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Apple Watch Series 9 Review

An incredibly advanced smartwatch that's sure to please, unless you want Android connectivity
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Apple Watch Series 9 Review
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Price:  $429 List
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Manufacturer:   Apple
By Benjamin Hickok ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Nov 5, 2024
85
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#2 of 10
  • Smart Function - 40% 9.4
  • Health - 30% 8.3
  • Battery Life - 20% 7.3
  • Display - 10% 7.9

Our Verdict

The Apple Watch Series 9 stands out as an industry-leading smartwatch for a host of higher-end functions and features, seamless integration with iPhones, and Apple's extensive and refined app marketplace. It strikes an incredible balance of features, performance, and a beautiful 1.7 inch display for the price. While it is not Apple's most premium offering, it outshines the best models from many other manufacturers for its better features and health monitoring abilities, to great battery life and a vibrant display. Its only major limitation that we can criticize is the lack of Android connectivity, or the fact that Apple places more premium app features behind a paywall.
REASONS TO BUY
Everything you could want in a smartwatch
Seamless compatibility with iPhones
Fast S9 processor
REASONS TO AVOID
No Android compatibility
Marginal upgrade from the SE model
Expensive for no sapphire screen

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Apple Smartwatch
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Android Smartwatch
Best Buy Award
Best Buy in Smartwatches
Top Pick Award
Top Pick for Health and Fitness
Best Buy Award
Best Buy Under $100
Price $429 List
$379.99 at Amazon
$330 List
$188.00 at Amazon
$279 List
$219.00 at Amazon
$450 List
$425.41 at Amazon
$90 List
$74.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line The only thing this model is missing is support for Android phonesThis capable and beautiful model will please most, and is great for Android phone usersThe most affordable model in Apple's lineup, but compromises very littleThis smartwatch cater more toward fitness tracking than smart functions like text messagingIf you have reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed by this affordable model
Rating Categories Apple Watch Series 9 Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Apple Watch SE Garmin Venu 3 Amazfit BIP 5
Smart Function (40%)
9.4
8.8
9.3
6.5
4.6
Health (30%)
8.3
8.3
8.6
9.0
5.9
Battery Life (20%)
7.3
7.2
5.7
8.9
4.5
Display (10%)
7.9
8.8
7.7
6.4
4.8
Specs Apple Watch Series 9 Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Apple Watch SE Garmin Venu 3 Amazfit BIP 5
Charge Time 61 min 83 min 125 min 83 min 110 min
Battery Life - Regular Use 55.6 hr 62.5 hr 27.8 hr 142.9 hr 33.3 hr
Battery Life - GPS 11.1 hr 9.1 hr 12.5 hr 20.0 hr 6.3 hr
Measured Weight 1.36 oz 1.17 oz 1.18 oz 1.06 oz 0.93 oz
Measured Dimensions 1.78" x 1.50" x 0.52" 1.69" x 1.75" x 0.51" 1.75" x 1.50" x 0.52" 1.77" x 1.77" x 0.53" 1.81" x 1.50" x 0.50"
Measured Display Hardness 7.5 8.5 7.5 7 6.5
Model Tested 45 mm 46 mm 44 mm 45 mm 46 mm
Sensors - Electrical heart sensor and ECG app
  • Third-generation optical heart sensor
  • High and low heart rate notifications
  • Irregular rhythm notifications
  • Sleep stages
  • Temperature sensing
  • Compass with waypoints and backtrack
  • Always-on altimeter
  • High-g accelerometer
  • Ambient light sensor
-Accelerometer
-Barometer
-Gyro Sensor
-Light Sensor
-Optical Heart Rate Sensor
- High and low heart rate notifications
  • Irregular rhythm notifications
- Garmin Elevate™ Wrist Heart Rate Monitor
  • PULSE OX BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION MONITOR
  • Barometric Alterimeter
  • Compass
  • Gyroscope
  • Accellerometer
  • Thermometer (tempe™ sensor required)
  • Ambient Light Sensor
- BioTracker™ PPG biometric sensor
  • 3-axis acceleration sensor
  • Satellite positioning systems
Battery Size 308 mAh 425 mAh 296 mAh Not Specified 125 mAh
NFC Apple Pay Samsung Wallet None Garmin Pay None
Splash, Dust, and Water - Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
  • Dust resistance IP6X
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
  • Dust resistance (Not specified)
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
  • Dust resistance IP6X
- Water resistance 50m (swim proof)
  • Dust resistance (Not specified)
- Water resistance 1.5m (splash/snow proof)
  • IP68
Safety Features - Emergency SOS
  • International emergency calling
  • Crash Detection
  • Fall Detection
Fall Detection - Emergency SOS - Incident detection during activities
  • Incident detection on phone for wearables
  • Assistance
  • Livetrack
None

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


In our quest to identify the best smartwatch among the many options available, we conducted extensive research and meticulously chose the most promising products for our hands-on testing. The Apple Watch Series 9 stood out as a great option after going through our rigorous performance evaluations and tests across four distinct metrics.

apple watch series 9 - a brilliant smartwatch sure to please all but android users.
A brilliant smartwatch sure to please all but Android users.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Smart Function


The primary reason to own a smartwatch is for its smart functions and features that help improve our efficiency and productivity. Teh Apple Watch Series 9 does it by providing a convenient alternative to using other devices like a laptop or phone, and scored well in our smart function testing for its high level of performance, and robust capabilities.


We awarded points to each model based on the availability and the quality of proprietary apps, third party apps, our experience making phone calls, texting, and the GPS display. The Apple Watch Series 9, due in no small part to intuitive Apple apps, and a huge third-party app marketplace, scored exceptionally well in the test metric.

The biggest change between the Series 8 and the Apple Watch Series 9 concerning features and functionality is the upgrade to the S9 64‑bit dual‑core processor which can handle the growing rigors of the Watch 10 OS. The chip is the first advance in performance over the last couple of generations of the watch. This model also now supports the double tap gesture, for ease and convenience.

The mature Apple interface is a hallmark of Apple watches.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

The updated processing power also handles Siri with on‑device processing, when not connected to a phone or in a place with a bad network. On-device processing is noticeably slower than off-device processing of the Siri service, but it is a great alternative when not tethered to a phone.

Phone call quality is essentially unchanged from previous models, which is fine, because the Apple Watch Series 9 offers some of the best quality calls, with crystal clear sound and no noticeable distortion. It is also intuitive, and easy to make and receive calls. Combined with speech-to-text, and a tiny but useful keyboard, this model will drastically reduce the need to pull out your phone.

Lastly, we found the GPS and mapping quality of the phone to be excellent, although it is a battery hog, and the watch supports NFC for convenience like Apple Pay. It is also worth noting that our test model is not a cellular model, and the testing for phone calls was done through tethering to an iPhone. While Apple's proprietary Apple Watch, Health, and Fitness apps are great as they are, more premium features are available on a subscription basis, but add to the cost of ownership..

apple watch series 9 - from incredibly smart features and functions to an easy to use time...
From incredibly smart features and functions to an easy to use time piece, this smartwatch has everything you could want on your wrist.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Health


The Apple Watch Series 9 stands out as one of the better wearable fitness devices for a wide range of fitness tracking capabilities, accurate GPS, and advanced sensor suite. Nearly all modern smartwatches are capable of some degree of health monitoring or fitness tracking, but the Series 9, is one of the better options out there, and scored well in our health metric, weighted to thirty percent of each model's overall score.


Our test team members put the Apple Watch Series 9 to the test by performing repeated tests that included measured running paths, and additional dedicated heart monitoring and GPS tracking equipment to validate health sensors and data accuracy. We validated heart rate data at over 99 percent, and a nearly 100 percent GPS distance measuring accuracy.

While all of the sensing and tracking was generally within a close level of accuracy, we did find that the step counter accuracy was less impressive than the majority of other smartwatches tested, at 97 percent accurate. Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 9 did poorly with treadmill walking accuracy. However, the watch does have a feature called Gymkit, which allows you to directly connect with compatible gym equipment to help collect and rectify data straight off the machine. Unfortunately, companies like Peleton may be phasing out Gymkit as they are directing users to install their One-Tap tracking app onto Apple watches in place of Gymkit.

Rain or shine, this model is ready to go.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

The Apple Watch Series 9 was fairly average when compared to other smartwatches we tested in regard to workout types and quality. While this model offers a large selection of workouts, more than eighty, the workouts lack activity-specific metrics or features and for great workout tracking data and metrics, you will probably rely heavily on third-party apps to fill the void. Then again, the smartwatch is a smartwatch first, very competent health tracker second.

apple watch series 9 - this watch offers strong health monitoring and fitness tracking...
This watch offers strong health monitoring and fitness tracking tools and apps.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Battery Life


Our battery life test metric evaluated the run time of the Apple Watch Series 9's 308 mAh battery under different real-world use cases, and it scored well for solid battery performance, and the ability to quick charge to 50%.


Apple states up to 18 hours with normal use, and 36 hours in low power mode, which conserves battery by disabling the always-on display and limiting the background sensor readings, but we devised our own tests that more realistically measure typical use with and without the GPS activated, as GPS radios are rather massive battery hogs.

The Apple Watch Series 9's 308 mAh battery recharges faster than any other model we tested, requiring only sixty-one minutes to reach a full charge, so you'll spend less time with it off of your wrist and more time enjoying its functionality. Our team extrapolated that using it without GPS, you can expect a battery life of 55.6 hours, which is more than adequate to last a couple of days of a busy schedule. Even with GPS activated, you still get a solid 11.1 hours of battery life, ensuring it keeps up with your active lifestyle without interruption.

apple watch series 9 - a strong battery life means more time off the charger and on your...
A strong battery life means more time off the charger and on your wrist.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Display


With Apple's history of incredible device displays it is unsurprising that the Apple Watch Series 9 is one of the most impressive displays on the market today. Displays are becoming more and more exceptional, across a large majority of the top smartwatches, yet the Series 9 still managed to outshine others in our display test metric at ten percent of its final score.


The Apple Watch Series 9 offers the same 326-pixel per-inch OLED resolution, and Ion‑X front glass for aluminum models, that the Series 8 used. Our test model was an aluminum model with the Ion‑X front glass and not the sapphire front crystal used in stainless steel models. While the glass option for aluminum models and resolutions stayed the same, the Series 9 offers greater brightness when compared to the Series 8.

Our measurements didn't record the manufacturer's claimed *up to 2000 nits brightness, but compared to all other models our team tested, the Apple Watch Series 9 was the second brightest display, second to one other Apple model. The Ion‑X glass itself provides ample protection from scratches and abrasion, achieving a 7.5 rating in our in-house Mohs hardness testing. For comparison, that strength places it behind sapphire crystal, but ahead of Corning Gorilla Glass.

apple watch series 9 - the series 9 display is bright and beautiful, and easy to view in...
The Series 9 display is bright and beautiful, and easy to view in bright daylight.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Should you buy the Apple Watch Series 9?


There are limited options if you are trying to find a better smartwatch than the Apple Watch Series 9. Most smartwatches can not claim as impressive a suite of proprietary Apple apps, as robust a marketplace of third-party apps, as good a GPS and mapping experience, fitness tracking, an intuitive user experience, beautiful display, strong speech-to-text, NFC support for things like Apple Pay, and the list of features and accolades goes on and on. Our team thought that the Series 9 was the best model for most people, especially for those who already use an iPhone, and we strongly recommend it, but a lack of Android support is a deal breaker for those who use an Android based phone.

What other Smartwatches should you consider?


The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the only model our team tested that outshined the Apple Watch Series 9 literally with its larger and brighter OLED display protected by the even more scratch-resistant Sapphire Crystal glass, but also with its greater battery life that nearly doubles your runtime before a recharge. However, those improvements cost nearly twice as much as the Series 9 making it less attainable for everyone. Android users who want a high-quality smartwatch will not be disappointed with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which performed similarly to Series 9, earning it a nearly identical score. Samsung Galaxy phone users will also be able to take advantage of Samsung-specific features, in addition to the standard Android operating system inter-functionality.

Benjamin Hickok