Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2: These are the top new features

Apple just unveiled its Apple Watch lineup. The new watches become available to order today and will start shipping and become available in Apple Stores on September 22. Even though design wise there’s no change for either of these watches at least externally. But internally there’re so many upgrades. Here is a look at the top new features for both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. S9 chip The main processor in the Series 9 and Ultra 2 is the S9, which replaces the S8. The S9 provides a speed boost and better power efficiency that improves battery life. The S9 has 5.6 billion transistors, which is 60 percent more than the S8, and a 30 percent faster GPU. Which will definitely make the animations of watchOS 10 run smoother. The S9 also has a four-core Neural Engine that’s twice as fast as the S8. That enables the next feature while still providing great efficiency for better battery life. New double-tap gesture The next feature is called “double tap.” On your watch hand, if you perform a double tap between your thumb and index finger, you can activate an action on the Apple Watch, such as answering or ending a phone call or opening a Smart Stack on the watch. Double tap activates the primary action in watch apps for example In music it will play and pause. This new gesture is in the Assistive Touch gestures since the Series 4. But the precise detection of the hand movement and the blood flow change can be done only because of the S9 chip. That’s why it will be exclusive gestures for these two watches. Very nifty feature. On-device Siri Siri no longer needs a Wi-Fi or cellular connection for the common requests thanks to the NPU of the S9 chip. All of the common Siri’s requests are done on the new watches. That means quickest Siri response yet on an Apple Watch.

2nd-gen UWB chip Apple’s UWB chips are for Ultra-wideband, the technology that precisely tracks an object’s location when it is within close proximity. The new Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches sport a second-generation UWB chip, which replaces the U1 used in older watches. The new chip in these watches can now find an iPhone 15 (which has the same U2 chip) if it’s in a different room even with haptic, visual and audio feedback. The new watches will automatically shows media control or music suggestions when you’re near your HomePods thanks to this new chip. Brighter displays the Apple Watch Series 9 now finally have brighter display. The Series 9 supports a maximum of 2,000 nits, while the Ultra 2 goes up to 3,000 nits. That’s not all the always-on display dims the brightness down to 1 nit when in dark.

In addition to the features above, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has:

• Modular Ultra watch face to display as much information as possible using the entire display.

• Bluetooth connectivity for cyclist’s equipment.

• Depth apps save log of each session for dives.

Colors and bands The Series 9 external design is the same as the series 8. The Series 9 is available in aluminum (Midnight, Pink Starlight, Silver, or Product (Red) or stainless steel (Gold, Graphite, or Silver) in either 41mm or 45mm sizes. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in a 49mm size in titanium. The Sport Loop band is now made with 82 percent recycled yarn, and the Nike watch bands are the coolest which use recycled materials. Apple announced that it is no longer using leather in any product, including bands. Apple Watch series 9 is also the first carbon neutral Apple product.

Price and availability Prices for the Apple Watch Series 9 start at $399, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799, Preorders are available today with availability beginning September 22