Watch Series 8
Mid-tier smartwatch gets iterative update with few new features
From £419 (41mm) / £449 (45mm) FROM apple.com/uk FEATURES 41mm or 45mm case size, Apple S8 processor, Always-On Retina display, dust-resistant to IP6X, water-resistant to 50m, up to 18 hours’ battery life, GPS, mobile connectivity options
T he Apple Watch Series 8 feels like the slightly forgotten middle sibling in a family of three – sandwiched being the flashy new Apple Watch Ultra (see p24) with its rugged design, Action button and dual-channel GPS, and the Apple Watch SE (see p27), which shares many features with the Apple Watch Series 8, but at £259 for 40mm and £299 for the 44mm, costs up to £160 less.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is also practically identical to last year’s Apple Watch Series 7 – it shares the same rounded-corner case design with an edge-to-edge Always-On Retina display in 41mm and 45mm case sizes, is still dust-resistant to IP6X and waterresistant up to 50m – and offers identical battery life of up to 18 hours between recharges. Put an Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch Series 8 side by side and they’re impossible to tell apart, with the biggest changes externally being to the finishes – aluminium Series 8s come in Midnight, Starlight, Silver and (Product)Red, while stainless steel versions come in Silver, Gold and Graphite.