Which Apple Watch Is Right for You? (All Models Compared)

Apple now sells three different Apple Watch models: the , the and the . (Apple no longer sells the Series 7, the SE (Gen 1) or Series 3 — all of which it was offering before September 2022.) If you have an older Apple Watch and are curious whether you should upgrade, we’re going to highlight the key differences between all the Apple Watch models that are still capable of running the latest watchOS — meaning all Apple Watches that are Series 4 or newer.

The truth is that every Apple Watch that has been released in the last four years has been generally similar — except for the super-rugged Ultra. They all run the same watchOS, look and work fairly similar and have the same 18-hour “all day” battery life. Choosing between the different models is ultimately going to come down to the newer design, an always-on display, some exclusive wellness features and how much you’re willing to pay. (Apple does have some enticing deals on older refurbished models.)

What’s Next for the Apple Watch?

Apple is expected to release the next Apple Watch, the Series 9, in September like it always does. There is some speculation that the Series 9 could adopt some features of the Ultra, like an Action button and a more rectangular design, but that’s very much up in the air. You can expect some internal upgrades, like an improved processor (likely the S9 chip) and it could have the dual-frequency (L1 and L5) GPS chips, which is only currently available on the Ultra and would give the Series 9 more accurate GPS tracking abilities for workouts.

As for a second-generation Ultra, there’s speculation that Apple could wait another year before releasing a new version of its rugged smartwatch. Part of this is due to the fact that Apple is experimenting with microLED displays, which would help increase the brightness, color and contrast of the next-gen Ultra’s display. No wearable to date has a microLED display, however, which is why Apple is expected to wait until 2025 before releasing this new model.