The MacRumors Show: Should You Buy the Apple Watch Series 9?

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the latest Apple Watch models, who should upgrade, and consider whether it is worth waiting for the rumored "Apple Watch X."


After spending several days with the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max, we discuss our initial experiences with the new devices, their design, and some of their standout features such as the Action button and USB-C port. We also return to the matter of Apple's FineWoven accessories, which appear to have been received relatively poorly by customers.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 feature brighter displays, a Double Tap gesture for touch-free control, the S9 chip, locally processed Siri for faster responses and access to health data, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding and deeper HomePod integration, and 64GB of storage. We talk through some of our favorite features of the new devices and weigh up who should consider upgrading.

On a related matter, we take a look at the "Apple Watch X," a complete overhaul of the device expected to launch next year. It is rumored to feature thinner casings, larger displays, microLED technology, larger batteries, blood pressure monitoring, and a new mechanism for connecting bands.

Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about Apple's new FineWoven accessories, some of our favorite ‌iPhone‌ 15 features, and who should consider upgrading.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Kevin Nether, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
28 months ago

The MacRumors Show: Should You Buy the Apple Watch Series 9?
Cliffs: No ?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TzTerri Avatar
28 months ago

I think you would have gotten $50-$70 more on Swappa/Craigslist.
Not worth the hassle to make a couple extra bucks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sleven Avatar
28 months ago

If you have a series 3 or lower and don't want an Ultra? Yes.

Any other model? No.
I’m sitting with a 4 and thinking I’d better just wait for the 10/X. I want all of the features of the models above, but think I can wait until this battery life is less than 80% capacity. (I’m at 93% currently.)

I definitely appreciate your comment.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
28 months ago
I have a 7, and it works for me. I'll buy a new one when the battery dies, maybe earlier if Apple (finally) adds glucose reading as I'm diabetic.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
28 months ago

What I do not get is — the ONE feature Apple touts as big news (double tap)…
Yeah, a few features Apple touts as major new features (like this and the dynamic island on newer iPhones) seems so… meh and "Seriously?" to me.

…is not ready at the roll-out
Seems like this describes *WAY* too many features Apple has announced the last few years. Always announced at WWDC, but takes several months to actually release it.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (and yes, I realize I'm probably 1 of only few who think this way): I really wish they'd skip a year between major product announcements. For its various OSes, redo as many low level frameworks & OS functions as possible in Swift like they did going from Core Data > SwiftData, and then rebuild the OS and then built-in/1st party apps with these new frameworks. Fix bugs along the way of course, but do a major new WWDC or whatever presentation 2 years after the last one. Have a real big, massive change & reason to upgrade instead of a "meh" upgrade.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sparkinstx Avatar
28 months ago
I just bought a Series 8 last December, so no. I really want to see blood pressure measurement first, and optionally blood glucose monitoring.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)