Une Apple Watch sur un fond moitié noir, moitié blanc.

Apple Watch 6 vs Apple Watch 8: Is the Series 6 still worth it?

Updated on 4 August 2023

With two years difference, the question beckons - given the incremental improvements, which Apple Watch is right for me? Can the Series 6 still be seen as worthwhile purchase?

Apple Watch Series 6, and why not?

Released in 2020 (2 years before the Apple Watch Series 8), this attractive Apple Watch has an always-on Retina OLED LTPO display of up to 1000 nits comes in a 40 or 44 mm case, with a screen size of 324 x 394 or 368 x 448 pixels respectively.

The cases can be made from a variety of materials, each offering different colours:

  • In aluminium, you can choose from : Sidereal Grey, Gold, Silver, Blue or RED.

  • Stainless steel: Graphite, Silver or Gold.

  • And in titanium, an option that has disappeared from the Series 7: titanium (yes, it's a colour) or sidereal black.

Different materials mean different weights. It all depends on how much weight you like to have on your wrist. Unsurprisingly, aluminium is the lightest, followed by titanium and then stainless steel. The lengths and widths change according to the size of the case, but only one thing remains the same: the thickness: 10.7 mm.

The Apple Watch Series 6 functions are still excellent and worthy of a smartwatch to measure physical activity, which can show the following:

  • GymKit.

  • Blood oxygen level.

  • ECG. 

It is also convenient for outdoors (with the features mentioned above) and measures to avoid getting lost with the following features too:

  • Compass.

  • GPS. 

  • Altimeter.

  • International emergency call. 

  • Fall detection. 

As an accessory, the Apple Watch Series 6 serves as a smartwatch and fashion accessory with handy features like using Apple Pay and keep files within thanks to its 32GB storage.

All of this made possible by the S6 chip with a 64-bit dual-core processor and a battery that can last up to 18 hours. 

Apple Watch 8 - is this a technological revolution?

On the face of it, the answer is no. The cases are a little bit bigger (41 or 45 mm), the same screen as the Watch 6, less choice of materials for the case (titanium has disappeared also), the same storage capacity, and so on.

The only differences are the new temperature sensor, which is used to monitor menstrual cycles and calculate the date of ovulation, plus accident detection.

Apple Watch Series 6 vs 8: technical specifications

Feature

Apple Watch Series 8

Apple Watch Series 6

Screen Size

41 or 45 mm

40 or 44 mm

Display

Retina OLED LTPO display always on, up to 1,000 nits under Ion-X glass in aluminium casings; sapphire glass display on stainless steel casings

Retina OLED LTPO display always on, up to 1,000 nits under Ion-X glass in aluminium cases; sapphire glass display on stainless steel and titanium cases

Connectivity

GPS and GPS + Cellular models International emergency calls, Accident detection and Fall Detection, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3

GPS and GPS + Cellular models International emergency call, Fall detection, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0

Chip

SiP S8 with 64-bit dual-core processor

SiP S6 with 64-bit dual-core processor

Sensors

Temperature sensor, blood oxygen level sensor, heart rate sensor, high and low heart rate notifications, arrhythmia notifications and ECG app

Blood oxygen level sensor, heart rate sensor, high and low heart rate notifications, arrhythmia notifications and ECG app

Sound

Integrated speaker and microphone

Integrated speaker and microphone

Storage

32 GB

32 GB

Quick Charge

Yes

No

The differences are shown in bold.

Which Apple Watch should I choose?

Excellent question!  If the new features are of no use to you, opt for the Apple Watch Series 7 or the Series 6. You can read our comparisons here:

👉 Apple Watch Series 7 vs Apple Watch Series 8: is it worth the upgrade?

Where can I buy a cheap Apple Watch?

With Apple's exorbitant price tags, it's natural to want to look for the same product, with the same features, but at a more affordable price.

At Back Market, thanks to our carefully curated professional refurbished sellers network, we can offer you these watches at prices between 30% to 70% lower than brand new ones.

Haziq

Written by HaziqTech Expert for Back Market UK, Ireland & Australia

When not fighting the good fight for environmental sustainability, Haziq loves making reviews of everything and anything tech-related.

Did you find this article useful ?

Related articles