Apple Watch Series 9 is expected to sport more advanced features compared to its previous model. However, the latest leak from a Weibo poster suggests that it's coming with just minor upgrades, making it a "basically unchanged" smartwatch.
According to the tipster "Instant Digital," the upcoming smartwatch will focus on a slight tweak in the performance, but the other features will remain the same as the Apple Watch Series 8.
Just 'Basically Unchanged' Apple Watch Series 9
As Macrumors spotted on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo, the Apple Watch Series 9 will only feature a minor upgrade ahead of its release.
The leaker indicates in the post that the smart wearable selling feature will be its S-series chip. Other than that, you can expect that it will be the similar set of specs that we previously saw on Watch Series 8.
The CPU of the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 6, and even the second-gen Apple SE, no matter how they looked different from one another, are all identical.
At the time that Apple claimed a 20% performance boost in app launch was the time when the Apple Watch Series 6 debuted in the market.
When it comes to the CPU of the smartwatches, the Cupertino titan said that the S6, S7, and S8 lineup utilized A13 bionic chips. This processor was the same chip used by the iPhone 11 series. It was based on the 7nm process of TSMC.
The company only transitioned to the 5nm process in 2020 when it launched the A14 bionic chip to select products.
What Processor Will Apple Watch Series 9 Use?
Mark Gurman, a known Bloomberg tech journalist made a bold statement that the S9 processor will be based on the A15 processor. While it will improve the battery life and launch speeds, it will only be a minor upgrade for the upcoming smartwatch.
Considering that Apple won't add other features, it will still use the same chip as the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra which is expected to launch in late 2023.
The Weibo leaker might have noticed the pattern here. When Apple released Watch Series 8, it only added a few improvements such as Crash Detection, gyroscope upgrade, and body temperature sensor. Other than that, he did not see any major hardware upgrades that uniquely set it apart from Series 7.
With that being said, the iPhone maker might be leaning toward the possibility that what's coming is just refreshed models.
Although it's a piece of dire news for fans who expect to see a more different take on the S9, some might be interested in buying the new pink color option for the wearable.
Regarding the Series 9's release, MacWorld says that based on the previous on-sale dates, the upcoming model might be available in the second or third week of September. The Cupertino firm might coincide the announcement with the Apple event in the same month.
