- 2022 is a big year for the Apple Watch.
There's not one, not two, but three new models.
There's the all-new Apple Watch Ultra
for extreme fitness buffs,
and even a new, slightly cheaper SE.
But we're not here to talk about those two watches today.
We're here to talk about the brand new Series 8.
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Like the Series 7, the Series 6 before that,
and the Series 5 before that,
the Series 8 is a fairly iterative update.
As in most of the changes this time around
are invisible to the naked eye.
Seriously, it's got the exact same design as the Series 7.
It just comes in slightly different colors.
I've got the larger 45 millimeter version in Starlight
which is basically what you get
if you split the difference between silver and gold.
You can also get the Series 8 in 41 millimeters
if you've got petite wrists or just prefer a smaller watch.
It's also the same prices before,
starting at 399 for the GPS only version
and 499 for the cellular.
But while the design hasn't changed much,
there are significant differences inside the watch.
Namely, it's got the new S8 chip.
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With the S8, Apple isn't promising huge performance
or battery life gains,
it's more that it's adding a bunch of new sensors.
For starters, the S8 adds two new temperature sensors.
There's one right under the display
that measures your environmental temperature,
and another closer to the skin
that measures your wrist temperature.
The idea is to reduce environmental bias,
so that you can get a more accurate reading.
But the temperature sensors aren't like the existing EKG
or blood oxygen sensors, you can't take on-demand readings.
They only measure your wrist temperature
while you're sleeping, kind of like the Oura Ring.
It's also mainly tracking changes from your baseline.
It's not going to tell you an absolute body temperature.
So, why should you care
about how your wrist temperature varies from night to night?
Well, it depends.
A lot of trackers like the Fitbit Sense
and Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5,
mainly use temperature as an extra metric
in determining your sleep quality.
And you can do that with the Series 8 too,
though it's not going to be contextualized for you
in the single sleep score or anything like that.
It's more that you can monitor how things like jet lag,
a particularly gnarly workout,
or even a few margaritas might impact your baseline.
For folks who use the Apple Watch to track their cycles,
enabling temperature tracking
will also get you retrospective ovulation estimates
after about two cycles.
It's retrospective and not predictive for a reason.
The idea is that a better understanding
of past cycles might help folks who are trying to conceive.
But like many, many other health
and wellness features on the Apple Watch,
this is strictly an awareness tool.
You're not meant to use this
in a medical capacity or as a contraceptive.
There are other apps and devices out there
that are FDA-cleared for that purpose,
but this ain't one of them.
Don't use the Series 8 for that.
And just as another aside,
I can understand if in the post-roll world,
advanced cycle tracking leaves you feeling a bit uneasy.
You should know
that you don't have to use Apple's cycle tracking app.
And if you do, temperature data is totally optional.
You can turn that off in the settings.
If you do wanna use it however,
Apple says that cycle tracking data
is encrypted on your device
and only accessible with a passcode, touch ID, or face ID.
If you enable a passcode and use two-factor authentication,
health app data synced with iCloud
is also end-to-end encrypted.
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Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way,
I wish I could tell you
how well the temperature tracking works,
but I can't just yet.
I've only had this for about a week
and you need at least five nights
of sleep tracking data in order to build a baseline.
I also don't have two cycles worth of temperature data yet.
I will be testing this long term however,
so stay tuned for some follow ups.
The other new sensors in the Series 8
are a souped-up High-g accelerometer,
and an improved gyroscope.
These two sensors work with the barometer,
GPS, and microphone
to detect if you've been in a severe car crash.
If you have,
the watch will alert emergency services for you.
Now, this isn't limited to the Series 8.
It's also included on the iPhone 14 lineup,
as well as the Apple Watch SE and Ultra.
Again, I wish I could tell you if this feature works,
but for obvious reasons,
this isn't something I was able to test out.
I love, y'all, but I'm not about to get myself
into a car crash for a smart watch review.
We did use a little RC car here
to try and trick the Apple Watch into detecting a crash,
and to no one's surprise, we didn't fool the watch.
I think, we just wanted an excuse to play with the toy car.
(tester laughing)
That said, like fall detection,
you're not likely to get false triggers.
The new accelerometer can detect up to 256 Gs.
And the feature is designed to detect extreme impact
and sudden changes in speed.
While these are the two mark key updates with the Series 8,
you also get a bunch of new features with watchOS 9.
These updates will also be coming to the Series 4 or later,
so they're not exclusive to the Series 8.
As with every new version of watch OS,
you get some nifty new watch faces.
I've particularly liked
the metropolitan and lunar watch faces,
as well as the new color backgrounds
for the modular watch face.
The calendar app has also been redesigned
and I found it really helpful
for visualizing when all my meetings were.
WatchOS 9 also introduces medication reminders.
I'm incredibly bad at taking my meds
and these reminders didn't exactly change that,
but they did help me take them more consistently.
And before you ask, yes,
watchOS 9 introduces a new low power battery mode.
This low power mode
turns off the always on display, background sensors,
and limits Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.
However, enabling it doesn't mean you're suddenly
going to get multiday battery life on the Series 8.
Apple says you can get up to 36 hours
on the Series 8 with low power mode enabled,
but I've yet to get that in testing.
I mostly got around 24 hours
and found low power mode most useful
for when I wanted to get a little extra juice
to make it home from the office,
or if I forgot to top up the battery before a long run.
As for health features, watchOS 9 improves sleep tracking.
So, you can now view metrics
like respiration rate and your sleep stages.
It's still not quite at the level
as say a Fitbit or Oura Ring,
but it's a lot better than it used to be.
If you've been diagnosed with AFib,
the watch can also now passively monitor your AFib history.
On the fitness front,
watchOS 9 add some new running metrics
like running power, vertical oscillation,
stride length, and ground contact time.
You can also monitor elevation changes
in your heart rate zones directly from the wrist.
Now, this, I have gotten to test.
It's not as in depth as some of the features
you'll find on a Garmin or a Polar,
but it is a significant step up.
I run a lot,
and I really dug the ability
to scroll through multiple workout views,
check which heart rate zone I was in,
and create my own custom interval workouts.
Good news for hikers,
watchOS 9 includes a redesigned compass app,
and some of those fancy features
coming to the Apple Watch Ultra
will also be available on the Series 8.
While I loved a lot of what watchOS 9 brought to the table,
again, it is a software update.
So, if these upgrades sound cool,
you don't necessarily need the Series 8 itself to get them.
Those new compass features,
you can also get them
as long as you have a Series 6 or later.
So, if you've got a Series 6 or 7,
there really isn't a compelling reason to upgrade
unless you really want advanced cycle tracking
or crash detection.
And even then,
crash detection is available on the iPhone 14 lineup.
So, you could just easily upgrade your phone
if you're happy with the watch you've got.
It's a different story
if you've got a Series 3, 4, or 5.
Personally, I'm a big fan
of the larger screen and thinner bezels
you'll get on the newer Series 7 and Series 8.
I've got terrible eyesight
and that extra readability is a huge benefit.
I'm also a big fan of the always on display
and think it's worth upgrading
if you're on a Series 3 or 4.
Again, if you're on a Series 6 or later,
you're not gaining much by upgrading.
While the Ultra is the shiny new Apple Watch on the block,
I gotta say, this is the best Apple Watch
for the vast majority of people.
It's not only more affordable,
but the style is also more versatile for formal occasions
or if you have smaller wrists.
The SE might be the better choice if you're on a budget
or a first-time Apple Watch owner.
But if you already know you like the watch,
this gets you all the bells and whistles you're used to.
Plus, if you're more of a casual athlete,
you really don't need
the Ultra's extra durability or battery life.
Though, if that's what you want, don't let me stop you.
All I'm saying is that
while this isn't the most exciting update we've ever seen,
it doesn't need to be.
Like they say, if it ain't broke.
The Apple Watch was already
the best smart watch around for iOS users.
The Series 8, just further cements that.
Hey, guys, thanks for watching our thoughts on the Series 8.
The Apple Watch Ultra is next.
So, what feature are you most excited about?
Let us know in the comments.