Apple Watch Series 8 / SE 2 review roundup

Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2 will go on sale this Friday (September 16), and now, the first evaluations of these devices have been released. Both new models are very incremental upgrades compared to the original Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch SE.

The new features in the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2 models include the S8 chip, car accident detection, and international roaming. Given that the S8 chip uses the same CPU as the S7 and S6 chips, the Series 8 doesn't offer any significant performance gains over the Series 7 or Series 6, but the new Apple Watch SE 2 is 20 percent faster than the original.

The Apple Watch Series 8 also features a new temperature sensor to help with existing menstrual cycle tracking, while the Apple Watch SE 2 has a new color-matched back and a lower price. Both models are overshadowed by the new Apple Watch Ultra, which launches next Friday, September 23, with a larger 49mm titanium case, a larger display, a more rugged design, Customizable action buttons, a new strap designed for the outdoors, water resistant to 100 meters and more.

Below is a roundup of reviews for the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2. 

Victoria Song of The Verge describes the Apple Watch Series 8's new temperature-sensing feature that can be used to push back estimated ovulation day information and menstrual cycle deviations:

As for accuracy, it's a little hard to say, as I only have about a week of experience with the Apple Watch Series 8. I don't have temperature data for two cycles, I just build a baseline. However, on a few nights, I do have temperature data, and it largely corresponds to the data I get on the Oura Ring. For example, two nights ago, Oura Ring said my temperature was 0.5 degrees higher than normal, while the Apple Watch Series 8 said it was 0.41 degrees higher.

Victoria Song also commented on the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 8:

Fair warning: Enabling Low Power Mode won't magically get you multi-day battery life, and I never got the full 36 hours. Normal use without Low Power Mode, my Apple Watch Series 8 About 24 hours of battery life, and can be plugged back into the charger. The low power mode is mostly a great way to get a little extra battery so I can get home, or when I forget to charge the battery before heading out for a long last-mile journey.

Engadget's Cherlynn Low confirmed that the Apple Watch SE 2 will perform identically to the Apple Watch Series 8, as both models have the same chip:

This year's Apple Watch SE 2 actually contains the same system-in-package (SiP) processor as the Apple Watch Series 8, as well as a high-g accelerometer that can do car crash detection. During my time with it, as expected, the Apple Watch The SE 2 is as responsive as the Apple Watch Series 8, starting a workout and completing a heart rate scan in the same amount of time.

Patrick O'Rourke of MobileSyrup said that, given the lack of a major competitor to the Apple Watch, Apple could get out of the woods with year-over-year updates to the device:

Apple's Apple Watch is in an interesting position. There really is no viable competition in the iOS space, especially in the Apple Watch app ecosystem, and even Android, the closest ones are the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. That leaves little reason for the tech giant to really push wearables forward with each new release.

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