If you have an iPhone, your best bet for a smartwatch or fitness tracker is an Apple Watch. Thanks to its supreme package of features, the Apple Watch Series 9 is ZDNET’s pick for the best Apple Watch wearable for most people. The Series 9 seamlessly connects with your iPhone, offering the easiest way to enjoy everything about a smartwatch.
The Apple Watch Series 9 can track activity, steps, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen (lung function), wrist temperature, sleep, and environmental sound levels (to protect your hearing), all of which customers who have reviewed the watch say “make day to day living so much easier.” It also uses algorithms and machine learning to spot dangerous patterns and alert you to seek medical attention. There are many stories of people who’ve had life-saving experiences with health alerts from an Apple Watch.
Review: Apple Watch Series 9
ZDNET editor-in-chief Jason Hiner went hands-on with the Series 9 in 2023, and his testing highlighted two significant upgrades: A 2000 nit display that is double the brightness of last year’s S8, and a new S9 SiP processor, which has a 30% faster GPU and processes machine learning twice as fast.
Also: The best Apple Watches of 2024
Hiner says that if you’re looking for an iPhone-compatible smartwatch, the Series 9 is it. “If you want the latest health sensors and safety features, great battery life (especially if you want to do sleep tracking), and you don’t need the extreme features in the Ultra 2; then you can save a lot of money by going with the aluminum model of the Apple Watch Series 9 starting at $399.”
Redditors liked the double-tap feature available on the Series 9 but said the latest wearable lacked significant changes from prior iterations. So, we suggest closely evaluating your needs for a smartwatch before making a purchase.
Apple Watch Series 9 tech specs: Display size: 41 or 45mm | Battery life: Up to 36 hours | Storage capacity: 64GB | Features: New features include a 2x brighter display, double-tap gesture, new pink color, robust S9 processor, all the best health sensors Apple has to offer
