Apple Watch Series 9 Review: A Slightly More Convenient Watch

Speaker 1: This is the Apple Watch series nine, but I wouldn't blame you if you mistook it for the series eight. That's because the series nine's biggest changes are invisible. That includes double tap, a new gesture for performing certain actions by tapping your thumb and index finger together. Siri is also getting a speed boost now that it can process certain requests on the device [00:00:30] itself instead of relying on the internet. That means you'll also be able to ask Siri health related questions, which should make it easier to sift through all of the data your Apple Watch collects, and the new ultra wideband chip inside the series nine makes it easier to find your phone with your watch. These changes are intended to make the Apple watch easier to use. That's critical for a smartwatch because every extra tap and swipe on a screen that small can feel [00:01:00] like a burden. Speaker 1: The Apple Watch series nine also doesn't have everything on my wishlist. For example, I would still love to see the Apple Watch Ultras action button arrive on the regular model and more health metrics aimed at recovery would also be helpful. The Apple Watch series nine is ideal for those upgrading from an older Apple watch. Like the series six or earlier features like double tap, the faster Siri performance and the ability to track down your iPhone more precisely do add some convenience to [00:01:30] the Apple Watch, but they aren't enough to justify an upgrade. If you already have a recent model, apple rarely adds new gestures to the Apple Watch. So I was excited to try double tap. I got to preview the feature on a separate Apple Watch that was running an early software build. The idea behind double tap is to make it easier to control the watch while your other hand might be busy, perhaps when you're walking the dog doing the dishes or carrying shopping bags. Speaker 1: Double tap triggers the primary action in an app or notification. This means you can dismiss [00:02:00] a notification, pause Spotify or start and stop your timer without having to tap your watch. Performing a double tap from the watch face will pull up your widgets. I've been using this most often to quickly dismiss notifications, so this works. As soon as I lift my arm up and the display wakes, that's when double tap is usually most responsive. So right now I'm just scrolling through my list of widgets. Since this is just a preview and not the final version of the feature, it's hard [00:02:30] to test its accuracy just yet, but my bigger concern about double tap is that it can feel awkward to get used to. We've spent years being conditioned to tap, swipe and speak to our devices, but the gesture of tapping your index finger to your thumb is a bit new to most people. Case in point, I did get a few strange looks over the weekend while hanging out with some friends as I was using double tap on the series nine Siri getting an upgrade on the Apple Watch. The new chip inside the S means certain [00:03:00] Siri queries can be processed on the device rather than in the cloud. Speeding up series response time. That includes requests that don't require pulling an answer from the internet, such as starting a workout or setting timers and alarms. Set a timer for five seconds. Speaker 1: I would say that was pretty fast. Set an alarm for 4:00 AM tomorrow morning. Speaker 2: Wow. Speaker 1: Yeah, that [00:03:30] was Speaker 2: An instant. Speaker 1: Dictation is also supposed to be 25% more accurate on the series nine. Hey, how's it going? Speaker 1: So I just sent a text message without even touching my watch. I've noticed these improvements in my day-to-day use so far. I frequently use Siri to set 32nd timers when stretching before a workout, and Siri was able to understand my request much faster than before. [00:04:00] Sometimes when I'm using an older Apple watch, like the series eight or the series six, I have to repeat myself before Siri understands me. Siri will also soon be able to answer health related questions. Now that it can process requests on the device instead of in the cloud. You'll be able to ask your watch questions like, how much sleep did I get last night? What's my average walking heart rate and other similar requests. However, since this isn't launching until later this year, I wasn't able to try it. But this might be the update I'm most excited about in the series [00:04:30] nine. Speaker 1: And there are two reasons why. First, it's not always easy to find specific health data points in Apple's health app. It sometimes takes a couple of taps to find the information I want, such as my exercise minutes. So being able to ask Siri could make things a lot faster and more convenient. And second, I'm glad to see Siri playing a bigger role in the Apple Watch. On a device like the watch that's small and not ideal for long interactions, there's a big opportunity for Siri to shine the Apple Watch. [00:05:00] Series nine has a second generation ultra wideband chip, which means it's easier to find your phone using the Apple Watch. Instead of just pinging the watch, you'll now see an estimate of how far away you are pointing you in the right direction. It's pretty much like locating an air tag, but it only works with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Okay, so I literally have no idea where my iPhone 15 is right now. It's in this office somewhere. It looks like it's 11 feet away, [00:05:30] so I'm getting warmer, apparently Speaker 2: Five Speaker 1: Closer. Speaker 1: Found it to be fair, the audible chime that your iPhone plays when pinging it from the watch played a big role in helping me find its exact location, but being able to see an estimate of how many feet away I am from my phone also gave me further confidence that I was in the right spot. [00:06:00] The Apple Watch Series nine has a lot in common with the series eight. When it comes to just about everything else, it still lasts for about 18 hours on a single charge, which roughly translates to a full day of usage. And you get the same array of health and safety features, such as the ability to measure overnight wrist temperature, blood oxygen saturation, take an E C G from your wrist and detect hard falls and car crashes. The pricier Apple Watch Ultra two has extra features for outdoor enthusiasts, like [00:06:30] a Precision dual frequency G P Ss, and a more durable design. Speaker 1: You also need the Ultra to get that programmable action button, a larger screen and longer battery life. The Apple Watch Series nine has an always on display, just like every flagship Apple Watch since this series five. But Apple also increased the Apple Watch display brightness this year, making this series nine twice as bright as the series eight. Overall, the Apple Watch series nine feels like a minor upgrade over the series eight. It's only worth upgrading if you have an older [00:07:00] watch like the series six or earlier. While it's interesting to see Apple improving the way you interact with the watch through Double Tap and a Faster series, these features alone don't justify an upgrade for most people. But if you're coming from a watch like the series six, the culmination of the Apple watches changes over the past few years will feel significant. Not only are you getting what's new with the series nine, but you'll be getting faster general performance, a larger screen with a keyboard, a temperature sensor, car crash detection, and more internal [00:07:30] storage. The series nine is a step in the right direction for the Apple Watch, albeit a minor one, but I am looking forward to seeing how useful Siri is when it comes to more easily accessing health metrics. So what do you think of the Apple Watch series nine? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to follow CNET for more Apple coverage. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.