Apple announces the new Apple Watch Series 9 including the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for folks who want it all

Last night’s event in Cupertino, California wasn’t about just the iPhone with the new Apple Watch Series 9 announced alongside it.

Sporting a new, more powerful S9 SIP chipset, the Apple Watch Series 9 delivers systemwide improvements and new features including on-device Siri and a double tap gesture. The Watch Series 9 also includes a new 4-core Neural Engine to process machine learning tasks twice as fast compared to the previous generation Apple Watch.

The new double tap gesture allows users to control the watch with a single hand without having to touch the display — users can tap the index finger and thumb of their watch hand together twice to perform many of the most common actions on the Apple Watch Series 9!

This double tap gesture is enabled by the faster Neural Engine processing data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart sensor using a new machine learning algorithm.

The display in the Apple Watch 9 series also features an upgrade with the maximum brightness getting a bump to 2000 nits, twice that of the Watch 8.

Other features include the ability of Siri to securely access data from the Health app and a new UWB chip to enable Precision Finding for the iPhone 15 family.

The Watch 9 series promises 18 hours of battery life and runs watchOS 10 which includes redesigned apps, new watch faces, Bluetooth support for power meters, speed sensors and cadence sensors and the ability to measure time spent in daylight.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes in starlight, midnight, silver, red and a new pink aluminium case as well as stainless steel in gold, silver and graphite cases. The new Apple Watch SE is available in 40mm and 44mm aluminium cases.

Australians can preorder the Apple Watch Series 9 (starting at RRP 9) and Watch SE (starting at 9) from today with availability in stores beginning Friday September 22. Various watch bands are also available to order from today or in stores on the 22nd as well.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 also arrives with the new S9 SIP chipset, the new double tap gesture, Apple’s brightest display ever, Precision Finding and expanded altitude range.

The Watch Ultra 2 also runs watchOS 10 featuring all the above new software capabilities and still includes 36 hours of battery life with regular use and up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode.

Once again the Watch Ultra 2 has been tested for extremes, across a large range of altitudes and is Apple’s most suggest watch to date. It is perfect for water sports, including recreational scuba diving with the updated Oceanic+ app and also includes a built-in Depth app.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in 49mm, and is carbon neutral when paired with a new Trail Loop or Alpine Loop. New band colours are available for the Alpine Loop (blue, indigo, olive), Trail Loop (orange/beige, green/grey, blue/black), and Ocean Band (blue, orange).

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available for preorder today for RRP

,399 with availability beginning Friday 22 September.