At its “Far out” event today, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 8, which has the same design as the Series 7 but a new body temperature sensor and a larger, curved-edge touchscreen.

The Series 8 is visually identical to the Series 7 and has the same design. However, the Series 8 has a brand-new body temperature sensor with a focus on the health of women. The Series 8’s new sensor takes a wrist temperature reading every five seconds throughout the night and notifies the user through the Health app if there are any changes from the baseline temperature. The body temperature sensor provides estimates of cycle deviation and retrospective ovulation.

According to Apple, the new sensor adds to the current heart rate sensor and the ECG to provide users with a full range of health features. In the unfortunate event of a serious car accident, the new Series 8 features car crash detection, which can enable automatic contact with emergency services, provide the location, and inform emergency contacts.

The Series 8 has a new 3-axis gyroscope and high-g-force accelerometer that measure up to 256G and sample 4x faster to make this possible (3000 times per second).

Apple guarantees the same all-day 18-hour battery life as earlier models with the Series 8 and its significant battery life upgrades. The Series 4 and later will come with a new Low Power Mode that limits some features, such as an always-on display and workout detection, to help increase battery life. Users can increase the battery life of their Apple Watch by up to 36 hours by turning on Low Power Mode.

Apple Watch Series 8 price & availability

The Apple Watch Series 8 is available for pre-order today at Apple.com and will be shipped Friday, September 16, 2022, and will cost $399 for GPS and $499 for GPS + Cellular model. It’s available in aluminum Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and (PRODUCT)RED while stainless steel models come in Silver, Gold, and Graphite.