Technologies
Living With the Apple Watch Series 9: My Thoughts 3 Months Later
The Apple Watch Series 9 checks all the right boxes, but it feels like bigger changes are coming with future models.

The Apple Watch Series 9 leaves me wanting more, in both good ways and not-so-good ways.
Wearing the $399 Series 9 as my regular watch for three months (aside from taking a few breaks to test other smartwatches) has given me a lot to look forward to, thanks to new features like Double Tap and Siri’s ability to answer health questions. At the same time, these fresh tricks aren’t integral enough to my daily life to make the Apple Watch Series 9 feel significantly different from its predecessor.
My initial impression of the Series 9 from September holds true. It’s the best smartwatch for iPhone owners (and perhaps the best smartwatch) in general, thanks to its snappy and easy-to-navigate interface, wide selection of health monitoring options and smooth integration with Apple products. The biggest reason to buy it over the cheaper Apple Watch SE remains the Series 9’s extra health and wellness tracking functionality, such as ECG monitoring, blood oxygen readings and temperature sensing. If your primary reason for buying a smartwatch is keeping a closer eye on your health, the Series 9 is the right choice.
Apple briefly stopped selling the Series 9 online and in its stores because of a patent dispute with health tech company Masimo regarding the watch’s blood oxygen detection feature. But an appeals court paused the ban Wednesday, according to CNBC, and Apple has since resumed sales of the Series 9. At least for now.
If you are able to get your hands on a Series 9 and are considering whether it’s worth it, here are my thoughts after using it for three months. For a deeper dive into everything that’s new with the Series 9, check out my full review from September.
Siri gets a health boost on the Apple Watch Series 9

A big part of why I wanted to revisit the Series 9 is because some of the watch’s most interesting features weren’t available at launch. Siri’s ability to answer health-oriented questions is one such example. Apple announced this functionality when the watch debuted in September, but only brought it to the watch through a software update in December. The Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the only Apple Watches that support this feature because the feature requires Apple’s latest processor.
I’ve been excited to try this out because it could solve one of the Apple Watch’s biggest problems: that it can be too difficult to find specific health statistics at a glance. Seeing how many steps you’ve taken this week, for example, can take a few taps in Apple’s Health app. Siri’s ability to answer questions like these on the fly opens up a lot of potential for Apple’s digital assistant to become even more useful.
So far, I’ve been asking the Series 9 questions like how I slept last night, how many minutes I’ve spent exercising this week, how far I’ve walked today and what my average walking heart rate is. Siri has been able to answer these questions with ease, but I also feel like Apple’s virtual helper could be doing much more in this area. For example, I’d love to be able to ask Siri what time I should go to sleep tonight based on my daily activity and the previous night’s sleep. Siri also couldn’t tell me what my most active day was for this week when asked.

Part of that is because of Siri and the Apple Watch’s limitations. While Apple does highlight trends related to your sleep and allows you to set a bedtime schedule, it doesn’t offer sleep coaching features that provide advice on how to improve your sleep. Nor does it provide bedtime recommendations based on your activity and slumber patterns, like some of its rivals. How can Siri tell me when to hit the sack based on how busy my day was if the Apple Watch isn’t analyzing that type of data?
Siri can also only answer health questions based on data from the last week or so since such queries are processed on the watch itself rather than the cloud for privacy reasons. Still, Siri’s new health knowledge feels like an important first step toward making the Apple Watch (and Siri) better health-tracking companions.
Double Tap on the Apple Watch Series 9

Another major new feature that wasn’t available until after the Series 9 launched is Double Tap. As the name implies, Double Tap makes it possible to navigate your Apple Watch by tapping your thumb and index finger together. It’s kind of like an invisible button for scrolling through your widget stack and dismissing notifications. You can also use Double Tap to answer and dismiss calls, play or pause music, reply to text messages through voice dictation, manage timers and capture a photo with your iPhone using the Camera Remote app.
Shortly after Double Tap arrived on the Series 9, I wrote that I hadn’t been using the feature often. My opinion hasn’t changed, although Double Tap does feel more responsive than before. I don’t know if the feature itself has improved with new software updates, or if I’ve just had more time to get the hang of it.
The biggest problem is that Double Tap doesn’t feel intuitive just yet. While I love the idea of using my Apple Watch without having to touch it with my opposite hand, I’m conditioned to tap or swipe, or even twist the Digital Crown before tapping my fingers together. Whenever I use Double Tap, it feels like I’m consciously thinking about it rather than having it be a genuine reaction when my wrist buzzes.
That said, I’m excited about what Double Tap means for the Apple Watch. It feels like the start of the Apple Watch becoming a more intuitive, ambient screen that lives on your wrist rather than something that you have to consciously interact with. Although I don’t find Double Tap very useful yet, that’s just one opinion. My colleague Lexy Savvides called Double Tap «helpful» and «accurate» after testing the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.
The Apple Watch Series 9 as a health tracker

The Apple Watch Series 9 has all the health and wellness tracking metrics that are expected of a watch at this price. That includes:
- ECG monitoring
- High and low heart rate notifications
- Irregular heart rate notifications
- Blood oxygen monitoring
- Overnight temperature readings
- Sleep tracking
- A wide variety of workout types
- Automatic workout detection for certain exercises like walking, running and cycling
- The Mindfulness app for breathing exercises and mood logging
All of these features are present in the Series 8 as well, but the cheaper $249 Apple Watch SE is missing ECG monitoring, blood oxygen and skin temperature readings. The pricier $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a few extras for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, such as a more rugged titanium build and dual-frequency GPS.
While the Series 9 checks the right boxes, I wish Apple did more to make sense of all the health data it gathers. Products from Garmin, Oura and Fitbit can make observations about whether you’re ready for a workout or need to take a rest day based on factors like activity and sleep. Apple can nudge you to get up and move, but the Apple Watch is still missing these big-picture observations. Google-owned Fitbit is also launching a program called Fitbit Labs in 2024 that will use AI to connect the dots between certain data points, in yet another sign that Apple’s rivals are investing in new ways to analyze and contextualize health metrics and activity.
You also don’t get nearly as much sleep data from the Apple Watch as you do with other trackers from the companies mentioned above. The Apple Watch can log sleep duration and stages of sleep along with highlighting trends such as average sleep duration over the past week and changes in respiratory rate.
Other trackers provide sleep scoring and coaching features that assess the quality of your sleep, making it easier to make decisions about whether you need to get to bed earlier or later. Garmin, for example, was able to tell me whether my sleep was calm, too short or non-restorative. Knowing that I didn’t sleep well the night before made me feel more motivated to wind down earlier the following evening.
Apple Watch Series 9 battery life

The Apple Watch Series 9 typically lasts between one to two days depending on how you’re using it. That’s about average for smartwatches in this price range, although watches from Fitbit and Garmin typically last for multiple days on a single charge. You’ll need the pricier Apple Watch Ultra 2, pictured above if you want longer battery life
When I didn’t exercise, track sleep or record outdoor walks, the Apple Watch Series 9 lasted for about two full days. But after a full day of use that included about 30 to 40 minutes of indoor exercise and an outdoor walk, plus overnight sleep tracking, the Series 9 had 35% of its battery left when I woke up in the morning. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 lasted for about two full days even after tracking GPS workouts and monitoring sleep, according to CNET’s testing.
Luckily, the Series 9 can charge fairly fast. It went from 35% to 92% after 30 minutes, which fit nicely with my morning routine. I left the watch on its charger while I got ready to head to the office, and the battery was almost full by the time I left.
Still, the Series 9’s battery life does limit its appeal as a sleep tracker compared to competitors. The Garmin Venu 3 lasted for about a week during my testing, for example, and the Oura ring usually lasts for about four days, according to my colleague Scott Stein who has worn it for months.
While Garmin and Oura’s devices may fall short in other areas compared to the Apple Watch, their relatively long battery life and deeper metrics may make them a better choice for those who prioritize sleep monitoring above all else in a wearable. Multi-day battery life makes it easier to track sleep without potentially having to sacrifice some activity tracking the next day.
Apple Watch Series 9 overall thoughts

As I wrote in my initial review, the Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t a big leap over the Series 8. If you have a recent Apple Watch, especially the Series 7 or Series 8, you can hold off on upgrading.
The subtle changes in the Series 9 set the Apple Watch up for a promising future. I’m still waiting for workout recovery metrics and more detailed sleep insights, but updates like Siri’s ability to answer health questions and Double Tap make it clear that there’s more in store for the Apple Watch beyond new health sensors.
Technologies
The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode
Gemini Live’s new camera mode feels like the future when it works. I put it through a stress test with my offbeat collectibles.

«I just spotted your scissors on the table, right next to the green package of pistachios. Do you see them?»
Gemini Live’s chatty new camera feature was right. My scissors were exactly where it said they were, and all I did was pass my camera in front of them at some point during a 15-minute live session of me giving the AI chatbot a tour of my apartment. Google’s been rolling out the new camera mode to all Android phones using the Gemini app for free after a two-week exclusive to Pixel 9 (including the new Pixel 9A) and Galaxy S5 smartphones. So, what exactly is this camera mode and how does it work?
When you start a live session with Gemini, you now how have the option to enable a live camera view, where you can talk to the chatbot and ask it about anything the camera sees. Not only can it identify objects, but you can also ask questions about them — and it works pretty well for the most part. In addition, you can share your screen with Gemini so it can identify things you surface on your phone’s display.
When the new camera feature popped up on my phone, I didn’t hesitate to try it out. In one of my longer tests, I turned it on and started walking through my apartment, asking Gemini what it saw. It identified some fruit, ChapStick and a few other everyday items with no problem. I was wowed when it found my scissors.
That’s because I hadn’t mentioned the scissors at all. Gemini had silently identified them somewhere along the way and then recalled the location with precision. It felt so much like the future, I had to do further testing.
My experiment with Gemini Live’s camera feature was following the lead of the demo that Google did last summer when it first showed off these live video AI capabilities. Gemini reminded the person giving the demo where they’d left their glasses, and it seemed too good to be true. But as I discovered, it was very true indeed.
Gemini Live will recognize a whole lot more than household odds and ends. Google says it’ll help you navigate a crowded train station or figure out the filling of a pastry. It can give you deeper information about artwork, like where an object originated and whether it was a limited edition piece.
It’s more than just a souped-up Google Lens. You talk with it, and it talks to you. I didn’t need to speak to Gemini in any particular way — it was as casual as any conversation. Way better than talking with the old Google Assistant that the company is quickly phasing out.
Google also released a new YouTube video for the April 2025 Pixel Drop showcasing the feature, and there’s now a dedicated page on the Google Store for it.
To get started, you can go live with Gemini, enable the camera and start talking. That’s it.
Gemini Live follows on from Google’s Project Astra, first revealed last year as possibly the company’s biggest «we’re in the future» feature, an experimental next step for generative AI capabilities, beyond your simply typing or even speaking prompts into a chatbot like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It comes as AI companies continue to dramatically increase the skills of AI tools, from video generation to raw processing power. Similar to Gemini Live, there’s Apple’s Visual Intelligence, which the iPhone maker released in a beta form late last year.
My big takeaway is that a feature like Gemini Live has the potential to change how we interact with the world around us, melding our digital and physical worlds together just by holding your camera in front of almost anything.
I put Gemini Live to a real test
The first time I tried it, Gemini was shockingly accurate when I placed a very specific gaming collectible of a stuffed rabbit in my camera’s view. The second time, I showed it to a friend in an art gallery. It identified the tortoise on a cross (don’t ask me) and immediately identified and translated the kanji right next to the tortoise, giving both of us chills and leaving us more than a little creeped out. In a good way, I think.
I got to thinking about how I could stress-test the feature. I tried to screen-record it in action, but it consistently fell apart at that task. And what if I went off the beaten path with it? I’m a huge fan of the horror genre — movies, TV shows, video games — and have countless collectibles, trinkets and what have you. How well would it do with more obscure stuff — like my horror-themed collectibles?
First, let me say that Gemini can be both absolutely incredible and ridiculously frustrating in the same round of questions. I had roughly 11 objects that I was asking Gemini to identify, and it would sometimes get worse the longer the live session ran, so I had to limit sessions to only one or two objects. My guess is that Gemini attempted to use contextual information from previously identified objects to guess new objects put in front of it, which sort of makes sense, but ultimately, neither I nor it benefited from this.
Sometimes, Gemini was just on point, easily landing the correct answers with no fuss or confusion, but this tended to happen with more recent or popular objects. For example, I was surprised when it immediately guessed one of my test objects was not only from Destiny 2, but was a limited edition from a seasonal event from last year.
At other times, Gemini would be way off the mark, and I would need to give it more hints to get into the ballpark of the right answer. And sometimes, it seemed as though Gemini was taking context from my previous live sessions to come up with answers, identifying multiple objects as coming from Silent Hill when they were not. I have a display case dedicated to the game series, so I could see why it would want to dip into that territory quickly.
Gemini can get full-on bugged out at times. On more than one occasion, Gemini misidentified one of the items as a made-up character from the unreleased Silent Hill: f game, clearly merging pieces of different titles into something that never was. The other consistent bug I experienced was when Gemini would produce an incorrect answer, and I would correct it and hint closer at the answer — or straight up give it the answer, only to have it repeat the incorrect answer as if it was a new guess. When that happened, I would close the session and start a new one, which wasn’t always helpful.
One trick I found was that some conversations did better than others. If I scrolled through my Gemini conversation list, tapped an old chat that had gotten a specific item correct, and then went live again from that chat, it would be able to identify the items without issue. While that’s not necessarily surprising, it was interesting to see that some conversations worked better than others, even if you used the same language.
Google didn’t respond to my requests for more information on how Gemini Live works.
I wanted Gemini to successfully answer my sometimes highly specific questions, so I provided plenty of hints to get there. The nudges were often helpful, but not always. Below are a series of objects I tried to get Gemini to identify and provide information about.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 26, #1407
Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,407 for April 26. Hint: Fans of a certain musical group will rock out with this puzzle.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough. The letters are fairly common, and fans of a certain rock band might get a kick out of the answer. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer.
Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter C.
Wordle hint No. 4: Rock out
Today’s Wordle answer is the name of a legendary English rock band.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a violent confrontation.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is CLASH.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 25, No. 1406 was KNOWN.
Recent Wordle answers
April 21, No. 1402: SPATE
April 22, No. 1403: ARTSY
April 23, No. 1404: OZONE.
April 24, No. 1405: GENIE
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.
Some solid starter words to try:
ADIEU
TRAIN
CLOSE
STARE
NOISE
Technologies
T-Mobile Adds New Top 5G Plans, T-Satellite and New 5-Year Price Locks
The new top unlimited plans, Experience More and Experience Beyond, shave some costs and add data and satellite options.

Just two years after expanding its lineup of cellular plans, T-Mobile this week announced two new plans that replace its Go5G Plus and Go5G Next offerings, refreshed its prepaid Metro line and wrapped them all in a promised five-year pricing guarantee.
To convert more subscribers, the carrier is also offering up to $800 to help customers pay off phone balances when switching from another carrier.
In a briefing with CNET, Jon Friar, president of T-Mobile’s consumer group, explained why the company is revamping and simplifying its array of mobile plans. «The pain point that’s out there over the last couple of years is rising costs all around consumers,» Friar said. «For us to be able to bring more value and even lower prices on [plans like] Experience More versus our former Go5G Plus is a huge win for consumers.»
The new plans went into effect April 23.
With these changes, CNET is already hard at work updating our picks for Best T-Mobile Plans, so check back soon for our recommendations.
More Experiences to define the T-Mobile experience
The top of the new T-Mobile postpaid lineup is two new plans: Experience More and Experience Beyond.
Experience More is the next generation of the Go5G Plus plan, which has unlimited 5G and 4G LTE access and unlimited Premium Data (download speeds up to 418Mbps and upload speeds up to 31Mbps). High-speed hotspot data is bumped up to 60GB from 50GB per month. The monthly price is now $5 lower per line than Go5G Plus.
The Experience More plan also gets free T-Satellite with Starlink service (the new name for T-Mobile’s satellite feature that uses Starlink’s constellation of satellites) through the end of 2025. Although T-Satellite is still officially in beta until July, customers can continue to get free access to the beta starting now. At the start of the new year, the service will cost $10 per month, a $5 drop from T-Mobile’s originally announced pricing. T-Satellite will be open to customers of other carriers for the same pricing beginning in July.
The new top-tier plan, Experience Beyond, also comes in $5 per line cheaper than its predecessor, Go5G Next. It has 250GB of high-speed hotspot data per month, up from 50GB, and more data when you’re traveling outside the US: 30GB in Canada and Mexico (versus 15GB) and 15GB in 215 countries (up from 5GB). T-Satellite service is included in the Experience Beyond plan.
However, one small change to the Experience plans affects that pricing: Taxes and fees, previously included in the Go5G Plus and Go5G Next prices, are now broken out separately. T-Mobile recently announced that one such fee, the Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery Fee, would increase up to 50 cents per month.
According to T-Mobile, the Experience Beyond rates and features will be «rolling out soon» for customers currently on the Go5G Next plan.
The Essentials plan is staying in the lineup at the same cost of $60 per month for a single line, the same 50GB of Premium Data and unlimited 5G and 4G LTE data. High-speed hotspot data is an optional $10 add-on, as is T-Satellite access, for $15 (both per month).
Also still in the mix is the Essentials Saver plan, an affordable option that has ranked high in CNET’s Best Cellphone Plans recommendations.
Corresponding T-Mobile plans, such as those for military, first responders and people age 55 and older are also getting refreshed with the new lineup.
T-Mobile’s plan shakeup is being driven in part by the current economic climate. Explaining the rationale behind the price reductions and the streamlined number of plans, Mike Katz, president of marketing, innovation and experience at T-Mobile told CNET, «We’re in a weird time right now where prices everywhere are going up and they’ve happened over the last several years. We felt like there was an opportunity to compete with some simplicity, but more importantly, some peace of mind for customers.»
Existing customers who want to switch to one of the new plans can do so at the same rates offered to new customers. Or, if a current plan still works for them, they can continue without changes (although keep in mind that T-Mobile earlier this year increased prices for some legacy plans).
Five years of price stability
It’s nearly impossible to think about prices these days without warily eyeing how tariffs and US economic policy will affect what we pay for things. So it’s not surprising to see carriers implement some cost stability into their plans. For instance, Verizon recently locked prices for three years on their plans.
Now, T-Mobile is building a five-year price guarantee for its T-Mobile and Metro plans. That pricing applies to talk, text and data amounts — not necessarily taxes and other fees that can fluctuate.
Given the uncertain outlook, it seems counterintuitive to lock in a longer rate. When asked about this, Katz said, «We feel like our job is to solve pain points for customers and we feel like this helps with this exact sentiment. It shifts the risk from customers to us. We’ll take the risk so they don’t have to.»
The price hold applies to new customers signing up for the plans as well as current customers switching to one. T-Mobile is offering the same deals and pricing to new and existing subscribers. Also, the five-year deal applies to pricing; it’s not a five-year plan commitment.
More money and options to encourage switchers
The promise of a five-year price guarantee is also intended to lure people from other carriers, particularly AT&T and Verizon. As further incentive, T-Mobile is offering up to $800 per line (distributed via a virtual prepaid Mastercard) to help pay off other carriers’ device contracts. This is a limited-time offer. There are also options to trade in old devices, including locked phones, to get up to four new flagship phones.
Or, if getting out of a contract isn’t an issue, T-Mobile can offer $200 in credit (up to $800 for four lines) to bring an existing number to the network.
Four new Metro prepaid plans
On the prepaid side, T-Mobile is rolling out four new Metro plans, which are also covered by the new five-year price guarantee:
• Metro Starter costs $25 per line per month for a family of four and there is no need to bring an existing number. (The cost is $105 the first month.)
• Metro Starter Plus runs $40 per month for a new phone, unlimited talk, text and 5G data when bringing an existing number. For $65 per month, new customers can get two lines and two new Samsung A15 phones. No autopay is required.
• Metro Flex Unlimited is $30 per line per month with autopay for four lines ($125 the first month) with unlimited talk, text and 5G data.
• Metro Flex Unlimited Plus costs $60 per line per month, then $35 for lines two and three and then lowers the price of the fourth line to $10 per month as more family members are added. Adding a tablet or smartwatch to an existing line costs $5. And streaming video, such as from the included Amazon Prime membership, comes through at HD quality.
See more: If you’re looking for phone plans, you may also be looking for a new cell phone. Here are CNET’s picks.
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