Review: Apple Watch Series 8 

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The Apple Watch has been dominating the smartwatches segment with its feature rich collection since the brand’s arrival on the scene in 2015. Since then many brands, premium or entry level, have entered the smartwatches category but Apple has been able to maintain its niche by combating all the competition. The Apple Watch Series 8, officially out in the market globally since September 2022, has also managed to capture enough market frenzy thanks to its advanced display design, evolved health features, and enhanced metric accuracy. Here’s a quick Apple Watch Series 8 review.

In the Apple Watch box, users get the Apple Watch Series 8, a USB-C Apple Watch charging cable, and all necessary documentation. The watch is designed keeping in mind the aesthetic sensibilities of all customer segments and age groups. Although the company has changed the Apple bands and cases multiple times over the years, interestingly the Series 8 lineup remains traditionally simple. The watch has a glass front, ceramic/sapphire crystal back and aluminium frame (a variant in stainless steel is also available). The Series 8 is available in global markets in two different case materials, one is aluminium and the other is stainless steel. The aluminium material is excellent for everyday smartwatch users by meeting the standards of both professional and casual looks.

The process of setting up the smartwatch for use is standard and similar to the previous generation watches launched by the brand. The setup process needs an iPhone 8 or newer version for setting up. It also required iOS 16 or later software versions installed in the device for setting up the watch. To start with, pair the watch with the iPhone. This can be done by lining up the iPhone’s camera to the watch’s screen. Users can also choose manually pair it.

The Apple Watch Series 8 price in India starts at ₹41,900. And before we move on to some of the standout Apple Watch Series 8 features, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.

Apple Watch Series 8 

Pros

  • Software improvements that provide some cool new features for fitness geeks
  • Good GPS and heart rate accuracy for better health analysis
  • Ovulation tracking via the temperature sensing technology is an extremely thoughtful addition to the Apple Watch Series 8 that women should love

Cons

  • Short battery life, just as was noticeable in the previous generation Apple Watches
  • Not much change or upgrades from the last year’s launched Apple Watch Series 7
  • Apple Watch Series 8 price in India is much more than almost all competitive products available in the market

Now let’s move on to the in-depth analysis of some major Apple Watch Series 8 specifications worth talking about.

Apple Watch Series 8 has smaller screen borders compared to any other competitive product in the market. Although Apple doesn’t reveal the exact screen size in inches, it can safely be assumed to be somewhere around 1.73 inches. The 45 mm Apple Watch Series 8 is humongous and can almost feel like you are wearing a computer on your screen. This automatically makes the 41 mm version stands out better with its less nerdy size. On the whole, the watch is comfortable as a nearly 24/7 wearable. The Sport Band in fluoroelastomer shades has a much more stylish and comfortable feel than an average silicone strap.

With the Apple Watch Series 8, the tech giant joins the league of smartwatches with temperature sensing technology. For the past few years, temperature sensing technology in smartwatches has been a growing trend with many premium smartwatch manufacturing brands foraying into the territory. The segment is already occupied with options for customers including  Amazon’s Halo band, Fitbit Sense, Oura Ring, and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5. This is definitely something to look forward to for people waiting to upgrade their Apple Watch with the new launch from the brand collection. Thanks to Covid-19, this technology where your temperature fluctuations can be tracked through your smartwatch isn’t just a check-the-box feature anymore.

Apple Watch Series 8 

If temperature sensing technology is not enough of a pull for you to upgrade from your current Apple Watch, especially if you are already wearing the Apple Watch Series 7 that looks almost the same, the Apple Watch Series 8 have some more upgrades to entice you. The Apple Watch Series 8 comes with improved gyroscope and accelerometer motion sensors. These two combined with the temperature sensing technology is taking steps one step further for anyone wearing the watch. The Apple Watch Series 8, with all its capabilities, is now designed to detect car crashes and also automatically make SOS calls in case of an emergency faced by the wearer. Many seasoned tech bloggers have claimed in their product reviews that the future of these technological sensor upgrades appears extremely bright for Apple Watch users. This could go in various directions in the future with temperature data being used for deeper insights or health assessment.

However, every sensory upgrade and advancement seems less impactful when seen with its combination of not-so-upgraded battery life. The Li-Ion 308 mAh non-removable battery with wireless charging options doesn’t instil much confidence for the user to consider Apple Watch Series 8 to be suitable for long period temperature tracking or even overnight sleep. However, the watch does support a low power mode which when enabled can shut down some of the functions in order to extend the battery life.

One of the most exciting parts of the Apple Watch Series 8 is the software upgrade that features the watch with a number of great applications. The WatchOS 9 adds to the newly launched smartwatch some cool features including a compass app in order to track steps through GPS, medication tracking technology, multistage sleep tracking and much more.

Overall, there is no doubt that this is a great health and fitness watch with some noticeable upgrades. However, if you want to know whether Apple has tackled the old issues of battery then the answer might not please you.

Recommended Reads:

  1. Apple Watch SE
  2. Apple Watch Ultra
  3. Apple Watch Proves to be a Life Saver

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