Why normal people should buy the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models.
Usually when a new Apple Watch comes out, you can find great deals on the older models that would save you a ton of money, especially if you are in the market for a stainless steel version. With the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models though, the better deal is to go for one of these two new models, even at full price.
These are the two main reasons why you should go for the new Apple Watches:
New processor
The Apple Watch is not a slow device when it comes to doing ordinary tasks, but the new S9 chip has 60% more transistors than the outgoing chip, which will make it faster and more future proof. As a matter of fact, the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, and 8 all had the same processor, so this new S9 chip could easily be the chip for the next 3 years. Now what is this new chip capable of doing? Take the new on-board Siri for example.
Normally when I use Siri on the watch, there is a significant delay between my request and the result. I will tell Siri to turn off a specific lamp in my house, and it will take her around 10 seconds or more to turn it off. This was because Siri was not running natively on the watch, but would connect to the iPhone and then fulfill the request. With the S9 chip, Siri can now run natively on the watch, making requests faster and more secure. This will be a huge time savings for those who use Siri all the time.
Not only will Siri be even better, but the new chip enables the “Double Tap” feature. By pressing your index finger with your thumb twice, you can activate certain gestures, such as answering a call, snoozing an alarm, and even scrolling through your Smart Stack. Even though the Double Tap feature existed before in accessibility mode under AssistiveTouch, it is not as user friendly and is not as accurate. Apparently the new neural engine is what makes the Double Tap feature more accurate.
Better brightness controls
With the Apple Watch Series 9, you can go all the way up to 2000 nits in brightness, which is double that of the Series 8 and equal to last year’s Apple Watch Ultra. The Ultra 2 goes from 2000 nits to 3000 nits, which is an insane level of screen brightness. It will not just be visible in the harshest of sunlight, but it will look and feel bright.
Even though brightness usually isn’t a huge deal for most people, what is a huge deal is how dim a watch can get. Both these watches can go down to as low as 1 nit, which means you won’t be bothered by the higher brightness of your watch in low-lit environments. Your wife won’t groan and complain about your annoying watch blasting her dilated pupils, and people next to you in the theater will no longer give you that scowling glare to turn off your watch.
In other words, the new Apple Watches will improve your relationship with those around you. Now can you really put a price on that?
Which watch should I pick?
That is a personal preference based on design, battery life, and oh yeah, price. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799 and the Series 9 at $399. The Series 9 is literally half the price of the Ultra 2, but gives you 98% of the features of the Ultra 2. You don’t get the siren, extreme GPS and diving features, nor the Action Button, but are those features really worth an extra $400? Even the extra battery life might not justify the price because since they both support fast charging, you can get your watch charged from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the watch.
The Series 9 with GPS and Cellular starts at $499, but even the $300 difference is a hard pill to swallow.
If you were eyeing the Stainless steel versions of the Series 9, which start at $699, then it would be a better buy to get the Ultra 2 since you would get all those extra perks for only $100.
Whichever one of these two watches you pick, you will be happy, up to date, and will have a watch that can easily last 5 years if not more.