Watch Series 9 will have first new chip for Apple smartwatch in three years

Apple Watch fans could get a new processor in the tech giant’s Series 9 smartwatches for the first time in three years.

According to a post from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next generation of Apple Watch could feature an entirely new processor based on the A15 Bionic.

While Apple has made enhancements to the SoCs in its smartwatches since the Series 6 that launched in September 2020, these focussed on functionality instead of CPU improvements.

For example, the chip packed into the Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra, and the latest SE features an updated accelerometer and gyroscope. The chip was built using an old 7-nanometer manufacturing process.

However, the new chip touted for the Series 9 could provide significant performance and battery life improvements thanks to a more efficient manufacturing process.

According to Gurman, the Series 9 chip will likely be built using a denser and more efficient 4nm or 5nm approach.

He speculates that, aside from the new chip, Apple Watch fans likely won’t have much incentive to upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 9, even from the Series 7.

He described most other changes to the Series 9 as iterative updates.

Now read: Apple and Google team up to combat smart tracker stalkers

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Watch Series 9 will have first new chip for Apple smartwatch in three years