musicMagpie Blog

Ah, the Apple Watch Series 8 – a gadget that captured the hearts (and wrists) of tech enthusiasts with its release back in September 2022. But as the months go by, the burning question arises: is it still worth the splurge? We'll revisit the features of the Series 8 Apple Watch to see if it truly is a game-changer compared to its predecessors and the newer models such as the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Series 9.

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In this blog:

• Design
• Health and fitness features
• Performance
• Battery
• Price

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Design

The Series 8 Apple Watch continues the legacy of sleek design that Apple is renowned for. But is it a substantial leap from previous models? Well, not quite.

The Apple Watch Series 8 has the same design, dimensions and weight as the Series 7 model. If you compare the Series 8 to the newer Series 9 model, you'll find the same design yet again – so it doesn't look like upgrading will affect the design of your watch, regardless of which watch you go for!

Health and fitness features

Since Garmins and Fitbits hit the market, Apple has made health tracking a powerful and primary feature on its Apple Watch models, and the Series 8 is no exception! When comparing the features of the Apple Watch Series 8 to the previous Apple Watch model, there are a few new health features that make it worth the upgrade.

You'll find fall detection, emergency SOS, blood oxygen sensors and gyroscope on both the Series 8 and Series 7 models, however the Series 8 offers two new temperature sensors to monitor body temperature and help women track menstrual periods and ovulation cycles.

If you're comparing the Series 8 Apple Watch to the newer Apple Watch Series 9, you'll find that the newer Series 9 doesn't offer any new health and fitness features – so if you're not bothered about the latest model and would rather save some money, the Series 8 is still the best option!

Performance

The Apple Watch 8 Series is still one of the top performers, thanks to its dual-core S8 system-in-chip. The S8 chip is 20% faster than the S7 chip from the Series 7 model, but it falls slightly short when compared to the Series 9's S9 chip.

For most tasks like texting, interacting with apps and taking calls, you'll see no difference between the Series 8 and Series 9 in terms of performance. You'll see a slight difference when using location via Find My iPhone and on-device Siri access, as the S9 chip has added improvements that the S8 chip lacks.

Battery

If you were hoping for battery performance to sway your purchasing decision, we've got some bad news for you. Comparing the Series 8 Apple Watch to both the previous and latest models, the battery life is identical for all three models. That's right – no matter if you have a Series 7, Series 8 or Series 9 Apple Watch, your battery life will be the same.

You'll get 18 hours of battery life on a full charge, with up to 36 hours of battery life in low-power mode. If you're not struggling with battery life on your current Apple Watch, this won't be a make-or-break feature for you!

Price

Ah, the dreaded price tag. When first released, the Series 8 Apple Watch cost around £419 which was on the pricier side than usual when it comes to Apple Watches. The previous Apple Watch model retailed at £369 and the latest Apple Watch Series 9 hit the shelves for £399, so the Apple Watch Series 8 price wasn't the best deal… but what about the price now?

While Apple no longer sell new Apple Watch Series 8 models, you can buy a refurbished Apple Watch Series 8 instead and these tend to be a little less heavy on the wallet! You can find a refurbished Apple Watch Series 8 from Apple for around £319 and a refurbished Apple Watch Series 7 from Apple for £269. Still, you can find refurbished Apple Watches for even less – a Series 8 Apple Watch from musicMagpie currently costs around £265 and a refurbished Series 7 from musicMagpie costs around £190.

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Buy a refurbished Apple Watch from musicMagpie and get your next watch upgrade for less! We've got plenty of great deals on refurbished Apple Watch Series 8, refurbished Apple Watch Series 7, refurbished Apple Watch SE 2022 and more. Plus, trade in your Apple Watch and get cash toward your upgrade!