If you’re looking for a new smartwatch, you can’t do much better than the Apple Watch Series 9, especially when you can get one at a discount. And today it’s cheaper than it’s ever been: As part of its Prime Day sale, Amazon is selling the 41mm and 45mm Apple Watch Series 9 for $280 and $310 respectively. That’s a savings of $119 each, and the best price we’ve ever seen.
The Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t a huge upgrade over the Series 8, but it brings two notable new features: an S9 chip that’s 30 percent faster than the previous generation and more capable with a new four-core Neural Engine, and a new double-tap gesture that lets you control apps by tapping your fingers. Otherwise, it’s got 18 hours of battery life, 50 meters of water resistance, Emergency SOS and Crash Detection, and the same excellent sensors—ECG, heart rate, and temperature—and health/fitness features as the previous generation. (It also has a blood-oxygen sensor, though Apple has turned off functionality due to an ongoing patent dispute. However, it may be turned on at a later date.)
Despite the minor year-over-year upgrade, we praised the Apple Watch Series 9 in our 4-star review and called it “the best smartwatch Apple has ever made.” And at this price, it’s also a fantastic bargain, so go grab one before Prime Day is over.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.