Apple Watch Series 8: Every week with the brand new greatest smartwatch (for now) | Engadget

The Series 8 is the center baby of Apple’s 2022 Watch lineup, and sadly it is perhaps the best to miss. With its principal updates being crash detection and a brand new pores and skin temperature sensor that enables for ovulation monitoring, the Series 8 seems like a small replace to final yr’s Series 7. At $399, it additionally faces stiffer competitors from the Watch SE, which not solely noticed a worth discount this yr to $250, but in addition shares the identical processor because the Series 8, amongst many different options. And with the high-end Watch Ultra arriving quickly, it’s exhausting to think about anybody is feeling excited in regards to the Series 8.

Still, since most individuals don’t improve their smartwatches on a yearly foundation, a generational comparability isn’t essentially the most helpful to make. On its personal, the Series 8 is an outstanding watch that makes an incredible multipurpose wearable with wonderful well being and health instruments. I’ve spent a few week testing the Series 8 alongside the Watch SE, in addition to the Series 7. (Yes, that’s plenty of watches on my wrists.) And, whereas I don’t really feel able to pronounce a full verdict, I can comfortably say most individuals will probably be glad with the Series 8.

It’s exhausting for me to really evaluate the Series 8 to the Series 7 as a result of I obtained a bigger dimension to check than ordinary. The older mannequin in my possession is the 41mm model, whereas the Series 8 I’ve is the 45mm possibility. It doesn’t translate to a serious useful distinction, however the dimension discrepancy did make some options tougher to check.

For instance, I’m already extra delicate than most about sleeping with a watch on my wrist. That the 45mm Series 8 is larger than my Series 7 meant I hated testing its sleep-tracking much more than ordinary – a lot in order that I’ve been laying aside this a part of the evaluate course of. Instead, I wore the brand new 40mm Watch SE to mattress, which made for a tolerable expertise.

I’ve up to now worn the Series 8 on a redeye flight to see if I’d get some temperature readings then, however regardless of my having arrange a Sleep Focus as required, the watch didn’t monitor sleep. I’ll must do extra testing, however between that and in addition testing the Watch SE in a single day, I can’t consider options like the brand new pores and skin temperature sensor for now.

Apple makes use of the info it collects whilst you sleep to calculate a baseline on your physique temperature, and over time it appears to be like at deviations to evaluate if and if you ovulated. The Series 8 requires a minimum of 5 nights of information to find out the baseline, after which extra time is required to gauge your cycles.

With all that’s concerned in testing this function, I’ll want to attend a little bit longer earlier than I can get a greater thought of how helpful it’s. I can also’t safely check crash detection, in order that’s not one thing I can vouch for both.

For now, although, residing with the Series 8 is so much like utilizing the Series 7 . The new beige Starlight coloration possibility isn’t one thing I’m enthusiastic about, nevertheless it does make the Watch really feel much less like a black stone on my wrist.

Though the Series 8 makes use of a more recent S8 system-in-package processor, it didn’t really feel dramatically sooner than its predecessor. It did final a little bit longer usually, although I want extra time testing to know for positive. I additionally suspect that the bigger dimension might need one thing to do with this. I used the new low power mode in watchOS 9 one morning when the Series 8 was down to twenty % battery and I nonetheless needed to run to the fitness center for an 8am exercise. It managed to final one other two hours a minimum of whereas additionally having the ability to monitor my efficiency throughout the HIIT class. I used to be impressed by how little it felt like I needed to sacrifice in trade for the additional juice.

I additionally loved testing another watchOS 9 updates like cardio zone pages throughout exercises and the brand new watch faces. The Lunar display particularly helped me keep in mind that the Mid-Autumn Festival was this previous weekend, since I might clearly learn the date in Mandarin on the web page. (The date for the pageant in Mandarin can also be a colloquialism that refers back to the moon.) When I switched Focus Modes on my telephone, the corresponding image confirmed up on the high of the Series 8’s display to point it additionally adopted that profile. Reminders to take the medicines I’ve saved to Apple Health had been additionally useful, and I favored having the ability to use the watch to log drugs I took.

Most of those options will probably be obtainable to these utilizing older Apple Watches as soon as the software program replace is put in.

While it’s good which you could get ECG and blood oxygen readings on the Series 8, I didn’t run these very a lot throughout my time with the machine. These aren’t instruments that I’d use commonly sufficient to warrant spending an additional $150 on the higher-end mannequin. For most individuals, the Watch SE presents loads for a pleasant worth — particularly should you can reside with out an always-on show and IP6X mud resistance.

The Series 7 and eight each cost sooner than the SE, however the cheaper watch by no means took longer than 45 minutes to get sufficient juice for a day’s use. Also, I’ve but to misplace my Apple Watches, so the U1 chip that’s lacking from the SE hasn’t felt as necessary. On the Series 8, that extremely wideband function will allow extra exact location by way of Apple’s Find My app.

I’ll more than likely maintain utilizing the Series 8 as my main smartwatch (after buying and selling it in for a smaller mannequin), however not as a result of I actually need the pores and skin temperature sensing or crash detection; my job requires me to remain on top of things on the most recent gadgets and options. But if I had been making the choice for myself (and never my profession), I’d more than likely purchase the Watch SE. Still, the Series 8 is well-rounded and full-featured, and arguably the perfect smartwatch round. That is, till we get our arms on the upcoming Watch Ultra.