Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were launched at the company’s ‘Wonderlust’ event on Tuesday (September 12). The new Apple Watch Series 9 arrives as the tenth iteration in the series of smartwatches launched by the Cupertino giant. The new models look quite similar to the Apple Watch Series 8. However, it does boast new hardware features that are touted to deliver improved performance. Apple’s new wearables include the Apple S9 SiP (system in package). The Apple Watch Series 9 is offered in 41mm and 45mm sizes, while the Apple Watch Ultra is launched in 49mm size. They include support for the WatchOS 10 software version as well.
Apple Watch Series 9 price in India, availability
The Apple Watch Series 9 price starts at Rs. 41,900 in India. It has an initial price tag of $399 (roughly Rs. 33,000) in the US. The wearable comes in five shades — Midnight, Starlight, Silver, (Product) Red, and a new Pink.
The second-generation Apple Watch Ultra 2 is priced at Rs. 89,900 in India. In the US, it’ll cost you $799 (roughly Rs. 64,000). It is offered with Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean band options.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are currently up for pre-orders. They will go on sale starting Friday, September 22.
To recall, the Apple Watch Series 8 GPS was launched with a price tag of $399 (roughly Rs. 31,800) in the US and Rs. 45,900 in India. The Apple Watch Ultra was unveiled last year for Rs. 89,900. It is priced at $799 (roughly Rs, 63,600) in the US.
Apple Watch Series 9 specifications, features
The Apple Watch Series 9 comes in 41mm and 45mm case options. Like the previous Watch Series 7 and Watch Series 8 models, they have the always-on Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. It is claimed to deliver up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge.
The smartwatch is powered by a new Apple S9 SiP (system in package) with a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip. Apple claims that the new chip is 60 percent faster than the Apple Watch Series 8. The new wearable allows users to access their health data through Siri. It comes with a “Double Tap” gesture that lets users answer or end a call, stop a timer, snoozer alarm, control music, access camera and more just by tapping their thumb and index finger fingers together. Fuelled by Digital Crown and Taptic Engine, the Double Tap feature will also allow users to open the Smart Stack from the watch face and scroll through widgets in the stack. Further, the wearable also has the ability to ping the user’s iPhone. It can be integrated with HomePod as well.
The Apple Watch Series 9 runs watchOS 10 and the new operating system comes with redesigned apps, a fresh Smart Stack, new watch faces, new cycling and hiking features, and tools to support mental health. Further, the smartwatch comprises a four-core Neural Engine that can process machine learning tasks faster than previous Watch Series 8 models. It is also said to make dictation up to 25 percent more accurate than the Apple Watch Series 8.
The new model is claimed to be Apple’s first carbon-neutral product.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 specifications, features
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 features a 49mm Retina display with up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Like the Apple Watch Series 9, the latest Apple Watch Ultra 2 also runs on the company’s custom S9 SiP and has carbon-neutral options. The flagship smartwatch comes with advanced features like on-device Siri processing and improved location tracking.
The new high-end rugged watch runs on watchOS 10 and brings a new gesture called Double Tap. With this functionality, users can control the Apple Watch Ultra 2 using just one hand and without touching the display. It gets a new watch face — Modular Ultra — depicting present real-time data, including seconds, altitude, or depth. For climbers and hikers, it offers an altitude range ranging from 500 meters below sea level to 9,000 meters above sea level. For water sports enthusiasts, the wearable delivers a diving depth of 40 meters.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is said to deliver up to 36 hours of battery life during normal use and a maximum of 72 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode.