This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product.
Apple’s new smartwatches have arrived, which means you’re probably wondering: Should you upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 8?
As is typically the case when deciding to upgrade, the answer will depend on which Apple Watch you currently own. The Series 8 introduces temperature sensing and car-crash detection, along with a refreshed processor. But even with those improvements, the Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 6 still have plenty of life left in them, meaning you don’t have to upgrade just yet if you have either of these watches.
That’s especially true since Apple typically introduces many new features in software updates like WatchOS 9, which is compatible with watches that are up to 4 years old. But if you have an aging Apple Watch Series 3 or earlier, you’re definitely due for an upgrade.
Apple Watches released over the past five years have many of Apple’s core health and safety features in common, such as irregular heart rhythm notifications, high and low heart rate notifications, water resistance, workout tracking, emergency SOS and fall detection (Series 4 and…