Apple Watch Series 8: Release Date, Specs, Price, and News

Body temperature readings, cycle tracking, crash detection, and more

Updated on December 17, 2022

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In This Article

Release Date
Price
Features
Specs and Hardware
The Latest News

The Apple Watch 8 was released on September 16, 2022. Below is everything you need to know about this Apple Watch iteration, including its body temperature sensor and other health features.

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Apple Watch Series 8 Release Date

Apple has come out with a new smartwatch every year since the first edition in 2015. Yet again, the company announced the “best Apple Watch lineup yet," Series 8, on September 7, 2022, during a pre-recorded event.

The same event announced the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE 2, the former of which became available on September 23, 2022, while the Series 8 and SE 2 arrived on September 16, 2022.

Visit Apple's website to order the Apple Watch Series 8 or to order the Apple Watch SE 2.

The Next Apple Event: Dates, News, Rumors, and Announcements

Apple Watch Series 8 Price

Apple Watch Series 8 prices start at $399 for Wi-Fi only and $499 for cellular. Three months of Fitness+ is included. For comparison, the base model starts at the same price as Series 4 through 7.

The lower-cost Apple Watch SE 2 is $249 instead of $279 like the first edition, or $299 for cellular.

Apple Watch Series 8 Features

Below are some notable Apple Watch 8 features. They go hand-in-hand with improvements like longer battery life, better screens, and an upgraded operating system (watchOS 9).

Temperature reader: A new wrist temperature feature works overnight to determine your body temperature. The iPhone Health app shows temperature differences from the baseline (not your actual temperature).
Cycle tracking: Cycle Tracking tells you if you have prolonged periods or abnormal cycles.
Crash detection: The Apple Watch already has fall detection that can tell when you've had a bad fall. The Apple Watch Series 8 includes an upgrade that will do the same for car crashes; it will dial emergency services if necessary and contact your emergency contacts.
Low Power Mode: Save battery life by having some features turn off when the battery is low, like the always-on display and automatic workout detection. Low Power Mode doubles the battery life from 18 hours to 36 hours and works on all Apple Watches running watchOS 9 (Series 4 and newer).
International roaming: This feature is now available on cellular models, starting with the Series 5.
watchOS 9: The new watchOS will bring four new watch faces, an updated Siri UI and banner notifications, additional metrics in the Workout app, Sleep Stages for the Sleep app, AFib History, health data sharing, the Medications app to track medications and learn about drug interactions, new keyboard languages, and more.

Apple Watch Series 8 Specs and Hardware

The Apple Watch Series 8 keeps the Series 7's 41 and 45mm screen sizes, but 2022's other models offer more variety. The pared-down Apple Watch SE has 40 and 44mm options, while the Ultra bumps the screen up to 49mm.

The Series 8 boasts an edge-to-edge, always-on Retina display to make the most of its case; Apple says it has 20% more screen area than the smaller SE.

The Series 8 includes various new hardware and features. It still monitors your heart rate, including on-demand ECG and blood oxygen readings using an updated, third-generation sensor. Temperature monitoring is the main health update, but it will also include accelerometer features like fall and crash detection. The GPS will also work with the updated Compass app to let you set waypoints and backtrack if you lose your way.

Apple Watch Series 8 keeps the 32GB storage capacity that has been the standard since the Series 5. It also uses the W3 wireless chip that originated with the Series 4. Its ultra-wideband U1 chip is the same as the one that's been in the past few models, but Apple has upgraded the "system on a chip" to the S8, which also appears in the SE 2 and Ultra models.

The Apple Watch 8 is available with various aluminum and stainless steel cases, each with several color options. Aluminum cases come in Moonlight (black), Starlight (white), silver, and red; the stainless steel colors are graphite, silver, and gold.

Apple also introduced some new bands for the Ultra model, but some of them also work with certain sizes of the Series 8. The 45mm version can use the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Loop bands (below). The smaller case only works with the older bands.