The Apple Watch Series 8 is Apple’s newest smartwatch, announced this year to take the place of the Apple Watch Series 7, released in 2021. The smartwatch has received significant improvements, especially in the health features, by adding temperature measurement – something quite expected by users of the brand. However, the compatibility of the previous model with the watchOS 9 system also delivered new features to both, such as tools focused on monitoring women’s health, with detailed information about the menstrual cycle.
Apple Watch Series 8 vs Apple Watch Series 7
Apple Watch Series 8 | Apple Watch Series 7 | |
---|---|---|
Launch | September 07, 2022 | September 14, 2021 |
Screen | 1.9 inch | 1.9 inch |
screen resolution | 484 x 396 pixels | 484 x 396 pixels |
Processor | Apple S8 | Apple S7 |
RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
Storage | 32 GB | 32 GB |
Operating system | watchOS 9 | watchOS 9 |
Battery | 308 mAh (unofficial estimate) | 309 mAh (unofficial estimate) |
Dimensions and weight | 45 x 38 x 10.7mm; 42.3g (41mm), 51.5g (45mm) | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm; 42.3g (41mm), 51.5g (45mm) |
Available colors | champagne, black, light silver, red, silver, graphite, and gold | black, champagne, green, blue, red, silver, graphite, and gold |
Price | $369 | $268 |
Screen and design
The Cupertino giant decided not to mess with the appearance of the Apple Watch. Both version 8 and version 7 feature the same 41 mm or 45 mm case, with an LTPO Retina Always Active OLED display with up to 1000 nits of brightness. The tactile responsive Digital Crown is there, as is the action button just below it for easy navigation between apps.
The colors vary between the versions of the watch, with the departure of blue and green and the addition of a lighter pink and silver. What you can see is that while the Watch Series 7 had a cooler color palette, the new Apple Watch Series 8 follows a livelier footprint, with vibrant colors, which leaves the watch with a more youthful appearance.
According to the company, the current version of the smartwatch is compatible with all available brand wristbands – as long as they fit the size of the watch.
Health Features
The Apple Watch Series 8 debuts the desired and unique temperature gauge, which works with the help of two sensors, one of which is on the back of the watch, closer to the skin, and the other just below the screen. The watch measures change as small as 0.1°C, shown in Apple’s Health app. One of the manufacturer’s goals is to help women in particular with family planning by receiving ovulation estimates and accurate menstrual cycle monitoring.
Both watches feature an oximeter, a third-generation electric and optical heart sensor, notifications for high and low heart rates and irregular heartbeat, and an ECG app. The data is made even more accurate with the improvements of watchOS 9, which also adds the Medication app and more data about the user’s sleep cycle to the Apple Watch Series 7.
Accident detection
Another feature that was heavily advertised for the Apple Watch Series 8 was accident detection. According to the manufacturer, several crash tests were conducted with passenger cars to develop an algorithm that, by combining the gyroscope and accelerometer in the Apple Watch, can detect when there is a vehicular accident with the user.
The smartwatch checks up on the possibly injured person, and if there is no response within 10 seconds, the device should trigger the local emergency service to come to the aid of the smartwatch owner. This service is exclusive to the newer generations of the watch.
Performance, storage, and battery
Apple has made no major changes to the watch’s processor, which performs similarly to the Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch Series 6 versions, even with the chipset change. The processor continues with two 64-bit cores, Apple’s W3 chip for wireless connections, and a U1 chip (ultra-wideband), in all three datasheets. In the case of the Apple Watch 7 and 8, both have 32 GB of capacity and are water resistant (immersed up to 50 meters), but only the Apple Watch 8 also has the certification against dust (IP6X).
The battery performance of both smartwatches is also quite similar. On both the Apple Watch Series 7 and Watch Series 8, users can enjoy up to 18 hours of battery life, which adds up to fast recharging on both the older model and the current version of the device.
The difference is the low-power mode that grants the Apple Watch 8 up to 36 hours of battery life with the iPhone present. It does this by temporarily disabling or limiting selected sensors and features, including the screen, as well as curbing the automatic start of workouts, heart health notifications, and more.
Price and Availability
The Apple Watch 8 is being sold on Amazon starting at $369, the 41 mm version, with GPS only. The Apple Watch 7 can be found on Amazon’s website starting at $268.58 (for the 41 mm model, with GPS only).
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