More than a month after its September keynote, Apple has finally brought the last of its announced products to Malaysia—the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The two smartwatches are officially on sale as of today (18th October 2023) and can be purchased from either the online Apple Store or through its authorised local resellers like Machines, iTworld, Switch, TMT and SenQ.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Malaysia pricing
As before, the Apple Watch Series 9 is available in either aluminium (with Ion-X glass) or stainless steel (with a sapphire crystal) and in 41mm and 45mm sizes. You can, of course, also choose to equip your watch with cellular connectivity (standard on stainless steel models). Prices are as follows, bearing in mind that certain straps will drive up the final figure:
- Apple Watch Series 9, Aluminium, 41mm, GPS only – RM1,899
- Apple Watch Series 9, Aluminium, 45mm, GPS only – RM2,049
- Apple Watch Series 9, Aluminium, 41mm, GPS + Cellular – RM2,399
- Apple Watch Series 9, Aluminium, 45mm, GPS + Cellular – RM2,549
- Apple Watch Series 9, Stainless Steel, 41mm, GPS + Cellular – RM3,299
- Apple Watch Series 9, Stainless Steel, 41mm, GPS + Cellular – RM3,549
As for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, it’s only available with a 49mm titanium case, a sapphire crystal and cellular connectivity included. No matter which strap you go for—Alpine Loop, Trail Loop or Ocean Band—it will cost you RM3,799. This means the entire new Apple Watch line carries over the same pricing as last year.
Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 key specs and features
Aside from a new Pink finish for the aluminium Series 9, the two new Apple Watch models look identical to their predecessors. That means a curved case and crystal for the Series 9 and a more angular warm grey case (replete with a customisable Action button) and flat crystal for the Ultra 2.
The main upgrade is under the skin. After three years of mainly changing just the name of its smartwatch chips, Apple has reengineered its system in a package (SiP) with the S9. The extra firepower allows the addition of a new double tap gesture (enabling you to control the watch simply by pinching your thumb and index finger together) and has enabled Apple to move Siri processing entirely on device, providing access to health data.
There’s also a new quad-core Neural Engine that processes machine learning tasks up to twice as fast as the S8 chip. Additionally, the new watches get a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip that enables Precision Finding (the same feature that lets users find their AirTags) for the iPhone 15 family. The same chip will be able to detect a nearby HomePod and prompt the Series 9 to open the Now Playing screen.
Elsewhere, both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 get brighter displays for better legibility in direct sunlight. The former’s peak brightness has doubled to 2,000 nits, while the Ultra 2’s display is now the brightest Apple has ever produced, peaking at an astounding 3,000 nits (up from 2,000 nits).
Not only that, but the Ultra 2’s display can also dim to just one nit so as to not disturb others nearby. A new Modular face has also been added to the more rugged model, although users of the first-generation Ultra will also get it as part of watchOS 10. One feature the older model doesn’t get is the ability to connect to cycling accessories like power meters via Bluetooth.
Beyond all this, the Series 9 and Ultra 2 are identical to before, featuring blood oxygen and ECG monitoring, a temperature sensor for more accurate menstrual cycle tracking and fall and crash detection. The Series 9 continues to be water resistant up to 50m, while the Ultra 2 can go all the way down to 100m; it is also rated to be able to dive up to 40m. The sportier model also gets dual-frequency GPS for greater location accuracy.
Despite the more powerful chip, Apple is claiming the same battery life as before—up to 18 hours for the Series 9 and 36 hours for the Ultra 2 (36 hours and 72 hours respectively in Low Power Mode). Last but not least, both the Series 9 (aluminium model only) and Ultra 2 are certified carbon neutral when combined with certain fabric straps.
