Apple introduces the advanced new Apple Watch Series 9

September 12, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Apple introduces the advanced new Apple Watch Series 9

Featuring breakthrough capabilities for the world’s most popular watch and Apple’s first carbon neutral products

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today introduced Apple Watch Series 9, bringing new features to the world’s best-selling watch and achieving a significant environmental milestone. Apple Watch Series 9 is more powerful than ever with the new S9 SiP, which increases performance and capabilities; a magical new double tap gesture; a brighter display; faster on-device Siri, now with the ability to access and log health data; Precision Finding for iPhone; and more. Apple Watch Series 9 runs watchOS 10, which delivers redesigned apps, the new Smart Stack, new watch faces, new cycling and hiking features, and tools to support mental health.

For the first time, customers can choose a carbon neutral option of any Apple Watch, representing a significant milestone toward Apple 2030: Apple’s plan to be carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030.

The new Apple Watch lineup can be ordered today, with availability beginning Friday, September 22.

“Apple Watch is an indispensable companion that helps millions of people with their health, fitness, communications, and safety,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We’re introducing our best Apple Watch lineup, with incredible new capabilities and technological advancements, including a new double tap gesture, brighter display, on-device Siri, as well as our first-ever carbon neutral products. Whether users are upgrading from earlier models or buying their first, there’s never been a more compelling time to experience Apple Watch.”

“At Apple, we are committed to making products customers love and protecting the planet at the same time, and this year, we hit a key milestone toward our Apple 2030 goal,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “Our first carbon neutral products were made in a uniquely Apple way, steeply reducing carbon emissions from materials, electricity, and transportation through innovation and design.”

Powerful New S9 SiP

Apple Watch Series 9 is powered by custom Apple silicon in the all-new S9 SiP. Apple’s most powerful watch chip yet delivers systemwide improvements and brand-new features, including a new double tap gesture and on-device Siri with the ability to access and log health data privately and securely. Apple Watch Series 9 also has a new 4-core Neural Engine that can process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast, when compared with Apple Watch Series 8. The power efficiency of the S9 SiP allows Apple Watch Series 9 to maintain all-day 18-hour battery life.¹

Double Tap Gesture

Innovations such as the Digital Crown and Taptic Engine — along with gestures like tap, swipe, wrist raise, and cover to mute — make Apple Watch simple and intuitive to use. With a new double tap gesture, users can easily control Apple Watch Series 9 using just one hand and without touching the display. Users can tap the index finger and thumb of their watch hand together twice to quickly and conveniently perform many of the most common actions on Apple Watch Series 9.

Double tap controls the primary button in an app so it can be used to stop a timer, play and pause music, or snooze an alarm. The gesture can be used to answer and end a phone call, and even to take a photo with the Camera Remote on Apple Watch. Double tap will also open the Smart Stack from the watch face, and another double tap will scroll through widgets in the stack.

This new double tap gesture is enabled by the faster Neural Engine in Apple Watch Series 9, which processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor with a new machine learning algorithm. The algorithm detects the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap. The double tap gesture will be available in a software update next month.

Brighter Display

The power-efficient S9 SiP and advanced display architecture increase the maximum brightness of the Apple Watch Series 9 display up to 2000 nits — double that of Series 8 — making it even easier to read text in bright sunlight. For dark rooms or early mornings, the display can also lower to just one nit so as not to disturb people close by.

On-Device Siri with Ability to Access and Log Health Data

For the first time on Apple Watch, Siri requests can be processed on device. For requests that do not require information from the internet, such as starting a workout or setting a timer, Siri does not rely on Wi-Fi or cellular networks, resulting in quicker and more reliable responses. The powerful Neural Engine also makes dictation up to 25 percent more accurate than Apple Watch Series 8.

On-device processing is private and secure, and now Siri can be used to access data from the Health app for health- and fitness-related queries. For example, a user can ask how many hours of sleep they had the previous night, for progress on closing their Activity rings, or about their blood glucose level if they have a connected monitor. Users can also make Siri requests on Apple Watch Series 9 to log health data such as their weight, period, or medications taken.²

Precision Finding and HomePod Integration

The ability to use Apple Watch to find iPhone is a favorite user feature. Now, the S9 SiP includes a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip to enable Precision Finding for the iPhone 15 family, which has the same chip. Precision Finding provides distance and direction, as well as visual, haptic, and audio guidance to a misplaced iPhone, even if it is in a different room.

UWB also brings deeper integration between Apple Watch and HomePod. When an Apple Watch user gets within 4 meters of a HomePod playing audio, Apple Watch Series 9 will launch Now Playing to control the media. Or if nothing is playing on HomePod, media suggestions will appear at the top of the Smart Stack.

Featuring watchOS 10

Apple Watch Series 9 runs watchOS 10, a milestone update that includes:

• A fresh approach to quickly view information with redesigned apps and a new Smart Stack to show relevant widgets right when they’re needed.

• Delightful new watch faces: Snoopy, Palette, and Solar Analog. A new Nike watch face, Nike Globe, lights up the lines on the globe with each passing second.

• Bluetooth connectivity for power meters, speed sensors, and cadence sensors arrives for cyclists, unlocking new metrics and Workout Views, and cycling workouts.

• A cycling workout can automatically show up as a Live Activity on iPhone and utilize the full screen when tapped.

• New Compass Waypoints and Maps capabilities to further help during outdoor adventures.

• Additional tools to support mental health with state of mind logging in the Mindfulness app.

• The ability to measure time spent in daylight using the ambient light sensor to help reduce the risk of myopia and provide additional benefits to physical and mental health for all ages.

Carbon Neutral Models

Select case and band combinations of Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch SE are Apple’s first-ever carbon neutral products. As part of Apple 2030, the carbon footprint of Apple Watch has been significantly decreased. Emissions were reduced from the three biggest sources of greenhouse gases — materials, electricity, and transportation. The small amount of emissions remaining are offset with high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects. Apple Watch packaging has been redesigned to be 100 percent fiber-based, and a new logo on the packaging indicates models that are carbon neutral.

Apple Watch SE

Apple Watch SE continues to deliver the core Apple Watch experience at a more affordable price point, and is a great way for users to start their Apple Watch journey, use with Family Setup, or gift to their loved ones. Additionally, Apple Watch SE offers Activity tracking, high and low heart rate notifications, Fall Detection, Emergency SOS, Crash Detection, and watchOS 10.

Lineup

• Apple Watch Series 9 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes in starlight, midnight, silver, (PRODUCT)RED, and a new pink aluminum case, as well as stainless steel in gold, silver, and graphite cases.

• Any aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 with a new Sport Loop band is carbon neutral.

• Apple Watch SE is available in 40mm and 44mm aluminum cases, and is carbon neutral when paired with a new Sport Loop band.

• Apple Watch Hermès is available in stainless steel in silver and space black.

Bands

Apple is introducing FineWoven, a luxurious and durable microtwill made of 68 percent post-consumer recycled content that has significantly lower carbon emissions compared to leather. FineWoven has a suedelike feel, and is available with the Magnetic Link and Modern Buckle bands. Starting today, Apple will no longer use leather in any new Apple product, including watch bands.

The popular Sport Loop band has been redesigned to include 82 percent recycled yarn. All new Apple Watch Sport Loops are carbon neutral.

Apple worked with Nike and Hermès on more environmentally friendly band collections. The Nike Sport Band now contains 32 percent or more recycled fluoroelastomer, including colorful flakes made from excess bands that create a randomized pattern, making each band unique, while the Nike Sport Loop with a space-dye pattern repurposes yarn from previous seasons.

A new collection of Hermès bands draws on the house’s rich history in textiles and craftsmanship. Two new woven bands are introduced: Toile H is an interpretation of the brand’s signature checked canvas, and Twill Jump is a rich solid color with contrasting details. The first-ever knitted band for Apple Watch, Bridon, is hand-braided with a bold chevron pattern, while Kilim is made of sporty, waterproof molded rubber and has a deployment buckle. A classic new watch face, Hermès Radial, complements these four new band styles.³

Pricing and Availability

• Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S., and more than 40 other countries and regions can order Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch SE today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 22.

• Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 (U.S.), and Apple Watch SE starts at $249 (U.S.).

• Apple Watch bands, Apple Watch Nike bands, and Apple Watch Hermès bands will be available to order today from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 22.

• watchOS 10 will be available for Apple Watch Series 4 and later on Monday, September 18, and requires iPhone XS or later running iOS 17. Not all features are available on all devices and in all regions.

• Three months of Apple Fitness+ are included for customers who purchase Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Ultra 2, or a new Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

About Apple
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

1. Battery life varies by use.
2. These capabilities will be available in a software update later this year, starting in English and Mandarin. They require the download of speech models.
3. The Hermès Radial watch face is available with Apple Watch Hermès models only.

Press Contacts

Nikki Rothberg

Apple

[email protected]

Lance Lin

Apple

[email protected]

Apple Media Helpline

[email protected]