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It’s that time of year again. During its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, Apple introduced a number of new gadgets, including the much-rumored iPhone 15 with USB-C and the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Series 9 starts at $399, and the Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799, with both set to arrive on Friday, September 22nd.
Both smartwatches come equipped with Apple’s S9 SiP, which is based on the A15 chip first seen in the iPhone 13. That should translate to improved performance and battery life while allowing Siri requests to be processed on the device itself. The wearables also will feature the new “double-tap” feature, which will be available next month and is a kind of spin on Apple’s existing AssistiveTouch. The setting allows you to answer calls, stop timers, play music, snooze alarms, and more by tapping your index finger and thumb together.
Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will ship next week with watchOS 10, which will be available on September 18th. The new OS — which is one of the biggest refreshes for the Apple Watch to date — will add a slate of new features, including customizable widgets you can scroll through from the watchface.
Yet, while they share a new chip and OS in common, the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 caters to more athletic types than the Series 9. It can show real-time data and offers the brightest display of any Watch in Apple’s lineup while offering better battery life than the prior model.
We’ll have full reviews for both watches soon, but, at least on first impression, the latest models closely resemble their predecessors with some minor spec bumps. Regardless, you can preorder both watches from Apple starting today, with other retailers likely to follow soon.
How to preorder the Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 comes with a new processor, which should allow for better performance and snappier Siri responses. In addition to the aforementioned double-tap feature, the Series 9 sports a new ultra wideband chip for more precise tracking. The wearable also features a larger, brighter display and comes in a new pink color, which will be available alongside the existing starlight, silver, midnight, and Product Red models.
The 41mm aluminum model starts at $399 with GPS and $499 with cellular connectivity, both of which are currently available for preorder via Apple ahead of their release date on September 22nd. If you prefer the larger 45mm variant, it’s also available through Apple right now, starting at $429 with GPS and $529 with LTE.
How to preorder the Apple Watch Ultra 2
Given its 49mm sizing, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 remains the biggest and most rugged wearable in the Apple Watch lineup. It offers up to 72 hours of battery life when in low-power mode, along with a brighter, 3,000-nit display. The Ultra 2 also features the new S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chip for more precise finding, much like the Series 9, along with cellular connectivity by default.
You can currently preorder the Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple with either an Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, or Ocean Band for $799 ahead of the watch’s release date on September 22nd.
