by While we’re already hearing a lot about the iPhone 15 and some other upcoming Apple gadgets, there’s been very little concrete news about the Apple Watch 9 so far – but we’ve heard a few rumours.
An early leak suggests it could be the same size as the Apple Watch 8, for example, although that could prove wrong as we still know very little about it.
In any case, below is everything we’ve heard about the Apple Watch 9, followed by a list of things we’d like to offer. We’ll also update this article if there’s any news about Apple’s upcoming wearable, so check back soon for the latest.
In a nutshell
- What is it? The next Apple Watch
- when is it out Expected September 2023
- How much will it cost? Probably at least $399 / £419 / AU$629
Apple Watch 9: price and release date
The Apple Watch 9 is expected to launch in September. After all, the Apple Watch 8 was announced in September 2022, and with two exceptions, all previous models also ended up in September of their release years.
More specifically, the Apple Watch 9 will likely be announced on a Tuesday or Wednesday in early or mid-September based on form so far, so September 5th, 6th, 12th, or 13th. It will likely be announced alongside the iPhone 15 series and it will also likely go on sale around 10 days later.
As for price, there’s no news there, but it’ll likely cost at least as much as the Apple Watch 8, which starts at $399 / £419 / AU$629 given rising costs for parts, fuel and labour.
Apple Watch 9 news and leaks
Apple Watch 9:
The main Apple Watch 9 leak to date comes from an analyst at tech company Omdia about these MacRumors (opens in new tab) Article and simply states that the Apple Watch 9 will likely be the same size as the Apple Watch 8. That means it would be available in both 1.89-inch and 2.04-inch screen sizes, with a likely 41mm and 45mm body respectively.
Then there’s a sketchy leak that suggests the Apple Watch 9 could be called the Apple Watch X instead, skipping the number nine entirely. This is according to a supply chain source who spoke to iPhoneSoft (opens in new tab).
They’re suggesting this wearable would still land in 2023, so it would be an easy name change, but since the X is the Roman numeral for 10, that seems needlessly confusing. Also, we’ve heard from the MacRumors leak that the Apple Watch X is expected in 2024 alongside the SE 3, so there are conflicting reports here. The SE 2 was released alongside the Watch 8 and the first iteration of the Apple Watch Ultra, but there’s no news of an Ultra 2 in 2024 to complete the trifecta.
what we want to see
The Apple Watch 8 got four stars in our test, for the Apple Watch 9 to get five stars, so let’s see the following things.
1. Better battery life
One of our main complaints with the Apple Watch 8 – and indeed every Apple Watch before it – was the battery life. While it’s not terrible, this is a wearable that you’ll likely need to charge daily, and at least every other day.
That’s not ideal, especially for a device designed to constantly track aspects of your health, exercise and sleep. So we’d like to see the Apple Watch 9 last at least three days between charges, but since we ask about it every year, it probably won’t happen.
2. A major chipset upgrade
The Apple Watch 8 technically has a new Apple S8 chipset, but there are very few upgrades here. In fact, it uses the same CPU as the S7 and even the S6 of the Apple Watch 6.
Well, in fairness, the Apple Watch 8 is a fast device, so it doesn’t feel particularly underpowered. But it could always go faster. Or Apple could be working on vastly improving efficiency for longer battery life.
3. An action button
One of the main features of the Apple Watch Ultra is an additional button called the Action button. This can be customized to do different things, so it’s basically a shortcut to an app or feature of your choice.
It’s an extremely useful addition and we’d like it to find its way to the Apple Watch 9 as well, as it doesn’t look like we’ll have to pay for an Ultra model for it.
4. An optimized design
The Apple Watch 8 looks good so we don’t think the design needs a drastic overhaul, but it also looks pretty much the same as the Apple Watch 7 so some tweaks would be nice to freshen it up.
That could take the form of even smaller bezels, a new case material, a slimmer body, or something along those lines to make it feel new and modern.
5. A lower price
With a starting price of $399 / £419 / AU$629, which goes up if you want it in a larger size or with cellular connectivity, the Apple Watch 8 is a fairly pricey wearable, although it doesn’t offer much more than the much cheaper Apple Watch SE 2.
So we want Apple to lower the price of the Apple Watch 9. Either that or makes it a significant upgrade anyway. This would help it rank highly among the best Apple Watches and the best smartwatches.
