Like the Watch 9, the Apple Watch Series 8 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes. These two have the same design, features and battery life, however, they differ in size, weight and price. In this post, I’ll discuss the differences between the Apple Watch 8 41mm and 45mm units to help you decide which is the right choice for you.
Introducing the new Apple Watches
In September 2022, Apple released the Apple Watch Ultra, Watch 8 and Watch SE 2. While the Ultra comes in a 49mm titanium build, the Watch 8 comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes and each of these is available in stainless steel and aluminum builds. Meanwhile, the SE 2 is only available in aluminum build and in 40mm and 44mm sizes.
The new watches ship with WatchOS 9 out of the box. WatchOS 9 welcomes new features such as the ability to track sleep stages, custom workouts, a redesigned compass app, new accessibility features, a low-power mode and more. Fortunately, owners of older Apple watches can still enjoy all the new features of WatchOS 9 as it supports Apple Watch Series 4, 5, 6, 7, and SE and requires iPhone 8+ running iOS 16 and above.
Apple Watch Series 8 41mm or 45mm – Which Size is Right For You?
The aim of producing different sizes of the same smartwatch is manufacturers acknowledging that humans have different wrist sizes and that no size fits all. On this note, the smaller size is for those with smaller wrist while the bigger size is best for individuals with bigger wrist sizes.
What I do is measure the width of my wrist and then compare it with the width of the watch. So using a meter rule, measure the width of the wrist, then compare it with both sizes of the Watch 8. In my case, my wrist measures 45mm, so I have settled for the 45mm unit of the Watch 8
Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) vs (45mm) Full Specifications Comparison
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Apple Watch Series 8 41mm vs 45mm – The Difference
- Design and weight – 41mm is more compact
- Display Size – 45mm has a bigger display size
- Price – 41mm is cheaper
The first difference you will spot between the 41mm and 45mm units is the size. The 41mm unit has a 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm dimension while the 45mm unit has a 45 x 38 x 10.7mm dimension. So clearly, the 41mm is a more compact smartwatch which makes it more suitable for women and individuals with smaller wrist sizes.
Moreover, the 41mm unit also weighs a little less than the 45mm unit. The 41mm GPS model weighs 31.9 grams, it is 32.2 grams for the cellular model. While the 45mm GPS model weighs 38.8 grams, the Cellular model weighs 39.1 grams. Going by the respective weights, the 45mm is still very lightweight (one of the least) but the 41mm unit weighs less.
While the 41mm unit is a more compact smartwatch, the 45mm unit being bigger has a bigger display that lets you see more at a glance. When I bought my Watch 7, the bigger display size was a bigger factor to me and the main reason I settled for the 45mm unit.
The 45mm unit has a 1.92 inches display size compared to the 1.69 inches of the 41mm unit. Nonetheless, the 41mm unit still has a somewhat large display that lets you see complications on the screen clearly.
As a result of the bigger display size, the 45mm unit is priced a little higher than the 41mm unit. The 41mm GPS model of the aluminum build retails for $399 while the 45mm retails for $429. Meanwhile, the 41mm cellular model of the aluminum build goes for $499 while the 45mm unit retails for $529.
Apple Watch Series 7 vs 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 succeeds the Watch 7 and it comes with a few additional features which for me aren’t enough reasons to upgrade. Both watches have the same appearance and features – thanks to WatchOS 9. I just upgraded my Watch 7 to WatchOS 9, and I can access the features present in Watch 8 except that with WatchOS 9.1 the ability to monitor heart rate manually during workout activities is limited to Watch Ultra, Watch 8 and Watch SE 2.
Meanwhile, the new feature introduced to the Watch 8 is a temperature sensor that can monitor skin temperature variation and it will also help track the ovulation period for women by detecting temperature changes. Secondly, the Watch 8 has a more powerful 256-g accelerometer that supports crash detection. Beyond these few additions, it’s the same smartwatch as the Watch 7.
The Apple Watch Series 8 comes in aluminum and stainless steel build. Each of these is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes. Meanwhile, only the aluminum build is available in GPS and Cellular models while the stainless steel build is only available in Cellular models.
The Watch 8 has a very durable design and it spots a 1000nits bright LTPO OLED display that’s easy to read under any ambient condition. It has a 32GB storage capacity with the presence of a speaker and microphone. It also has an NFC chip that enables Apple Pay.
The watch will track all the way you move and with WatchOS 9, you get the ability to track sleep stages and you can record AFib history for those diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. There are now custom workouts, a multisport mode for triathlon lovers and a new medication app.