by While we’re already hearing a lot about the iPhone 15 and some other upcoming Apple gadgets, there’s very little concrete news about the Apple Watch 9 so far — but we’ve heard a few rumors.
An early leak suggested it might be the same size as the Apple Watch 8, for example, although as we still know very little about it, that could prove wrong.
In any case, you’ll find everything we’ve heard about the Apple Watch 9 below, followed by a list of things we wish it had to offer. We’ll also update this article whenever there’s news about Apple’s upcoming wearable, so check back soon to stay updated.
Get to the point
- What is this? The next Apple Watch
- When does it come out; Probably September 2023
- How much will it cost? Probably at least $399 / £419 / AU$629
Apple Watch 9: Price and Release Date
Apple Watch 9 will probably be released in September. After all, the Apple Watch 8 was announced in September 2022, and with two exceptions, every previous model has landed 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 the previous format, which is September 5th, 6th, 12th or 13th. It will probably be announced alongside the iPhone 15 series and will probably be released around 10 days later.
As for price, there’s no news there, but it’s likely to cost at least as much as the Apple Watch 8, which starts at $399 / £419 / AU$629, given the rising costs of parts, fuel and labor.
Apple Watch 9 news and leaks
Apple Watch 9:
The main Apple Watch 9 leak so far comes from an analyst at tech company Omdia via this 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 will come in 1.89-inch and 2.04-inch screen sizes, with a possible 41mm and 45mm case respectively.
Then there’s a sketchy leak that suggests the Apple Watch 9 could instead be called the Apple Watch X, skipping the number nine altogether. This is according to a supply chain source speaking to iPhoneSoft (opens in new tab).
They suggest that this wearable will still land in 2023, so it would be a simple name change, but with the X being the Roman numeral for 10 that seems unnecessarily confusing. Additionally, we’ve heard from the MacRumors leak to expect the Apple Watch X in 2024 alongside the SE 3, so there are conflicting accounts here. The SE 2 launched alongside the Watch 8 and the first iteration of the Apple Watch Ultra, but there’s no news of an Ultra 2 coming in 2024 to complete the trifecta.
What we want to see
The Apple Watch 8 achieved four stars in our review, so for the Apple Watch 9 to get five stars we want to see the following things.
1. Better battery life
One of our main complaints with the Apple Watch 8 – and indeed with every Apple Watch before it – was battery life. While 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 monitor aspects of your health, exercise and sleep. So we’d like to see the Apple Watch 9 last for at least three days between charges, but given that we ask for this every year, it’s probably not going to happen.
2. A major chipset upgrade
The Apple Watch 8 technically has a new Apple S8 chipset in it, but there’s very little in the way of upgrades here. In fact, it uses the same CPU as the S7 and even the S6 from the Apple Watch 6.
Now, to be fair, the Apple Watch 8 is a fast device, so it doesn’t feel particularly underpowered. But it could always be faster. Or Apple could work to significantly improve performance, for better battery life.
3. An action button
One of the key features of the Apple Watch Ultra is an extra button called the action button. This can be customized to do various things, so it’s basically a shortcut to an app or function of your choice.
It’s an extremely useful addition, and it’s one we’d like to see make it to the Apple Watch 9, as it doesn’t seem like something we’d have to pay for on an Ultra model.
4. An amended plan
The Apple Watch 8 looks good, so we don’t feel like its design needs a drastic overhaul, but it also looks pretty much the same as the Apple Watch 7, so some tweaks to freshen it up would be nice.
This could take the form of even smaller bezels, a new case material, a slimmer body, or something else along those lines that will help it feel new and modern.
5. Lower price
With a starting price of $399 / £419 / AU$629, which increases if you want it in a larger size or cellular connectivity, the Apple Watch 8 is a pretty expensive wearable, even though it doesn’t offer a huge amount more than the much cheaper Apple Watch SE 2.
So we’d like to see Apple drop the price for the Apple Watch 9. Either that or make it a substantial upgrade anyway. Doing so would help ensure that it ranks high among the best Apple watches and the best smartwatches.
