Apple Watch Series 9 can be controlled with the pinches

On Tuesday evening, Tim Cook and Apple took the stage with the company’s traditional September event. One of the big focuses of the evening was the Apple Watch, with an unveiling of the Series 9, which after several years is being updated with a completely new system circuit.

With the S9, the Apple Watch takes a real performance step. The system circuit holds 5.6 billion transistors and promises 30 percent faster graphics, along with a twice better Neural Engine than before. The latter enables faster interactions with Siri, which also move locally to the device.

Moving Siri closer also means a couple of bigger changes. Among other things, Apple equips the local voice assistant with the ability to perform several common commands without having to connect to the cloud. In addition, the local connection means that Siri can be used together with the user’s health data, to, for example, ask how things are going on the sleep front or how things are going with the number of steps for the day.

Fingertip feel with Double-tap

Along with the fresh chipset, Apple is introducing what they call Double-tap. As the name reveals, it involves a double-click, but this time completely without involving the screen. Instead, the watch’s sensors are able to detect if the user brings the thumb and index finger together twice in a row.

With Double-tap, users can, for example, answer and end calls, control music or start various routines – almost without having to lift a finger. The function is highlighted as particularly useful for those who have their hands full, such as during exercise, dog walks or other tasks that make it difficult to use the screen.

In terms of size, there is a choice of 41 or 45 millimeters, as well as whether mobile network is desired. The exterior in brushed aluminum is available in either black, silver, gold, rose gold or red. For the simplest, smallest GPS-only model, the price tag starts at SEK 5,565, which then climbs depending on configuration.

For a few thousand extra, you can also choose stainless steel instead, which also means more durable sapphire glass over the screen. There the colors are instead gold, silver and graphite and always both GPS and mobile network, for a price tag from SEK 9,895.

The adventurer Apple Watch Ultra 2 is refreshed

The Apple Watch Ultra is a relatively new member of Apple’s watch family, and it too is getting an update. In the second generation, the adventure-oriented watch is equipped with the same S9 circuit as the Series 9, which means access to the same new finger gestures.

Just like the previous version, the watch should still stand up to even the most extreme activities, from the bottom of the sea to the top of the mountain. With the Ultra 2, the square, slightly rounded screen gets a boost and becomes brighter and, at most, the so-called always-on-screen now reach 3,000 nits.

Otherwise, most of it is identical to its predecessor. Only a measurement of 49 millimeters applies and the screen is still covered in sapphire glass, with a titanium case. The watch’s GPS gets a boost, but no major changes in terms of sensors. On the other hand, it is possible to take the watch even further into the depths of the sea, as the certification for diving down increases from a depth of 40 meters to a depth of 100 meters. The battery life also gets a small boost, mainly in battery saving mode, where the previous 60 hours increases to 72 hours.

For the Apple Watch Ultra 2, there will finally be a final repeat with the same trio of bracelets, which Apple says are adapted for hiking, water activities and pulse-raising training. The colors are green, beige or orange and Apple puts on a five hundred compared to its predecessor, for a price tag of SEK 11,495.

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