Pre-orders are now open for the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra in South Africa, with iStore revealing local pricing for the updated wearables. Launched at its Far Out even this month, the Watch Series 8 sees some minor upgrades while the Watch Ultra is a brand new device for extreme sports enthusiasts.
Read: iPhone 14 series prices for South Africa sees massive increases
This year Apple hasn’t changed the design of the Series 8, sticking to last year’s design that saw an increase in screen-to-body ratio. The display being 20 percent larger in the same chassis certainly made the device a lot better to use, and that is still the case here. The back panel on the watch sees some behind-the-scenes changes as the wearable now houses a new body temperature sensor, but there isn’t much to note apart from that.
The band on the watch is also identical to last year, so backwards compatibility is still no issue here, but there are some new band designs available. In terms of endurance, Apple Watch Series 8 will maintain its IP6X and WR50 ratings, which are responsible for its dust and water resistance, respectively. The 6 in IP6X refers to Apple Watch’s dust-tight nature, whereas the WR50 rating indicates the wearable can withstand being 50 meters underwater, although you should stay away from salt water.
When it comes to hardware, there isn’t much to write home about this year. It is effectively the same device as last year on the inside. Apple hasn’t mentioned any new details about RAM, processor or storage, which leads us to believe it is exactly the same hardware.
Software is where this year’s model wants to set itself apart from last year (although we assume the Series 7 will get all the same features in a software update). The device can now detect when its wearer has a car crash, with its Crash Detection feature then able to call emergency services without you needed to action anything. There are also some changes to its fitness software, like providing more informative details about sleep stages, exercises, and functionality like the notification-based medication tracking.
Here is the pricing for the Apple Watch Series 8, which comes in several flavours.
41mm Model
| Apple Watch Series 8 Aluminium Case GPS | R9,599 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 Aluminium Case GPS + Cellular | R11,999 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 Stainless Steel Case | R16,799 |
45mm Model
| Apple Watch Series 8 Aluminium Case GPS | R10,299 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 Aluminium Case GPS + Cellular | R12,699 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 Stainless Steel Case | R17,999 |
