APPLE WATCH ULTRA 2 & SERIES 9

Apple's mastery in the smartwatch category has led to incremental updates, and this year's releases, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9, continue this trend. While not revolutionary, there are subtle yet compelling features.

- KENNY YEO

Reflecting on eight years of Apple Watch evolution brings a mix of nostalgia and anticipation. Having witnessed its journey from announcement to now, the feeling of time passing is undeniable. Apple's mastery in the smartwatch category has led to incremental updates, and this year's releases, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9, continue this trend. While not revolutionary, there are subtle yet compelling features.

The underlying powerhouse of this year's watches lies hidden - the S9 SIP, Apple's latest system-in-package chipset. The significance here is that Apple hadn't updated its watch chips since the Series 6 in 2020. The S9 SIP emerges as the most powerful Apple Watch chip to date, boasting a 60% increase in transistors and a 30% faster GPU. While Apple remains coy about exact speed improvements, the watches noticeably feel faster in daily use, with quicker app launches and smoother animations.

The enhanced S9 SiP enables on-device execution of common Siri requests, a notable leap forward. This ensures speedier responses, as Siri no longer relies on cloud processing, which could be hindered by connectivity issues. Everyday tasks like starting a workout or checking an ECG are now notably faster. Furthermore, this on-device processing lays the groundwork for Siri to access health data directly, promising greater convenience and privacy, though this feature is slated for later release.

Introducing a new 4-core Neural Engine, the S9 SiP promises up to 25% more accurate dictation. While this might not be immediately apparent for routine tasks, Apple's focus on dictation accuracy aims to enhance user interactions, especially in noisy environments.