Apple unveiled its three latest smartwatches, which include Watch Ultra, Watch Series 8, and Watch SE, at its event on last night.
All three products fall under a different category in terms of features and affordability with the Apple Watch Ultra being the highest end and advanced of all three, while the other two belong to the mid and lower range respectively in regard to their price and features.
Apple Watch Ultra
Watch Ultra (also known as Pro) is a completely new category of Apple’s smartwatches. It features a massive 49 mm titanium case that houses the largest and brightest display on an Apple Watch to date.
Meanwhile, the case has a slightly raised edge in order to shield the display against accidental drops. In addition, the display is also protected by a flat sapphire crystal cover. According to Apple’s claims, the display brightness can go up to 2,000 nits, meaning it should be clearly visible even in direct sunlight.
Furthermore, Apple has also developed Wayfinder, a customizable watchface for the larger screen, which displays more information. Apple Watch Ultra is equipped with an additional speaker on its left side that rings alerts at a very loud 86 dB in case of emergencies. It also features a new Action button that can be configured for instantly accessing digital fitness apps like Workouts, Compass, Waypoints, or Backtrack.
The home button and digital crown are on the right side. The watch comes with three microphones to enable noise cancellation.
Moving to its internals, it is powered by an S8 chip like the other two Apple Watches. According to Apple it’s battery lasts up to 36 hours under normal usage with the always-on display, automatic workouts, and constant heart rate. However, with the Ultra-low-power mode, it can potentially go up to 60 hours.
Watch Ultra can endure temperatures between -20° C and 55° C thanks to its MIL-STD-810H compliance. It can also tolerate various external conditions including low pressure (Altitude), humidity, temperature shock, fluid contamination, rain, and many more.
It is also WR100 and EN 13319 certified, which is the industry standard for diving accessories. Such broad protection can enable adventurous users to take this Watch anywhere.
It comes with three bands that include Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band. All variants include GPS and cellular connectivity and are available for $799, while its shipping will begin on 23 September.
Apple Watch Series 8
In terms of design, Apple Watch Series 8 is made of 100 percent recycled aluminum (it also comes in three stainless steel variants). It is almost similar to Series 7 but features the new S8 chip instead along with a temperature sensor, crash detection, and the latest Ultra-low-power mode. The temperature sensor can detect even small variations of 0.1° C.
Crash detection is enabled by a 3-axis gyro sensor and a new High G-force accelerometer capable of detecting up to 256 Gs of acceleration, making it four times more sensitive than the old one. The Watch Series 8 will notify the emergency services and contacts upon detecting a crash.
Note that crash detection is available in Watch Ultra and Watch SE as well.
It has 18 hours of battery life on normal usage and up to 36 hours under the low-power mode.
It comes in four different colors, Lunar, Astronomy, Metropolitan, and Modular and will be available for $399 for the GPS-only variant and $499 for the model with both GPS and cellular service. Shipping will commence from 16 September onwards.
Apple Watch SE
Moving on to Apple’s most affordable smartwatch of all three, the Apple Watch SE, which unfortunately does not come with a temperature sensor but is powered by the same S8 chip. Its case is also made of 100 percent recycled aluminum with a redesigned plastic back.
It is on sale at a price of $249 for the GPS-only variant and $299 for the GPS and cellular service-enabled variant. Its shipping will also begin on 16 September.
