Apple Watch Series 7 vs Apple Watch Series 8

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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Watch Series 7 compared with Watch Series 8

	AppleWatch Series 7	AppleWatch Series 8
Overview
Released
Released	October 2021	September 2022
Display
Case sizes
Case sizes	41 mm or 45 mm	41 mm or 45 mm
Panel
Panel	LTPO OLED	LTPO OLED
Peak brightness
Peak brightness	1,000 nits	1,000 nits
Always-on display
Always-on display	Yes	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	41mm 352 x 430 pixels, 904 sq mm; 45mm 396 x 484 pixels, 1143 sq mm; 1.7 mm borders; QWERTY keyboard with QuickPath; wrist-down brightness indoors up to 70% higher than Series 6	41mm 352 x 430 pixels, 904 sq mm; 45mm 396 x 484 pixels, 1,143 sq mm
Screen protection
Screen protection	Redesigned front crystal over 50% thicker than Series 6, according to Apple's launch announcement	Ion-X glass on aluminium; sapphire crystal on stainless steel and Hermès
Health and fitness
ECG
ECG	Yes	Yes
Blood oxygen
Blood oxygen	Yes	Yes
Skin temperature
Skin temperature	No	Yes
Sleep apnoea alerts
Sleep apnoea alerts	No	No
High blood pressure alerts
High blood pressure alerts	No	No
Body composition
Body composition	No	No
Fall detection
Fall detection	Yes	Yes
Crash detection
Crash detection	No	Yes
GPS
GPS	Single-band	Single-band
Water resistance
Water resistance	50 m	50 m
Sensors
Sensors	Electrical and third-generation optical heart sensors, blood oxygen sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, accelerometer up to 32 g-forces, gyroscope and ambient light sensor	Blood oxygen, electrical and third-generation optical heart sensors; two temperature sensors; compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer up to 256 g-forces, high dynamic range gyroscope and ambient light sensor
Health features
Health features	ECG and Blood Oxygen apps; watchOS 8 adds sleeping respiratory rate and Mindfulness; oxygen measurements are for general wellness rather than medical use	ECG and Blood Oxygen apps; overnight wrist temperature changes and retrospective ovulation estimates; sleep stages, AFib History and Medications in watchOS 9; oxygen readings are for general wellness rather than medical use
Fitness features
Fitness features	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; GymKit; Tai Chi and Pilates workouts; cycling start reminders and auto-pause	L1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; GymKit; running form metrics, heart-rate zones, custom workouts and Multisport; Compass Waypoints and Backtrack
Safety features
Safety features	Fall detection and Emergency SOS; international emergency calling on cellular versions in supported regions	Fall Detection, Crash Detection and Emergency SOS; international emergency calling on cellular versions in supported regions
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 18 hours	Up to 18 hours
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Works with
Works with	iPhone	iPhone
Chip
Chip	S7	S8
Storage
Storage	32 GB	32 GB
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery	Rechargeable lithium-ion; up to 36 hours with iPhone present in Low Power Mode, which limits features including the always-on display and heart notifications
Charging
Charging	1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable; up to 33% faster charging than Series 6; USB-C power adapter required	Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable; USB-C power adapter sold separately
Connectivity
Connectivity	W3 wireless chip and U1 Ultra Wideband; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; cellular versions add LTE and UMTS; iPhone 6s or later with iOS 15 at launch	W3 wireless chip and U1 Ultra Wideband; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.3; cellular versions add 4G LTE and UMTS; international roaming introduced with watchOS 9; iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 at launch
Design
Weight (lightest version)
Weight (lightest version)	32 g	31.9 g (better)
Software
Software	watchOS	watchOS
Case materials
Case materials	Aluminium, stainless steel or titanium; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; IP6X dust resistance; WR50 water resistance for shallow-water swimming	Aluminium or stainless steel; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; IP6X dust resistance and 50 m water resistance for shallow-water swimming
Size
Size	41mm 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, aluminium 32 g, steel 42.3 g or titanium 37 g; 45mm 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, aluminium 38.8 g, steel 51.5 g or titanium 45.1 g; case weights exclude bands	41mm 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, aluminium GPS 31.9 g, aluminium cellular 32.2 g or steel 42.3 g; 45mm 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, aluminium GPS 38.8 g, aluminium cellular 39.1 g or steel 51.5 g; case weights exclude bands
Bands
Bands	Apple Watch Studio case and band combinations; Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop; Nike and Hermès editions with exclusive bands and faces; compatible with earlier Apple Watch bands	Apple Watch Studio case and band combinations; Nike bands and faces available across watchOS 9 watches; Hermès H Diagonal and Gourmette Metal bands and Lucky Horse face
Colours
Colours	Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue or (PRODUCT)RED aluminium; Silver, Graphite (PVD) or Gold (PVD) steel; natural or Space Black (DLC) titanium; Nike Midnight or Starlight; Hermès Silver or Space Black (DLC) steel	Midnight, Starlight, Silver or (PRODUCT)RED aluminium; Silver, Graphite (PVD) or Gold (PVD) steel; Hermès Silver or Space Black (DLC) steel
In the box
In the box	Watch, band or loop and 1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable	Watch, band or loop and 1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable