APPLE WATCH SERIES 9 (GPS version from $399, GPS+Cellular from $499) features a new S9 chip with a new four–core Neural Engine that can process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast, compared with Series 8. The display’s maximum brightness increases to 2,000 nits, twice as bright as Series 8, and can be lowered to just 1 nit. Series 9 also has a second–gen Ultra Wideband chip, enabling Precision Finding with iPhone 15 models, and closer integration with the HomePod.
Apple says the S9 chip enables a “magical” new gesture: double–tap by tapping your thumb and index finger together twice. Users are asking, however, exactly how this differs from an existing Assistive Touch option available under Accessibility.