Apple Watch 9 was released in September 2023. Apple Watch 6 is the 6th-gen Apple smartwatch released in September 2020.
If you are looking to upgrade from Apple Watch 6 to Apple Watch 9, this comparison study touches upon the various features that you will get additionally in the Apple Watch 9.
Main differences
- Apple Watch 9 uses the latest S9 chip. Apple Watch 6 uses the S6 chip.
- Apple Watch 9 can offer a peak screen brightness of 2000 nits. Apple Watch 6 can offer a peak brightness of 1000 nits
- Apple Watch 9 supports the crash detection feature. Apple Watch 6 is not compatible with the crash detection feature.
- Apple Watch 9 adds a new double-tap feature to the watch.
- Apple Watch 9 includes a temperature sensor to take wrist-based temperature readings as part of sleep tracking.
- Apple Watch 9 offers 64 GB storage and Apple Watch 6 offers 32 GB storage.
- Apple Watch 9 comes in 41 mm and 45 mm cases. Apple Watch 6 came in 40 mm and 44 mm cases.
We look at these differences in detail below.
Chip
S9 chip of Apple is based on the Apple A15 SoC. Apple’s S6 chip is based on the A13 chipset.
- S9 chip is compatible with the double tap feature of the Apple Watch 9
- S9 chip is more power efficient.
- S9 chip features a 60 percent higher number of transistors (5.6 billion) than the S8 chip
- The GPU or graphics processing of the S9 chip is up to 30 percent faster than the S8 chip
- The neural engine in an S9 chip is twice as fast as the S8 chip. The S9 chip uses a 4-core neural engine. This neural engine helps in augmenting the Artificial intelligence and machine learning performance of the Apple Watch 9.
You will experience a faster performance in the Apple Watch 9 than the Apple Watch 6.
Display
Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch 6 use the same Ion-X display glass for aluminum cases. For stainless steel cases, the Apple Watch 9 offers the Sapphire crystal display glass.
Both watches use the Always-On Retina LTPO display technology.
The essential difference lies in the peak brightness levels of both watches.
- Apple Watch 9 can offer a peak brightness of 2000 nits
- Apple Watch 6 can offer a peak brightness of 1000 nits
Apart from this, you will find Apple Watch 9 has a higher display resolution than the Apple Watch 6. This can be explained in terms of the slightly bigger size of the Apple Watch 9.
| Apple Watch 9 Display Resolution | Apple Watch 6 Display Resolution |
|---|---|
| 45 mm – 484 x 396 pixels 41 mm – 430 x 352 pixels | 44 mm – 368 by 448 pixels 40 mm – 324 by 394 pixels |
Double tap
Apple Watch 9 features a new double-tap feature.
The S9 chip in the Apple Watch 9 is compatible with the double tap feature.
The double-tap feature is a gesture action feature. You can tap your index finger and thumb together twice to answer a call, reply to a message, see and scroll through your Smart Stack, and more.
The double-tap feature can be turned on or off. You can also open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, go to Settings > Gestures, then tap Double Tap.
Crash detection
Apple Watch 9 includes a crash detection feature.
Crash Detection is designed to detect severe car crashes – such as front-impact, side-impact and rear-end collisions, and rollovers – involving saloons, minivans, SUVs, pick-ups and other passenger cars.
When a severe car crash is detected, an alarm will sound and an alert will be displayed on your iPhone or Apple Watch. If you’re unable to respond, your device automatically calls emergency services after a 20-second delay.
Apple Watch 6 lacks the crash detection feature.
Temperature Sensor
Apple Watch 9 includes a temperature sensor to take wrist-based temperature readings.
To establish your temperature baseline, wear your Apple Watch to bed with Sleep Tracking turned on. You can track nightly changes in your wrist temperature, which can provide insight into your well-being.
You can choose to turn off the temperature sensor through the watch interface.
Apple Watch 6 lacks the temperature tracking sensor.
Storage
Apple Watch 9 has a higher storage of 64 GB while the Apple Watch 6 has a storage of 32 GB.
Bluetooth
Apple Watch 9 supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Apple Watch 8 is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0.
Final thoughts
When you upgrade from an Apple Watch 6 to Apple Watch 9, you get the following benefits:
- Crash detection feature for cars
- Double tap feature
- Better peak brightness levels
- Higher storage of 64 GB vs 32 GB storage in Apple Watch 6.
- Temperature sensor
All other features remain the same between Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch 6.
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