Short answer: It depends on which device you currently have and what you do most with your Apple Watch
On Sep 7, 2022, Apple unveiled three new Apple Watches, the Ultra, the Series 8 and the second-generation SE.
First off, if you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or Series 7, I don't see any reason to buy a new one, except in two scenarios:
You're into extreme and/or endurance sports and would like a more rugged Apple Watch with a much longer battery life
You'd like improved cycle tracking and receive retrospective ovulation estimates
In the first scenario, then you might consider getting the new Apple Watch Ultra, made of Titanium, sporting a larger and brighter screen, with bigger buttons and twice the battery life from other models (up to 60 hours in low power mode).
The Ultra even has a depth gauge with a water temperature sensor and can be used to dive down to 40m (about 131 feet) in depth.
In the second scenario, please note that both the Ultra and the Series 8 offer retrospective ovulation estimates but that feature requires the Apple Watch to be worn at night with sleep tracking, ideally for at least two cycles.
Then, if you currently have an Apple Watch Series 3, you should definitely buy a new one because Apple has stopped providing security updates for it.
At the time of writing, no known vulnerabilities have been discovered, but as time goes by, watchOS 8 will become more and more vulnerable.
Coming from a Series 3, even the most affordable Apple Watch SE 2 will be a welcome change.
You'll get fall detection, car crash detection and the second-generation heart rate tracker.
If you'd like an always-on display, blood oxygen and electro-cardiogram measurements, and the new temperature sensor, then you'll need to decide between the Series 8 and the Ultra.
Here's a table comparing their respective starting prices in GPS and Cellular configurations:
Finally, if you have an Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, or SE 1, you should skip the second-generation SE because either you'll lose functionalities or the improvement will be negligible.
On the other hand, here's what you'll get by upgrading to either the Series 8 or the Ultra
Car crash detection
Blood oxygen monitoring
Third-generation heart rate sensor
Bigger screen (respectively +1mm and +5mm)
A relative temperature sensor that offers retrospective ovulation estimates
And the good news is that Apple has maintained the compatibility of their small and large watchbands across all their devices.
So, if you currently have a 38mm or 40mm Apple Watch, your bands will fit the 41mm Series 8.
Likewise, if you have a 42mm or 44mm Apple Watch, your bands will fit both the 45mm Series 8 and even the 49mm Ultra.
That's one less thing to worry about 🙂
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