Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) vs (45mm) – Which Size is Right For You?

If you find this post helpful, please share it. Thank you!

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?

Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) vs (45mm)

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

 
 
Product Info
Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) (GPS) - Full Smartwatch Specifications

Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) (GPS) - Full Smartwatch Specifications

Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm) (GPS) - Full Smartwatch Specifications

Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm) (GPS) - Full Smartwatch Specifications

Price - $248.30
ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE
Device name (Aluminum), (GPS), Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm) (Aluminum), (GPS), Apple Watch Series 8 (45mm)
Device type Fitness/Sport smartwatch Fitness/Sport smartwatch
Gender Unisex Unisex
Release date September, 2022 September, 2022
Predecessor Apple Watch Series 7 Apple Watch Series 7
Successor
Versions Cellular + GPS, GPS Cellular + GPS, GPS
BODY BODY BODY
Dimension 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm 45mm x 38mm x 10.7mm
Weight 31.9g 38.8g
Shape Rectangular Rectangular
Case material Aluminum Aluminum
Strap material Silicone Silicone
Bezel material Aluminum, Bezeless Aluminum, Bezeless
Strap size 22 mm 24mm
Interchangeable strap Yes, Yes, 22mm 24mm, Yes
Screen protection Ion-X glass Ion-X glass
Water resistance IPX7, Yes, 5ATM IPX7, Yes, 5ATM
Durability test
Swim-proof Yes Yes
Color Midnight, Red, Silver, Starlight Midnight, Red, Silver, Starlight
DISPLAY DISPLAY DISPLAY
Display size 1.69 inches 1.92 inches
Display type 1000nit, LTPO OLED 1000nit, LTPO OLED
Display resolution 396 x 484 pixels 396 x 484 pixels
Pixel density 326 ppi 326 ppi
Always on Yes Yes
Custom watch face Yes Yes
Input type 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth Bluetooth v5.3 Bluetooth v5.3
Bluetooth calling Yes Yes
GPS BEIDOU, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS BEIDOU, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS
NFC Yes Yes
Wi-Fi Yes Yes
MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY
RAM 1GB 1GB
ROM 32GB 32GB
Memory card slot No No
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Technology None None
SIM type None None
Band
NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS
SMS alert Yes Yes
Calls alert Yes Yes
Email alert Yes Yes
Event reminder Yes Yes
Third-party apps alert Yes Yes
Reply to Notifications - -
MEDIA MEDIA MEDIA
Audio mp3/mp4 mp3/mp4
Bluetooth music Yes Yes
Loudspeaker Yes Yes
Microphone Yes Yes
Camera No No
Radio No No
SENSORS SENSORS SENSORS
Sensor(s)
ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING
Blood oxygen Yes Yes
Blood Pressure No No
Calories Yes Yes
Distance Yes Yes
ECG tracking Yes Yes
Heart rate monitoring Yes Yes
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Steps Yes Yes
Floors climbed Yes Yes
Stress Yes Yes
Fall detection Yes Yes
Menstrual cycle Yes Yes
VO2 Max Yes Yes
Swim-tracking Yes Yes
Underwater heart rate tracking Yes Yes
On-screen workout No No
Sport modes Yes Yes
BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY
Battery type Non-removable Li-ion battery Non-removable Li-ion battery
Battery capacity 282 mAh 308mAh
Battery life Regular: up to 18hrs Regular: up to 18hrs
Charging type (Fast charging), Charging dock (Fast charging), Charging dock
Charging time 30min-1hr 30min-1hr
Solar charging No No
PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM
Chipset Apple S8 (64bit) Apple S8 (64bit)
CPU Dual core Dual core
GPU
Operating system WatchOS 9 WatchOS 9
MISC MISC MISC
Companion app Apple Watch App Apple Watch App
Compatibility iPhone 8+ with iOS 16+ iPhone 8+ with iOS 16+
Payment system Apple Pay Apple Pay
Voice command Yes, Siri Yes, Siri
Find my phone Yes Yes
Box content Apple Watch Series 8, Charger, Manual, Straps Apple Watch Series 8, Charger, Manual, Straps

Apple Watch Series 8 41mm vs 45mm – The Difference

  1. Design and weight – 41mm is more compact
  2. 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.

  3. Display Size – 45mm has a bigger display size
  4. 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.

  5. Price – 41mm is cheaper

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.