Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2: Touch it with a double tap

Maybe the most Apple The moment of today’s keynote at Apple Park was the introduction of Double Tap, a new (sort of) feature on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 that allows you to perform actions on the Watch by pressing your watch’s index finger and thumb twice tap at the same time.

It’s one of those things that you have to try for yourself to appreciate. After playing around with it for a few minutes, I have no idea if it will be useful in the long run, but it’s definitely really cool to be able to do things on the watch without even touching it (well, let alone of where it touches the wrist). . You can answer or end a call, browse the Smart Stack, or start and end a timer. It’s really simple and has worked for me every time, even though I had to overcome my instinct to do things the normal way.

Casually scrolling through the Smart Stack by double-tapping my thumb and index finger.
Photo credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Double-tapping is also very handy in certain situations where you can’t use your other hand, such as when you need to take a photo or video of the feature in action. Again, I’m not sure how often this happens in real life – but for me in that moment in the very busy Steve Jobs Theater it was already a lifesaver.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is still only available in a titanium finish.
Photo credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are otherwise very similar to last year’s models. The display is brighter, although I could hardly notice it during my short time with the device. The Ultra 2’s new Modular Ultra watch face is busy but looks great and will likely be a hit with people who need to have all the information about everything around them on their wrist.

Ahead of the event, there were rumors that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would come with a new, dark titanium case; I haven’t seen any mention of this anywhere and Apple reps have told me it’s not happening (at least not yet).

Apple’s new Alpine Loop is carbon neutral and consists of over 30 percent recycled material.
Photo credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The watches come with Apple’s new S9 SiP (short for System in Package), which is supposed to make them faster. Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 felt very fast, although without thorough testing it was hard to say how faster they are than the previous generation.

The same goes for battery life, which hasn’t changed. The Ultra 2 lasts 36 hours with regular use and up to 72 hours in energy saving mode. The Series 9 has a battery life of 18 hours.

Finally, the prices are the same; with Series 9 starting at $399 and Ultra 2 starting at $799. I still need to spend some time with the new watches to find out if they are worth their price.