On the design side, the new Apple Watches are virtually identical to their predecessors, but the real news is under the hood.
The first product, or rather, the first products to be presented by Apple are the new models of Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2.
The Series 8 features the same design as the Series 7. The new model, however, includes a brand new body temperature sensor with a focus on women’s health.
The sensor reads the pulse temperature every 5 seconds during the night, detecting any changes in the base temperature and alerting the user via the Health app. With two temperature sensors – one at the bottom and one on the screen – the Apple Watch Series 8 will be critical to women’s health by monitoring the ovulation cycle.
The new sensor joins the standard heart rate sensor and ECG to offer users a full suite of health features.
The watch will also detect traffic accidents, with a new accident detection feature that works just like fall detection. The new feature allows us to automatically call emergency services, provide a location and notify emergency contacts in the event of a serious car accident. To enable this, the Series 8 is equipped with a new 3-axis gyroscope and a high g-force accelerometer that measures up to 256 G, sampling 4 times faster (3000 times per second).
The Series 8 includes major new improvements to battery life, with Apple promising the same 18-hour battery life as previous models. To extend battery life, Apple Watch Series 4 and later versions will include a new power-saving mode that restricts some features, such as an always-on display and exercise tracking. With Power Saver mode enabled, users can extend the Apple Watch’s battery life up to 36 hours.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is available for pre-order today and will be available on Friday, September 16. The Series 8 starts at $ 399 for the GPS model and $ 499 (we’ll update prices once the Apple Store comes back online) for mobile.
As for the Apple Watch SE 2, however, the new budget smartwatch comes with the S8 chip, traffic accident detection and new colour options.
The second generation Apple Watch SE offers the basic Apple Watch experience at a more affordable price. Apple Watch SE is now 20% faster thanks to the S8 chip, the same chip as the Apple Watch Series 8.
The second generation Apple Watch SE starts at $ 249 for the GPS model and $ 299 for the cellular model and is available for pre-order today and will be available on Friday, September 16.
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