Apple Watch Series 7 vs. Apple Watch Series 8 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?

The Apple Watch Series 8 replaces the Apple Watch Series 7 in Apple's smartwatch lineup, but how different are the two successive smartwatch generations?

Apple Watch Series 7 v 8 1
In 2021, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 7, including features like taller casing sizes with larger displays, slimmer bezels, improved durability, and faster charging technology. The Apple Watch Series 7 has now been discontinued by Apple, and as year-old models, prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to upgrade to a Series 7‌ or a Series 8‌.

The Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8 share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the Series 7 to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the new Apple Watch brings to the table.

Differences

Apple Watch Series 7 Apple Watch Series 8
S7 chip S8 chip (Same CPU as S7)
Gyroscope and accelerometer More powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer
- ‌Crash Detection
Third-generation optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor for ECG, and blood oxygen sensor Optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor for ECG, blood oxygen sensor, and body temperature sensor
- Wrist temperature sensing during sleep
- Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Aluminum casing in Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED), Blue, or Green Aluminum casing in Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED), or Silver
Stainless Steel casing in Gold, Silver, or Graphite Stainless Steel casing in Gold, Silver, or Graphite
Titanium casing in Titanium or Space Black -

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a very minor upgrade over the Series 7, with the body temperature sensor and Crash Detection being the only significant changes, meaning that it is difficult to recommend upgrading. Many Apple Watch Series 7 users will likely not be able to justify upgrading to the Series 8, but some customers coming from an older model could still have good reason to preference the latest models, namely those who do not have an iPhone 14 model with Crash Detection and women who want to take advantage of the cycle tracking features. The Apple Watch Series 8 is very similar to the Series 7, so customers who have an older Apple Watch model and are looking for an upgrade may prefer to look for a discounted Apple Watch Series 7.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...

Top Rated Comments

iksnirks Avatar
35 months ago
waiting for the comparison that matters, the 8 vs 4
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tagsaid Avatar
35 months ago
I’m still rocking the S4 - still have a good 83% battery, runs the latest OS and everything.

I’m looking to upgrade this year, but even for me, the newer sensors make no difference since I won’t personally use them. The thermometer/temp sensor would be the one to look for since it could come in handy.

But I have no issue sticking to the 4 until I see a good redesign or the battery doesn’t hold anymore.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HappyDude20 Avatar
35 months ago
If MacRumors can speculate then I can as well:

If you have a Series 7 then there isn’t a reason to upgrade to the yet to be announced Series 8.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonie walker Avatar
35 months ago
…the watch should be in a 2 year cycle, not much innovation neither features, i might cop on series 8 though.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8CoreWhore Avatar
35 months ago
Why even ask this question... should we upgrade from 7 to 8? Less than 1% of people get a new watch each year. But the question implies that this is a real consideration.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacLawyer Avatar
35 months ago
My Watch 7 is fine. I'm sitting on my Apple toy money until the new large screen iMac comes out.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)