Six Months Living with the Apple Watch Series 9
I’ve worn an Apple Watch almost every day since the Series 4. The Series 9 was supposed to be my “skip year” - my Series 8 was working fine. But Apple sent a review unit, and now I’m conflicted about whether to return it.
What’s Actually New
Let me be honest upfront: if you have a Series 8, the differences are subtle. The new S9 chip is faster, sure, but watchOS already felt snappy. The brighter display (2000 nits) is nice outdoors, but I only noticed it when actively comparing side-by-side.
The headline feature is the Double Tap gesture - pinch your thumb and index finger together to answer calls, pause timers, or dismiss notifications. Sounds gimmicky. In practice? I use it constantly, especially when my other hand is full (carrying groceries, holding coffee, walking the dog).
Fitness Tracking: The Good and Confusing
Here’s where I have mixed feelings. The workout tracking is solid - my runs, bike rides, and gym sessions all log accurately. GPS locks on quickly. Heart rate monitoring seems consistent with my chest strap when I’ve compared them.
But Apple’s metrics can be confusing. The “Cardio Fitness” score changed its calculation at some point, and my VO2 max suddenly dropped by 3 points despite training consistently. Some features, like temperature sensing, require weeks of data before they show anything useful.
Tracking I actually use:
- Stand reminders (surprisingly motivating)
- Workout auto-detection
- Sleep tracking (finally good enough to rely on)
- Heart rate notifications
Features I forget exist:
- Blood oxygen readings (barely glance at it)
- Cycle tracking (not applicable to me, but friends report it’s useful)
- Cardio Fitness trends (too inconsistent)
Comfort and Daily Wear
The Series 9 comes in 41mm and 45mm. I went with 45mm, and it wears comfortably all day and night. Sleeping with it never bothered me, though I swap to a softer band at night.
Battery life is my one real complaint. Apple says 18 hours, and that’s accurate if you’re actually using the watch - workouts, GPS, occasional calls. I charge every night. The new fast charging helps; 0 to 80% takes about 45 minutes.
If you wanted to track sleep AND have battery for the next day, you’ll need to find charging windows. Usually I charge while showering and getting ready in the morning.
Water Resistance: Confidence Inspiring
I swim with it. I shower with it. I’ve accidentally worn it in the ocean (not recommended by Apple, but it survived). The Series 9 handles water without issues.
After swimming, I run the water ejection function, dry it off, and it’s fine. No fog under the screen, no sensor problems. This reliability alone makes it my favorite fitness tracker for multi-sport days.
The Apple Ecosystem Advantage (and Lock-in)
If you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch integration is seamless. Notifications mirror perfectly, calls transfer naturally, and unlocking your Mac with your watch still feels like magic.
If you don’t have an iPhone… you can’t use an Apple Watch at all. And even within Apple’s ecosystem, you’re locked into their fitness platform. Exporting data to other services requires workarounds.
Something to consider if platform flexibility matters to you.
Compared to Series 8 (Should You Upgrade?)
I asked myself this for weeks. Here’s my honest assessment:
The Double Tap gesture is useful but not essential. The brighter display helps outdoors but isn’t transformative. The faster chip doesn’t feel noticeably faster in daily use.
If your Series 8 (or even 7 or 6) is working fine, you’re not missing much. If you’re coming from a Series 5 or earlier, the improvements compound - always-on display, blood oxygen, temperature sensing, faster charging.
What I’d Change
Better battery life. Even 24 hours of real-world use would change how I think about charging.
More useful health insights. Raw data is nice, but I want the watch to tell me when something’s actually worth paying attention to.
Thinner design. The watch has gotten capable, but also thick. A slimmer profile would make formal wear easier.
Should You Buy It?
Yes if:
- You’re new to Apple Watch and want the best current option
- Your current watch is Series 5 or older
- You’re deep in the Apple ecosystem
- You want reliable fitness tracking that “just works”
Probably not if:
- You have a Series 7 or 8 that’s working fine
- You use an Android phone
- You need multi-day battery life
- You want the most accurate fitness metrics (dedicated devices still win)
My Verdict
The Apple Watch Series 9 is the best Apple Watch yet, but that’s not a surprise - each year is incrementally better than the last. The question is whether this year’s increment matters to you.
For me, coming from a Series 8, the upgrade is marginal. Double Tap is nice. The brighter screen helps sometimes. But I could’ve skipped this generation without feeling like I missed out.
For someone buying their first Apple Watch, or upgrading from something older, it’s excellent. The complete package of fitness tracking, smart features, and Apple ecosystem integration is hard to beat.
What works well:
- Double Tap gesture is surprisingly handy
- Water resistance is confidence-inspiring
- Display is gorgeous and bright
- Sleep tracking finally feels complete
What could be better:
- Battery life is just adequate
- Health insights could be more actionable
- Price remains premium
- Incremental over Series 8
Prices are subject to change without notice.