Apple Watch Series 8 vs. Series 7: These are the differences

With its smartwatch series, Apple continues to rely on the proven look. The housing is available in either aluminum or stainless steel. However, the Series 8 is not available in green or blue, and the titanium variant that was still available with the Series 7 is no longer available. This material is reserved for the new Apple Watch Ultra.

full screen

The Apple Watch Series 7 (left) and Series 8 (right) have identical dimensions.

Image: © Apple 2022

With the release of the Series 7, Apple had made great progress in the size of the display: there was 20 percent more space for the display thanks to the larger housing and narrower edges. Both the display and the case of the new Apple Watch Series 8 have the same dimensions as the Series 7. The brightness of the OLED display remains the same this time and it is still an always-on retina model.

Under the hood, however, something has changed in the hardware. The Series 8 brings several improvements and new sensors: The G-force meter can now detect pulses up to 256 G. The Series 7 was 32 G. It also now measures at four times the frequency of its predecessor. According to Apple, the 3-axis gyroscope for orientation detection should also be significantly more accurate in the Series 8.

The biggest innovation, however, are two new temperature sensors that have been installed in the front and back of the smartwatch. This is how the Series 8 measures your body temperature and compares it to the ambient temperature. If unusual measurement results occur, she checks whether they can be explained by hot weather, for example. If not, you will receive a health notification on your smartphone.

full screen

Improved sensors help, for example, with accident detection.

Image: © Apple 2022

Supported by the improved accelerometers, the Apple Watch Series 8 offers two new features that the Series 7 did not have:

1. With intelligent accident detection, the smartwatch should automatically call the emergency services in an emergency. Apple wants to reliably detect accidents with the most common vehicle types and the function should only be activated when there is a high probability of an impact.
2. Thanks to the temperature sensors, the new Apple Watch should also be able to recognize retrospectively whether and when the wearer ovulated. According to Apple, this is extremely valuable information for family planning.

You should consider switching to the Series 8 especially if you want to benefit from the new and better sensors. Otherwise, the differences to the Series 7 are rather small and the old smartwatch is still sufficiently up-to-date. The models in comparison:

• The Apple Watch Series 8 looks identical to the Series 7.
• It has new sensors for measuring body temperature.
• The Series 8 also features improved G-force and orientation sensors.
• It comes with two new features: accident detection and family planning notifications.