The Apple Watch 8 is now available, and it comes with design upgrades, including a larger screen, thinner display bezels, and innovative health and safety features. The device’s skin temperature sensor informs two areas of Apple’s health suite: sleep and cycle tracks. The feature requires at least a month to calibrate. Meanwhile, crash detection is a new addition made possible by upgraded motion sensors in Series 8. The device can detect a crash precisely as it happens and automatically call emergency services and notify emergency contacts. The Apple Watch 8 comes in Midnight, Silver, Starlight, and Product Red colors, with Blue and Green watches no longer available.

Apple Watch 8 Key Specs and price in Kenya

Price	KSh56,999
General Specs	Bluetooth version – 5.0
Water Resistance	Water resistant 50-meter
Dust Resistance	Dust-resistant (IP6X)
Fast Charge	Yes
Storage	32GB
Brightness	Up to 1000 nits brightness
Box Content	Midnight Aluminum Case Sport Band Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1m)

Apple Watch Series 8 41mm price in Kenya is KSh56,999. 

Design

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a sleek, curvier chassis with thinner display bezels, making it almost identical to the Apple Watch Series 7. The new smartwatch’s screen is 20% larger than the Apple Watch Series 6’s, optimized for features like the Always-On Display, new watchOS 9 faces, and a QWERTY keyboard for sending messages. While these features are not new to the Apple Watch, people upgrading from older models will see the redesign as a significant improvement. Prepare for more usable screen space by moving on from an Apple Watch Series 5 or 4.

On the side of the Apple Watch Series 8, you’ll find the familiar digital crown and side button, used in hand with the touchscreen to navigate the device. While an action button on the side, like the Apple Watch Ultra, would be nice, the Apple Watch Series 8’s design is still intuitive. The smartwatch comes in Midnight, Silver, Starlight, and Product Red colors, with blue and green watches no longer available. However, customization comes by finding the best Apple Watch bands for your style.

Skin Temperature Sensor

The Apple Watch Series 8 introduces a new feature, a skin temperature sensor that informs two areas of Apple’s health suite, sleep tracking, and cycle tracks. For sleep, deviations in baseline overnight temperature help you monitor what external factors impact your regular rest. For instance, traveling or partying late. The Apple Watch Series 8 can predict ovulation windows for women trying to conceive using wrist temperature and other period tracking information. Changes to wrist temperature have been proven accurate indicators of probable ovulation. If you have a condition that impacts your cycle, overnight wrist temperature data might provide a sense of validation. However, the feature requires at least a month to calibrate, and privacy is paramount.

All cycle tracking data is secured with end-to-end encryption, and data can be deleted anytime. You also have control over who you share your health data with, such as sharing cycle information with a doctor assisting you with fertility. Apple may also use skin temperature more like the Fitbit Sense 2, using it as one of the metrics to understand stress. Others have speculated it could be used for fever detection.

Apple Watch 8 Crash Detection

Crash detection is a new safety feature on the Apple Watch Series 8. While Apple Watch has had fall detection and emergency SOS features for some time, crash detection is a new safety tool made possible by upgraded motion sensors in Series 8. The smartwatch has two new motion sensors, an improved gyroscope, and an accelerometer. These sensors can sample motion four times faster, so the watch can detect a car accident. The watch will then send a message to emergency contacts with your location, letting them know you may have been involved in an accident. The feature also calls emergency services and shares your site with them if you’re not responsive. The feature can be turned off in the Apple Watch app’s Emergency SOS settings.

Battery Life

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a new, more power-efficient S7 chip, which Apple claims can deliver Up to 18 hours of battery life, similar to the Series 7. However, the battery life can vary based on usage, features, and other factors. One of the new features that could impact battery life is the Always-On Retina Display, which is now optimized to be brighter outdoors while conserving battery life indoors. Apple has also introduced a new fast-charging USB-C cable that can charge the Apple Watch Series 8 up to 80% in just 45 minutes, making it more convenient for users to charge their watch on the go.