Hands-On With Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2: The Double Tap Gesture Rules

I wanna say nine out of ten times, Double Tap worked. Double Tap works best with your index and thumb, but I tried my other fingers with my thumb and they worked, too, though they weren’t nearly as responsive.

One situation where it might not work is when you’re wearing gloves. An Apple rep said Double Tap doesn’t work with thick gloves. How thick? They didn’t specify so we’ll have to test it. That’s kind of a bummer because a person who wears gloves for work is exactly the kind of use case where you’d want to use Double Tap.

Double Tap won’t be available when the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 release on September 22, though. Apple says it’ll come in a software update next month.

The second big feature on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 is their screens. Apple has doubled the brightness on both of them. The Series 9 can reach 2,000 nits of brightness compared to 1,000 nits on the Series 8. And the Watch 2 maxes out at 3,000 nits versus 2,000 nits on the first-gen Apple Watch. Side-by-side, I could see the difference — the displays on the new models look a lot clearer than their predecessors. Whether you need the increased brightness is a different question. I, for one, will never refuse a brighter screen that is more visible in direct sunlight.

To wrap this first impression up, I want to talk about the new FineWoven bands. They replace the leather bands that were offered previously. I checked out the Magnetic Link and Modern Buckle. The materials are soft and have an almost suede-like texture to them. Here’s how Apple describes the FineWoven material: “a luxurious and durable microtwill made of 68 percent post-consumer recycled content.” They look nice, feel nice, and you’ll feel good that they’re environmentally friendly.

Apple’s new smartwatches may not look materially different on the outside, but they do have a ton of internal upgrades that are worth considering. We’ll have a review of the new Apple Watches very soon. Stay tuned to Inverse.