Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2 Reviews: Very Incremental Upgrades

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,482
37,741


Apple Watch Series 8 and the second-generation Apple Watch SE are set to launch this Friday, September 16, and ahead of time, the first reviews of the devices have now been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels.

f1662570472.jpg

Both of the new models are very incremental upgrades compared to the Apple Watch Series 7 and the original Apple Watch SE.

New features for both models include the S8 chip, car crash detection, and international roaming. Given that the S8 chip features the same CPU as the S7 and S6 chips, the Series 8 does not have any notable performance improvements compared to the Series 7 or Series 6, but the new Apple Watch SE is up to 20% faster than the original.

The Series 8 is also equipped with a new temperature sensor to aid with the existing menstrual cycle tracking feature, while the second-generation Apple Watch SE has new color-matched back cases and a lower $249 starting price, versus $279 for the original. Series 8 pricing starts at $399, which is unchanged from the Series 7.

Both models are overshadowed by the all-new Apple Watch Ultra, which is set to launch next Friday, September 23 with a larger 49mm titanium case, a larger display, a more rugged design, a customizable Action button, new bands designed for the outdoors, water resistance up to a depth of 100 meters, and more. Apple Watch Ultra is priced at $799.

We've rounded up both written and video reviews of the Series 8 and new SE below.

The Verge's Victoria Song on the Series 8's new temperature sensing feature for retrospective ovulation estimates and menstrual cycle deviation:
As for accuracy, it's a little hard to say, as I've only had the Series 8 for about a week. I don’t have two cycles' worth of temperature data, and I've only just established a baseline. For the few nights I do have temperature data for, however, it largely corresponds to what I got on my Oura Ring. For example, two nights ago, the Oura Ring said my body temperature was 0.5 degrees higher than normal, while the Series 8 said it was 0.41 degrees higher.
Click to expand...
Song also commented on Series 8 battery life:
Fair warning: enabling low-power mode isn't going to magically get you multiday battery life, and I never got the full 36 hours. With regular usage without low-power mode, my Series 8 got around 24 hours before I needed to stick it back on a charger. Low-power mode was mostly a good way to get a bit of extra juice so I could make it home or to get me through the last mile of a long run when I forgot to top up the battery before heading out.
Click to expand...
Engadget's Cherlynn Low confirmed that the second-generation Apple Watch SE performs equally to the Series 8 given both models have the same chip:
Otherwise, this year's Watch SE actually packs the same system-in-a-package (SiP) processor as the $400 Series 8, as well as a high-g accelerometer that makes crash detection possible. In my time with it, the SE has, unsurprisingly, been just as responsive as the Series 8, starting workouts and completing heart rate scans in the same amount of time.
Click to expand...
MobileSyrup's Patrick O'Rourke said that given the Apple Watch lacks major competition, Apple can get away with incremental year-over-year updates to the device:
Apple is in an interesting position with its Apple Watch. In the iOS space, there's really no viable competition, especially when it comes to the Apple Watch's app ecosystem, and even on Android, the closest is Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. This leaves the tech giant with very little reason to really push the wearable forward with each new release.
Click to expand...
More Reviews
Videos









Article Link: Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2 Reviews: Very Incremental Upgrades
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/apple-watch-series-8/
Last edited:
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Howard2k and true god
I'm going for the Ultra so different but I did order my wife a Series 8 to replace her Series 6. Can't have her thinking I am too far ahead with things. Ha. I dont see many differences and had the Ultra not come out we would have kept our S6's another year. Since release there have been updates to the usable screen and the temp sensor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jovijoker and decypher44
No S. I told everyone they gonna pull another S7 by rebranding the chip. Here it is again. Cannot innovate my a**. After breaking the smart features on the watch for 2 years it has finally been fixed with WatchOS9.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Someyoungguy, Jovijoker and sorgo †
The Watch hasn’t seen any compelling update since the S4/S5 quite frankly. No dramatic improvement in battery life and/or case thinness; still reusing the same chip for the last few generations; still an extremely limited set of watch faces and no watch faces store, which is disappointing since the Watch is supposed to be the ultimate personal device; and the added sensors in the past few years (Ox, temperature for ovulation) aren’t particularly useful for health insights to the general population.

I’m hoping that the Watch Series X (10th anniversary) will have an iPhone X-like moment with a redesign of the UX and significant improvements to efficiency with a new SoC and maybe some blood pressure or even blood glucose (less likely) sensor.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Love
Reactions: whatgift, kolebee, Someyoungguy and 13 others
PinkyMacGodess said:
It won't. Part of it is knowing what it is actually measuring. If it's measuring skin temperature, it's rather meaningless. It's an appendage, it's not measuring core temperature.
Click to expand...
Let’s hope they add an update. No one is expecting it to be 100% accurate. Same as the heart issues it can detect. It’s just to give a warning.

I’m coming from the 4. So I’m sure this will be great anyway.
 
Sticking with my series 4 for the time being. It does what I need it to do. I charge it at night and will get thru a full day. Longer if I want to charge it at the office. I really don't know what these later series brings that are must have features not on the S4 (for me). Maybe the only one is always on but I don't really care enough about it to get a new watch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: whatgift, Someyoungguy, SantaFeNM and 2 others
michael31986 said:
Let’s hope they add an update. No one is expecting it to be 100% accurate. Same as the heart issues it can detect. It’s just to give a warning.

I’m coming from the 4. So I’m sure this will be great anyway.
Click to expand...

I went from a 4 to the 7, and thought there were enough 'innovations' to make it worth it, and it is faster, brighter, bigger, but aside from that, the only real benefit I got was it's now under new Applecare. *sigh*
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jovijoker, james2538, SantaFeNM and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back