Apple Watch Series 9 review: Time to help the planet, one tick at a time

There are times when you lose sense of time… or suddenly realise how insignificant your time on earth has been in the larger scheme of things.

Strolling along the toy train tracks of Sayaji Baug in Vadodara or walking under the porches of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace in this once royal city, you get this feeling of not being in sync with time, even as a shiny new watch on your wrist reminds you that you don’t need to be a wealthy king to leave an impact on the world you live in.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is maybe the first tick in the direction of how technology positively impacts the environment, or to put it more bluntly stops impacting the environment. Apple Watch Series 9 is the first carbon neutral Apple product, not just because it uses recycled aluminium in the case or because it comes with a sports loop strap made of recycled material. The entire range will also be shipped via ocean so as to reduce its carbon footprint and Apple will produce enough green power to offset what is needed to charge all these watches over their lifecycle.

While being carbon neutral is the result of a lot of calculations, users opting for the Apple Watch Series 9 can at least make a calculated move towards reducing their impact on the environment with this small step. But that can’t be the only reason to opt for the new Series 9.

In Applese these new watches are smarter, brighter and mightier. Smarter because of the more powerful S9 chip inside, brighter because the screen can go up to 2000 nits and mightier maybe because of the new gesture control and other features it packs.

The upgraded Watch Series 9 offers greater legibility in all lighting conditions. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

The watch is much brighter than before and I could feel this as I was sightseeing last weekend under the bright Gujarat sun in Vadodara and at the Statue of Unity. Even as you struggled to look at the watch despite the goggles, you could make out the screen and whatever it was displaying quite well. And, as I waited for my turn to enter the statue island, I would even enjoy the animations of the Snoopy watch face trying to make light of the harsh sun.

The design, however, is not different from the Series 7 or 8. Anyway, I found the watch felt a bit lighter. This could be because I am more used to the Apple Watch Ultra these days. The sports loop which comes in the box now feels much more natural to use and offers a snug fit for when I am walking around in the sultry Delhi evenings.

The first change I could notice was the new WatchOS UI with its notification widgets which are scrollable and easier to access. However, this has a slight learning curve for those who have used the Apple Watch before. I got used to it in a couple of days, though I am still struggling with muscle memory still when it comes to accessing the control centre.

But in the UI there are new features that make life much easier. For instance, it is easier to end a workout now and you don’t need to confirm it twice. Also, I realised that the new UI makes you see more notifications, which could be both good and bad. I had to spend some time reducing the number of apps that buzzed on the watch. Otherwise, this itself would have helped burn some calories. The ability to add quick access at the end of these widgets, like on the phone home screen is good.

The new UI makes you see more notifications, which could be both good and bad. This calls for some degree of personalisation. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Workouts, without any doubt, my most used feature on any Apple Watch, now gives better data and in an easier to understand way. Each aspect is a different screen and with context over the entire day. And with apps like Go Gentler, it has more data on the zones you have been in during the workout and if the hour you are spending on the jog is really going to benefit you in anyway.

The find my phone feature is one of the big improvements on the Series 9. Yes, it lets you ring the phone like before. But you can also get step by step directions to find the phone like with AirTags. This is a superb feature for forgetful middle-aged people like me.

With the Apple Watch Series 8, I did not for one moment feel the Watch was underpowered or lagging with whatever it was doing. However, the Series 9 has still got upgrades on the processor inside. The S9 is supposed to be much faster than its predecessor. But the one feature that lets you feel the power of the new chip has not yet been rolled out.

Although there are no tangible changes in terms of design, but Watch Series 9 is significantly lighter.

Apple’s is soon introducing a double tap feature that lets you control apps on the Watch. For instance, you can start or stop a timer, pause music or a workout by just tapping two fingers on the hand you are wearing the watch on. Interesting, though you could do this in a way by enabling accessibility features on the earlier watches.

The S9 also makes interoperability between Apple devices easier. When something is playing on the HomePod, you get a now-playing widget on the Watch screen. And, unlike the full control screen that used to appear for music before, this is just a widget now and easier to handle with whatever else you are doing.

The battery life seems to have improved quite a bit and seems to hold charge for well over a day if you are not using the cellular option. Also, now with low power mode you can squeeze it to almost the second evening on a full charge.

Starting at Rs 41,900, the Apple Watch Series 9 is without a doubt the best smartwatch you can buy… if you are not stepping up to get the Ultra. Now, it is better for sure, though the Series 8 is still in the race on usability and features. I am a bit disappointed at not getting more new features, though I do understand that Apple Watch has been at a very evolved state for a few years now. The double tap feature could make this a very popular device once it is rolled out and accepted by the users. But, I would buy this primarily because it lets me contribute a bit towards the planet and pay for my time here.