By Steve Dinneen
Place the new Apple Watch Series 8 on your desk besides the Series 7 and even Tim Cook would have trouble telling them apart. It keeps the same smooth curves and ultra-slim bezels as the previous generation, which itself only incrementally updated a design that had remained the same since 2018. Unlike the iPhone, the Apple Watch evolves slowly.
That’s partly because Apple has already pretty much nailed making smart watches, as evidenced by the fact traditional Swiss watchmakers have been unable to make a serious dent in the still-growing segment.
While Google is doing some interesting things with its Pixel Watch line and Samsung’s Galaxy range remains a decent seller, Apple shifts well over three watches for each one sold by its two rivals combined.
So what will keep people coming back with the Series 8?
Temperature check
One of the new headline features is the watch’s ability to accurately check your body temperature in order to better track the menstrual cycle of female wearers. It does this through new dual temperature sensors, one located on the rear and one on the front, allowing it to work out the difference between the ambient temperature and your body temperature. While you sleep the watch will note your temperature every five seconds, and as skin temperature is a reliable way to track fertility, this is a useful tool for those trying to conceive.
This is also backed up by new software that makes it quick and easy to cross reference that data with other information, such as when you last had sex and when you last ovulated. As ever Apple is keen to point out that this data isn’t shared with anyone, including Apple, unless you choose to send it to your doctor.
You can also use temperature data to see the effects of things like jet lag, illness or alcohol consumption on your sleep – it might even be enough to convince you not to have that last glass of wine when you see how much more disturned your sleep cycle becomes.
Life saver
The other major update is the inclusion of new crash-detection hardware, which is able to automatically alert emergency services and your next of kin should it think you have been in a car crash, and send GPS data that should help them to find the site of your accident. It does this through clever use of several data points, including a new accelerometer and an updated gyroscope that’s more sensitive than the previous model. Clearly we have not actually tested this feature – there’s a limit to what I will attempt for this newspaper – but it’s the kind of thing that you’ll be blissfully unaware of until the moment you suddenly aren’t, at which point you will be very glad indeed it exists.
Elsewhere in the health capabilities of the Series 8, you still have the atrial fibrillation detection, blood oxygen, and ECG features from last time around.
More of the same
And that’s kind of it for big changes. It comes in a new range of colours: starlight, midnight and silver, while the Product Red version is even redder than before. There are, of course, a new range of bands available, but these are aesthetic changes rather than innovations.
It maintains that always-on display that allows you to see the time at a glance without having to lift your wrist; it’s such a useful feature that’s been stolen by the iPhone team for the new iPhone 14 Pro range. It has the new S8 chipset keeping things ticking over under the hood, which Apple says is better than the last one, although it’s hard to see any tangible benefit over the last version given you’re unlikely to be pushing the hardware to its limits given the relatively limited scope of Watch apps.
The Apple Watch Series 8 remains a great fitness tracker, with WatchOS 9 further expanding the available features, with an ever-growing list of workouts and improved activity tracking. If data helps to focus your mind, you could get lost in the granular detail Apple Watch is able to capture.
Battery life
Apple Watch has struggled to keep pace with the iPhone, which has virtually solved the issue with a battery life of well in excess of a day. Apple advertises 18 hours for the Series 8 – the same as the last generation – and while I generally got slightly more than that, you’ll still need to work a charging regime into your day to get the most out of it, especially if you plan on taking advantage of the temperature tracking feature, which means you can’t charge it overnight.
Having a charging station on my work desk seems to best suit my needs, but even then I forget to use it a couple of times a week and end up with a dead weight strapped to my wrist come the end of the day.
Should I buy?
As you might have gathered by now, the Apple Watch Series 8 isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s not even putting new hubcaps on the wheel, really. If you already own an Apple Watch from the last few years, this isn’t aimed at you – and this is probably a good thing. I don’t want to buy a new Apple Watch and then get FOMO 12 months down the line and end up forking out for a new one.
The improvement cycle is slow enough that you’ll comfortably get five years out of your new purchase, which is the least you should expect given you’ll be spending from £419 for the 40mm and from £449 for the 45mm. But if you’re new to the Apple Watch, this is as good a jumping on point as ever.
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