Apple Watch Series 9 will bring a powerful S9 chip, redesigned watchOS 10

By
Aarohan Niraula
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Apple Watch Series 9 is coming with a redesigned watchOS 10
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Following the age-old tradition, Apple will be announcing a new Apple Watch this fall in September. While the past few generations of Apple Watch have essentially been using the same chip, Series 9 will finally break that tradition. Likewise, Apple is also expected to introduce a drastically upgraded software experience with the upcoming watchOS 10.

Apple Watch Series 9 Rumors:

Mark Gurman, who is a prominent figure in Apple leaks, wrote:

“ [watchOS 10] is going to be the biggest update to the Apple Watch’s software since the first version was introduced in 2015.”

He also mentions that watchOS 10 will bring notable changes to the user interface. Widgets will be the biggest highlight of watchOS 10, which will let users get key information without launching any particular app itself.

Another leaskter, @analyst941, posted on Twitter posted that watchOS 10 would behave more similarly to iOS and include folders “reminiscent of iOS 4-6”. The biggest news though is that the watchOS 10’s home screen grid layout will get be getting a complete redesign. But all this is just rumors right now, so take it with a pinch of salt. Apple will be officially unveiling watchOS 10 in WWDC 2023, which will kick off on June 5.

What about the hardware?

To complement the redesigned software, Apple Watch Series 9 is set to get a chipset upgrade as well. It will be powered by a brand-new S9 chip which is based on Apple’s A15 Bionic. This is the same chip you find on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, by the way. Instead of being a rebranded version of previous Apple Watch processors, S9 will be significantly more powerful and more power efficient.

Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 8

But don’t expect any other major hardware upgrades. Since Apple already did that last year with the introduction of the premium Apple Watch Ultra, this year is going to be a bit slow on the hardware front. Mark Gurman confirmed this in a tweet, saying “… It’s important for watchOS to have a big year given that the Apple Watch hardware updates will be anything but major.” But he did add that larger, custom-built displays would be coming to the Apple Watch next year.

What else to expect?

For starters, we really hope that Apple adds the “Action Button” to its non-Ultra smartwatches. Since Apple has a history of introducing new features to its premium options and trickling them down to lower-cost models as the years go by, this could be something to look forward to. But the fact that we’ve not heard any rumor about it yet—paired with Gurman’s reports—means the “Action Button” might not arrive in Apple Watch Series 9 after all.

Apple Watch Series 8 - Workouts
Apple Watch Series 8

Another huge change with Apple’s upcoming smartwatch will be device syncing. Currently, you can only pair your Apple Watch with a single iPhone at a time. But with watchOS 10 on the Apple Watch Series 9, you’ll be able to sync it across multiple iPhones, iPads, and Macs at the same time. If true, this will be a game-changer. Apple Watch Series 9 will most likely get a couple of new watch faces too. And maybe even an updated “Health” app.

watchOS 10 will work on older Apple Watches too

As expected, watchOS 10 won’t be exclusive to Apple Watch Series 9. And it’ll be available for existing Apple Watches as well, with rumors pointing towards Watch Series 4 and later. 

Apple Watch Series 9 Price and Availability

In terms of price, Apple Watch Series 9 is expected to start at around the same price Watch Series 8, at USD 399 for the 41mm WiFi-only variant. And as mentioned above, the Watch Series 9 could be announced later this year in September.