From helping to track important health information to enabling you to pay for things at the flick of a wrist, the options are endless on an Apple Watch. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Apple Watch 9 model announced today.

By Joanna Magill

Published: Friday, 15 September 2023 at 12:15 PM


Whatever did we do before smart watches? It’s difficult to imagine a time when watches were just for telling the time. Now a part of everyday life, the Apple watch is the essential piece of wearable tech, and it’s about to get even better with the launch of the brand new Apple Watch 9.

The Apple watch first made its way onto the tech scene in 2015, and has seen many updates and developments since then. Apple’s previous model, the Apple Watch Series 8, revolutionised the tech world with its always-on retina display and crash detection. However, as is always the case with the fast-moving tech world, the new and improved model is already here: the Apple Watch 9.

The Apple Watch 9 was announced this evening, Tuesday 12th September, at Apple’s Wonderlust event, alongside other exciting new models including the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Featuring increased brightness and an all-new gesture feature, the Apple Watch 9 is a must-have for any tech lovers and Apple fiends- here’s how to get your hands on the Apple Watch 9.

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Very

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at John Lewis

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Amazon

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Vodafone

Want to get all the latest Apple products for less? We’ve rounded up all the best iPhone 15 deals, Apple Watch Series 9 deals and Apple Watch Ultra 2 deals to help you do just that. 

Thinking of making the switch to Apple Music? Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Music vs Spotify, as well as our roundup of the best Apple music offers for September 2023

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Pre-order the iPhone 15 for the chance to win a phone case worth £100

At the Apple event on Tuesday 12th September, Apple released not only the brand-new Apple Watch 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and AirPods Pro (2nd gen), but the brand-new iPhone 15 in five different colourways: Blue, Pink, Black, Green, and Yellow. 

If you’re eager to get your hands on the iPhone 15, look no further than Box.co.uk. The retailer has all four models available to pre-order right now, and it’s even running a giveaway for everyone who signs up to receive iPhone 15 alerts from now until Friday 22nd September, where you could be in with a chance of winning a phone case worth up to £100.

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iPhone 15 pre-order
Box.co.uk

Apple Watch 9 UK release date

You can pre-order a brand new Apple Watch 9 from today, before being able to buy one outright next Friday 22nd September. You can find the product on the Apple store, and it will also be available from other UK retailers such as John Lewis.

Apple Watch 9 price: how much does the new smartwatch cost?

Anyone looking to upgrade their Apple Watch to the Apple Watch 9 will be paying £399 for their new model.

At most UK retailers, you can currently find its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 8, from £399 at most UK retailers.

The Apple Watch SE remains the cheapest Apple smartwatch at £249, with the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 being the most expensive Apple smartwatch starting from £799.

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Very

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at John Lewis

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Amazon

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Vodafone

Apple Watch 9 design: what does the new smartwatch look like?

apple watch series 9 pink and black
Apple

The Apple Watch Series 9 will be retaining the classic Apple Watch design, with edge-to-edge retina display.

There’s a sleek new pink aluminium case, which is also available in silver, starlight, midnight and product red. These colours can all be paired with new stainless steel cases in gold, silver and graphite.

Apple Watch 9 features

Apple
Apple
Apple

The Apple Watch Series 9 comes with many innovative and interesting new features, but there’s one in particular that’s the talk of the town: the all-new double tap feature. This incredible new feature allows users to answer phones, snooze alarms, stop timers and more, simply by tapping your thumb and index finger together.

The powerful neural engine in the Apple Watch 9 reads movement and changes in blood flow to register this new gesture, which acts as any primary app button. This new feature makes interacting with the Apple Watch faster and easier than ever before.

Other features of the new model include:

  • All day 18 hour battery life
  • Access to health data via Siri
  • Faster on-device Siri
  • Precision finding for iPhone
  • Increased brightness of up to 2,000 nits
  • Up to 25% more accurate dictation than the Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch 9 is also Apple’s first entirely carbon neutral product, thanks to the company’s commitment to their sustainability goals. Apple will no longer be using leather; new bands will be used for the product made from a new material called FineWoven, made from 68% post-consumer recycled materials, meaning that select combinations of Apple Watch cases and bands will be completely carbon neutral.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is powered by the new S9 SiP, their most powerful watch chip yet.

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Very

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at John Lewis

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Amazon

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Vodafone

Where to buy the new Apple Watch 9 in the UK

You can pre-order the new Apple Watch 9 from today or buy it outright from Friday 22nd September from the Apple store, or from a range of other UK retailers including John Lewis, Very and Amazon.

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Very

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at John Lewis

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Amazon

Buy Apple Watch Series 9 at Vodafone

For all the latest tech news, be sure to check out the RadioTimes.com technology section, packed full of essential guides, reviews and news about the latest tech products including the iPhone 15 UK availability and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 UK release date