Everything You Need To Know About The Apple Watch Series 8

Apple’s Far Out event finally brought us news on the new Apple Watch — in fact, it gave us news on three models. The Apple Watch Series 8, SE and Apple Watch Ultra have all been unveiled and we’ve broken down what you need to know about each.

Everything we know about the Apple Watch Series 8

Apple Watch Series 8

Design

The Series 8 Apple Watch will adopt the same design aesthetic as the previous generation with an extra large display and aluminium stainless steel casing offered in 41mm and 45mm sizes.

Colour options include Starlight, Midnight, Silver and Product Red while the stainless steel case colours are Silver, Graphite and Gold. As always there are a new range of band options on sale as well.

Features

As has been long-rumoured, the Apple Watch Series 8 is introducing a new temperature sensor, mainly aimed at women’s health.

The sensor uses a two-factor design with one sensor on the back of the watch atop the skin and the other under the display to reduce bias from the external environment.

Using these temperature-sensing capabilities, Apple Watch users will be able to get further information about their ovulation cycles and period predictions which can help with family planning.

Similar to the new iPhone 14 models, the Apple Watch Series 8 is introducing crash detection, which recognises when the wearer has been involved in a severe car crash and automatically calls emergency services to their location.

Low Power Mode is also a new feature of the Apple Watch Series 8 which allows the battery life to extend to 36 hours while the iPhone is present. The new mode will temporarily disable or limit certain features such as the Always-On display and heart health notifications.

The Apple Watch Series 8 also features watchOS 9 which includes new aesthetic features like a hybrid view, workout app, medications feature and more.

Apple Watch SE

Design

The new Apple Watch SE offers the same great product in a lower-budget model. This version features the same case design as the previous model but offers a redesigned matching black case made of nylon composite material, making it lighter than ever.

Features

One great advantage of the Apple Watch SE is that it now has the same S8 SiP dual-core processor that is featured in the Apple Watch Series 8, which makes it 20% faster than the previous model.

The Apple Watch SE also offers crash detection, but misses the advanced features of the Series 8 like temperature sensing and ECG readings.

Apple Watch Ultra

Design

For the first time, Apple has introduced an Ultra edition of its smartwatch.

The Apple Watch Ultra features a bold new design and features that are aimed at exploration and adventure. The casing is made from aerospace-grade titanium which is more durable and corrosion resistant. The case rises up further than the traditional watch to support the flat sapphire front crystal and protect the retina display.

The display itself goes up to 2000 nits of brightness and a new action button in orange is customisable for a series of features. The Ultra also has three built-in microphones for better sound quality in voice calls, if talking on your watch is your thing.

A new slate of bands are also built for endurance with thinner, lighter and softer materials on offer. A new Ocean Band is also aimed at those using their watch in extreme water sports or diving.

Features

The Apple Watch Ultra offers the most accurate GPS of any of Apple’s smartwatches so far. This offers more precise data in terms of distance, pace and routes for training.

The new watchOS 9 also provides more in-depth tracking features like stride length, ground contact time and running power and workout metrics have been redesigned to provide more information.

The battery life has also been enhanced for users with up to 60 hours available in low power mode.

A redesigned compass app also suits adventurers as it updates dynamically in real-time and the Back Track feature uses GPS data to help users find their way back.

The Apple Watch Ultra also features a new temperature sensor that has been designed for extreme locations from freezing cold mountaints to the desert heat. A Depth app and Oceanic+ app help support all sorts of underwater adventures.

Alongside all these new exercise features, the Apple Watch Ultra offers the same health features as the Series 8 including ECG and heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen levels, activity rings and mindfulness.

New 2022 Apple Watch Australian pricing and availability

The prices for the new Apple Watch models were revealed this morning and, unsurprisingly, the Ultra is almost double the

Apple Watch Series 8

• 41mm, GPS model – $629
• 41mm, Cellular model – $789
• 45mm, GPS model – $679
• 45mm, Cellular model – $839

Apple Watch SE (2022)

• 40mm, GPS model – $399
• 40mm, Cellular model – $559
• 44mm, GPS model – $529
• 44mm, Cellular model – $609

Apple Watch Ultra – $1,299

The new Apple Watch Series 8 and SE will be available for pre-order from today and will be sold in stores from Friday, September 16.

The Apple Watch Ultra is available for pre-order now with general availability from Friday, September 23.

Apple also unveiled the iPhone 14 at its Far Out event this morning which you can find out more about here.