Four Improvements We Wish to See on the Apple Watch Series 9

Apple makes some of the best smartwatches in the industry, and we already have leaks and rumors claiming the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9 smartwatch and the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Gen. 2). The new smartwatches will reportedly be unveiled in the middle of September, alongside the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphones.

According to MacRumors, the new Apple Watch Series 9 will remain “basically unchanged”. A Weibo user shared some reports of the upcoming smartwatch, claiming that it’ll receive a minor refresh, and the most significant could be to the core. The news means that Apple could leave the design unchanged, and equip the new smartwatch with an upgraded S-series chip, leaving the outside mostly untouched. We have a detailed guide that explains all the different chips Apple is using in its devices. Take a look if you’re interested.

Related: Apple Watch Series 8 vs Apple Watch Series 7: Which one should you buy?

In this list, we compiled all of the new features that we’d love to see on the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9 smartwatch, including future generations. We have crucial features, such as a design refresh, improved health tracking, and more.

1 A refreshed design is well overdue

The Apple Watch’s design hasn’t changed much since it was unveiled back in 2015. The general shape remained the same, and although Apple rounded off the corners, added a plethora of tracking capabilities and increased the display, the general design hasn’t changed all that much.

The Apple Watch remains a rounded rectangle. The Apple Watch Ultra was a welcome design refresh to the Apple Watch series, we’d love to see something new, something more refined. We understand that Apple wants to continue with the same shape, but it’s about time we see a larger change to the aesthetics and shape, so that not all Apple Watches look the same.

2 Improved battery life

The Apple Watch Series 8 can comfortably last for up to three days on a single charge with little to no workouts, two days with some light workouts, and a day or less with heavy workouts and constant use of the GPS. The battery life of the Apple Watch has greatly improved in recent years. Yet, it remains a single or a two-day smartwatch for most users, and it’s about time we see Apple improve its efficiency and make the smartwatch lineup a solid three to five-day experience.

3 MagSafe / Qi wireless charging

Apple has been pushing its MagSafe magnetic charging solution for a few years now, and the company has included some form of the branding and magnetic feature on most of its products, including the iPhones, AirPods, and even the Mac, although the latter is a different implementation.

That said, we haven’t seen Apple transition away from using its own proprietary charging cradle, and it’s about time we see Apple do something different. The current Apple Watch supports the MagSafe Duo charger. However, it’s an additional accessory, and a rather pricey one.

We’d love to see Apple support the MagSafe standard and all Qi charging stations and docks, providing an easier way for users to juice up their smartwatches. Given that we’re talking about Apple, we could expect MagSafe-certified chargers to charge the smartwatch at its maximum speed, while we would expect uncertified chargers to charge the watch at lower charging speeds. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it’d still make life easier for everyone.

4 More accurate and better health tracking

The Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra are some of the best and most accurate smartwatches and fitness trackers, and there aren’t many bad things we could complain about. The Apple Watches can also be used to do ECG scans, monitor heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen monitoring, fall, and crash detection, and so much more. It offers fitness challenges, and competitions, and it’s a proven tool to keep users fit and healthy, not to mention in good shape.

With that said, there are still a few things we would love to see the Apple Watch do better and more. We would love to see the rumored blood sugar monitoring feature, better and more accurate sleep tracking, and sensors can that more effectively pick up on sports activities. The temperature sensor would also be a great addition, providing even more metrics on-demand and not only when the user is asleep.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is about a month away at the time of publishing, and we’re keen to learn more about the upcoming smartwatch that’ll replace the already excellent Apple Watch Series 8. We’ll have to wait and see what other improvements we see arrive to the new Apple Watch SE, or the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra.

Apple Watch Series 8

$330 $399 Save $69

Apple Watch Series 8 takes the crown from Series 7, becoming the best wearable to buy and keeping track of your fitness levels and notifications. It promises all-day battery life and a new body temperature sensor to improve metric accuracy.

Apple Watch Ultra

The latest edition in the Apple Watch lineup is the Apple Watch Ultra. It comes with body temperature sensors, LTE, and GPS, a new large 49mm size, a more durable design, and the longest battery life in an Apple Watch to date.

Apple Watch SE 2

$219 $249 Save $30

The affordable Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) looks the same as its predecessor; it features improved fitness tracking and is powered by the latest and most powerful Apple S8 chip. It’s available in three colors and supports the same bands as the last generation.