’s reasonably my fault, however I’m extensively utilized to dressed in GPS watches the place the battery lasts for days and, in some instances, weeks, sleep monitoring and all.
watchOS 9 is a pride for essentially the most section, however I’m nonetheless ready at the talent so as to add third-party watch faces. It’s a minor criticism, however one that also bears citing. Apple makes some spectacular first-party choices, however they just pass to this point. You even have to attend, once in a while months at a time, ahead of you get a brand new face to check out out. I change faces frequently on different wearables just like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, so it’s unlucky to have this option locked at the back of the partitions of the Cupertino Stay.
Apple Watch Collection 8 specifications
Apple Watch Collection 8 | |
---|---|
Show |
LTPO OLED Retina
484 x 396 pixels (45mm) 430 x 352 pixels (41 mm) |
Dimensions and weight |
45mm:
45 x 38 x 10.7mm Aluminum: 38.8g Stainless-steel: 51.5g 41mm: |
Sturdiness |
WR50 |
SoC |
Apple S8 with 64-bit dual-core processor |
RAM |
1GB |
Garage |
32GB |
Battery |
18 hours
45 min to 80% fee USB-C magnetic immediate charging cable |
Instrument |
WatchOS 9 |
Case fabrics and hues |
GPS-only, GPS + Mobile
Aluminum: Nighttime, Starlight, Silver, Product Pink GPS + Mobile |
Connectivity |
GPS/GNSS
GLONASS Galileo QZSS BeiDou Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz and 5GHz Bluetooth 5.0 Fashion A2475 (41mm) |
Sensors |
At all times-on altimeter |
Compatibility |
iOS 15 or later |
Apple Watch Collection 8 assessment: The decision
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The hare nonetheless has its lead. Apple’s Watch Collection 8 stays probably the most very best smartwatches round, and it does so via staying the path. Its {hardware} adjustments are minimum — simply the brand new temperature sensor and processor — however they make sufficient have an effect on to stay forward of the pack. Apple nonetheless provides the most efficient integration all the way through its ecosystem, permitting the Watch Collection 8 to really feel like an extension of your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook with no 2d concept. watchOS 9 brings significant adjustments to exercise monitoring and fitness control, even though your choices for brand new watch faces stay disappointingly restricted.
For the whole lot the Apple Watch Collection 8 improves, it ignores probably the most wearable’s most important flaws, on the other hand. Its claims of all-day battery existence nonetheless forestall at with reference to 18 hours, with Low Energy mode — a brand new characteristic finally those years — extending the juice to 36 hours. We discovered it carried out higher than that, regardless that the Apple Watch’s battery staying power stays a sore spot.
Apple’s hare nonetheless has its lead, however the comfortable way to enhancements is letting Android competitors again into the race.
When you find yourself within the Android crowd, there are many different choices to consider. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 ($279.99 at Samsung) stays the best Wear OS option round, pairing helpful smartwatch options from the Google Play Retailer with a top rate, round construct. Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch is just a little of a wild card, as we don’t but know the way it’ll stack as much as the Apple Watch. We do, on the other hand, know that it integrates Fitbit’s fitness monitoring strengths, and it appears a lot more like a conventional watch. Talking of Fitbit, the Sense 2 ($299.95 at Best Buy) is an affordable purchase, regardless that it’s now not as good because it was once. In the end, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus ($449.99 at Amazon) is one among our favourite all-around smartwatches, providing Android and iOS flexibility with as much as 9 days of battery existence.
Within the iOS ecosystem, the selection to improve your Apple Watch is now harder than ever. There’s no wish to pick out up a Watch Collection 8 if in case you have a Watch Series 7 ($399 at Verizon), however upgrading from an excellent older style opens the door to extra chances. A brand new Watch SE 2 ($249 at Best Buy) occupies the low floor, giving up a couple of complicated metrics however staying dedicated to recommended updates and correct GPS monitoring. Take a look at our article here for a closer comparability.
After which there’s the Apple Watch Extremely ($799 at Best Buy). Apple’s super-durable, behemoth watch with a smorgasbord of area of interest options and modes meets the wishes of adrenaline junkies with cash to burn however could also be way over the general public may just ever want. Sure, it’s technically Apple’s very best smartwatch on specifications by myself, however at double the fee we’re entering luxurious territory. At a extra affordable ~$400 beginning worth, the Apple Watch Collection 8 remains to be very a lot the standard flagship wearable and, as anticipated, is a superb significant other for the iOS crowd.
Apple Watch Collection 8 (Wi-Fi)
Temperature sensor • Crash Detection • Low energy mode
The Apple Watch Collection 8 with Wi-Fi connectivity includes a temperature sensor to watch frame diversifications and recover insights into ladies’s cycles. Apple designed the sequence 8 with a thick entrance crystal and a strong geometry to be extra resistant, and the case is made from 100% recycled fabrics.
Best Apple Watch Collection 8 questions and solutions
The Watch Collection 7 and Collection 8 are almost identical, however the Apple Watch Collection 8 includes a new pores and skin temperature sensor and Crash Detection.
No, the Apple Watch Collection 8 — like every Apple Watches — will solely paintings with iPhones (iPhone 8 or later, or SE 2 or later).
If you have an interest in sleep monitoring, then sure you’ll be able to put on the Apple Watch Collection 8 to mattress. On the other hand, if dressed in an eye fixed disturbs your sleep, you then would possibly not wish to put on it.
The Apple Watch Collection 8 is water-proof and examined for gentle swimming in as much as 50 meters of water. Soapy water can weaken that water resistance, in the end opening your watch to break. Top-velocity water sports activities also are now not beneficial.
No it could possibly’t measure blood power, on the other hand, the Apple Watch Collection 8 does come with a center fee sensor and an ECG for offering insights into center fitness.