It really depends on what Apple Watch you are thinking of upgrading from…the Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, or Series 7.

We’ll cut to the quick…you want to know if the Apple Watch Series 8 is worth upgrading to if you already have an Apple Watch.

While the answer will be different for everyone and their unique circumstances, it makes more sense to update the Apple Watch Series 8 if you have some Apple Watch models as opposed to others.

So let’s dive in…

Apple Watch Series 8 Specs

First, these are the official specs from Apple for the Apple Watch Series 8:

41mm or 45mm case
Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display, up to 1000 nits
Ion-X glass display on aluminum cases; sapphire crystal display on stainless steel cases
GPS and GPS + Cellular models
S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip; U1 chip (Ultra Wideband)
Digital Crown with haptic feedback
Temperature sensor, blood oxygen sensor; electrical heart sensor and third-generation optical heart sensor
High and low heart rate notifications, irregular rhythm notification, and ECG app
International emergency calling, Emergency SOS, Crash Detection, and Fall Detection
Water resistant 50 meters
Dust resistant (IP6X)
LTE and UMTS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.3
GPS/GNSS, compass, and always-on altimeter
Built-in speaker and mic
32GB capacity

Now lets look at whether the Apple Watch Series 8 is worth upgrading to depending on what Apple Watch you currently have.

Is Apple Watch Series 8 Worth It If It’s My First Apple Watch?

This one is easy: YES! The Apple Watch Series 8 is the best consumer-level Apple Watch the company has ever made (the BEST Apple Watch is the new Apple Watch Ultra – but that’s for extreme athletes.

If you‘ve never had an Apple Watch before, know that the Apple Watch Series 8 is the best consumer wearable you can buy. However, you will need an iPhone to pair it with, so if you’re an Android user, the Apple Watch Series 8 still probably isn’t for you.

Is Apple Watch Series 8 Worth It If I’m Upgrading From Series 4 Or Earlier?

The answer is pretty easy too: a firm yes. While the Apple Watch Series 4 has the heart sensor as well, the Apple Watch Series 8 has a blood ox and temperature sensor too. Those are two additional sensors the Apple Watch Series 4 does not have.

The Apple Watch Series 4 also has the smaller display and the older S4 chipset. It also only has 16GB of storage – half what the Apple Watch Series 8 has. Also, the Series 4 doesn’t have an always-on display like the Series 8.

And if you have even earlier than the Series 4, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a no-brainer to upgrade to.

Is Apple Watch Series 8 Worth It If I’m Upgrading From Series 5?

This is where it gets a bit trickier. For many, it’s still worth upgrading from the Series 5 to the Series 8. Why? Because the Series 5 still lacks the blood ox and temperature sensors. It also has the smaller display, though it is an always-on display.

The S5 chipset in the Series 5 will also be slower than the S8 in the Series 8…but not by much.

Is Apple Watch Series 8 Worth It If I’m Upgrading From Series 6?

OK…this is where it gets dicey. If you have the Series 6, you likely won’t see major benefits from the Series 8. While the Series 6 does have the smaller display, it’s not much smaller than the Apple Watch Series 8.

And the S6 chipset is essentially the same chip as the S8 – just tweaked a little bit. The Series 6 also has the blood ox sensor, which means the only sensor that it’s lacking is the Series 8’s temperature sensor.

Overall, if you have a Series 6, you’re fine waiting at least another year to upgrade.

Is Apple Watch Series 8 Worth It If I’m Upgrading From Series 7?

This is a hard no. If you have the Series 7 know that it’s almost identical to the Series 8 in most major features. It’s true that the Series 8 has the temperature sensor and the Series 7 does not, but most people we’ve spoken to say they don’t see many use cases for the new sensor. Of course, you may feel differently.

But the Series 7 and Series 8 also have nearly identical chips and essentially the same display.

In short: if you have the Series 5 or earlier, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a good upgrade. But if you have the Series 6 or Series 7, you are best to hold off for another year before upgrading.

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Michael Grothaus

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.

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