The Apple Watch 8 Series may share a lot of similarities with the Apple Watch 7 from a year ago, both externally and internally.
Naturally, the new Apple Watch Ultra will be the primary attraction, but if you only want the entry-level device, the Watch 8 offers an upgrade.
Will there really be that much of a difference, or is the ‘new’ Apple Watch 8 just a Watch Series 7 with a new name? We popped it on the wrist to find out.
Apple Watch Series 8 will cost $399 for GPS and $499 for cellular service in the US . Its starting price in the UK is £419, and its starting price with GPS and cellular service is £529.
Pre-orders for the Apple Watch 8 are currently acceptable, and the device will be available starting on September 16.
The Apple Watch 8’s design hasn’t changed much at all; the new colours are likely the most obvious differences between the new watch and the Apple Watch 7.
There are two finishes available for the Watch 8: stainless steel and aluminum. For the watch’s aluminium alternative, there are four colour options: midnight, starlight, silver, and product red. For the steel option, there are three colour options: silver, gold, and graphite metallic.
Even though the stainless steel is somewhat more expensive at $749 or £779, we unquestionably love the way it looks. The Watch 8 has a Digital Crown on the right side of the gadget, a lozenge-shaped app/power button on the back, and a heart rate monitor encased in crystal on the back.
Detection of Auto Crashes
The car crash detection feature is another new addition, although it is not one that we can test in any way.
Apple is fairly confident that the new Watch 8 will be able to tell when you’ve been in a crash and will immediately alert the emergency services, giving all the information should you be unconscious.
This is thanks to an improved gyroscope and an accelerometer that can now sense G-force changes up to 256G.
It’s difficult to convince someone to buy the Watch 8 when you can still buy the Watch 7 or even the Watch 6 from some merchants for much less money. Instead, it seems like you should just buy highly extensive insurance for peace of mind.
When car crash detection is a standard feature on every Apple Watch, it will be a compelling argument for switching to an Apple smartwatch.
All of the health functions that mentioned before are still available, including the ability to find atrial fibrillation, measure the amount of oxygen in the blood, do an ECG, and more.
Power supply for the Apple Watch 8
The Watch 8’s battery life is the same as usual: 18 hours, although it may last into the night without too much concern.
There isn’t much to discuss there, but there is now a low power mode that can increase the life by up to 30 hours. The always-on display will be turn off, some sensors that monitor your vital signs will operate more slowly, and features like auto-workout detection will not operate in this new mode.
It’s interesting that this option was disable till now, but the new S8 chip included with the 2022 Watch models has made it possible.
If you wish to monitor your body temperature overnight, this may still be too low for some people. Apple suggests charging it before bed or in the shower if you’re using the fast charger.
Although low power mode will be helpful, you can’t use it overnight to track temperature because the sensors turn off, so you’ll need to make some advance preparations for your use.
