Apple Launches New Series 9 Watch With 'Double Tap' Feature; Sale Starts on THIS Date

Apple also introduced a new feature to the Series 9 watches called "double tap" where users tap thumb and finger together twice, without touching the watch, in order to perform tasks like answering a phone call.

New Delhi: Apple announced the Watch Series 9 and the second generation of Watch Ultra, sporting the same dimensions as their predecessors. The latest watches get the next-generation S9 chip, capable of better animations and effects. It is the first processor upgrade since Apple released the Series 6 line in 2020.

New features on board include "double tap", new gesture control to the watch without touching its face, and improved dictation and brightness.

Apple Watch Series 9: Price

The Series 9 starts at $399, while the Ultra 2, at $799, is priced at the same level as the earlier base model. ()

The Series 9 is the company's first carbon neutral product, and starting this year all watch manufacturing will be powered by 100 percent clean energy, the company said. Apple will also drop leather from all its products, including the watch bands. ()

It uses machine learning to detect tiny changes in blood flow when the user taps their fingers together, freeing up the other hand for other tasks like walking a dog or holding a cup of coffee, said Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams.

CEO Tim Cook also said Apple is "on track" to ship its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset early next year.

The event at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters comes amid a global smartphone slump and lingering economic uncertainty, especially in China, Apple's third-largest market where it faces challenges from expanded restrictions on using its iPhones in government offices and the first new flagship phone in several years from Huawei Technologies.