Today, Apple officially rolled out the newly redesigned Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 that have the pulse oximetry features removed. While the newly sold devices still have the pulse oximeter hardware, the feature will be disabled. This change comes after courts ruled in favor of Masimo, the tech company who sued Apple for patent violations relating to the blood oxygen tracking technology.
In the meantime, it appears existing owners of Apple Watches that have the Pulse Ox features will still be able to use it. But all newly sold Apple Watches in the United States will no longer have that functionality.
While that loss of blood oxygen tracking is a hit, the good news is that the redesign should be enough to keep Apple Watches on the market.
Not only can shoppers still buy the Apple Watch 9 thanks to the redesign, but they can get it on sale from select retailers. Here's what you need to know about the deals -- and the crave-worthy Apple Watch 9.
Get the Apple Watch at AmazonWhy did Apple remove blood oxygen tracking from its watches?
Apple got tangled up in a patent infringement lawsuit with Masimo, a medical technology company. The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Masimo in October, saying Apple's use of pulse oximeter technology (blood oxygen measuring) in the Apple Watch violates Masimo's patent. As part of that ruling, the ITC banned imports of the popular smartwatches into the United States.
President Biden's administration did not veto the ITC order, allowing the import ban to go into effect on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. Then, on December 27, an appeals court offered Apple a reprieve, pausing the import ban temporarily while the ITC and U.S. Customs reviewed the tech giant's proposed redesign of the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2.
From the Masimo letter, it looks like all sides are in agreement that removing the technology will allow Apple to avoid the patent violations.
While Apple is already rolling out the redesigned pulse ox-free Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2, the tech giant is still appealing the ITC decision to ban imports of the popular smartwatches. It doesn't seem likely that Apple will win its appeal, but if it does, shoppers could see pulse oximeter functionality restored to their devices.
Even if the U.S. appeals court does ultimately rule in favor of Apple, it could take up to a year for that decision to come out. In the meantime, if you want a smartwatch with blood oxygen tracking, you'll need to look for an alternative to the Apple Watch.
How to get the redesigned Apple Watch 9
If you want to get a new Apple Watch 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the Pulse Ox technology, you might be out of time. But even without blood oxygen tracking, there is still plenty to love about the latest Apple Watches--especially now that you can get them on deep discount at Amazon, Walmart and other top online retailers.
Get the original Apple Watch 9 at Walmart or Amazon while it's on sale
One of the best smartwatches for heart health monitoring, the Apple Watch has consistently ranked among the most accurate for heart rate tracking in multiple studies. So if you want an accurate heart rate monitor without needing a chest strap, it's hard to beat this premium watch.
Siri Health may be the best new upgrade in the Apple Watch 9. It makes starting your workouts and getting status updates along the way a breeze. Instead of navigating the watch screen, just say "Siri, start an outdoor run workout" or "Siri, start a yoga workout." Your new watch will immediately start tracking the activity, even when you're not connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. You can also ask Siri for updates during a session like what your current heart rate is or how much distance you've covered so far.
This makes the Apple Watch 9 a great choice for people who need to interact with their watch during workouts to check stats or start and stop timers. The hands-free functionality will seriously improve your workout experience so you can accurately log your activity without having to fuss with your watch.
It's also a great smartwatch option for the multi-taskers. If you tend to squeeze in your exercise during the workday, for example, the ability to answer calls or reply to emails without having to stop your workout is a game changer.
You can get it at Amazon and Walmart for as low as $329 for the 41mm size of the Wi-Fi version.
$329 at Amazon $349 at WalmartThe larger 45mm size is also on sale at Amazon and Walmart. Get the larger size for as low as $352 this week.
$359 at Amazon $352 at WalmartApple Watch Ultra 2 is still available at Amazon
The new Apple Watch Ultra 2 (49 mm) boasts all sorts of great upgrades on top of the Apple Watch 9. Aside from the brighter screen (3,000 nits!), one of our favorite upgrades is the customizable watch face.
Modular Ultra, the watch face on the new Ultra, lets you customize which metrics and performance data are displayed on your watch. Each widget on the face can be customized to display whichever data you need so you don't have to toggle between screens anymore. Everything you need to check is on one screen.
It also boasts improved depth and altitude tolerance. Dive down as far as 100 meters (about 325 feet) or scale mountains as high as 9,000 meters (about 29,500 feet) above sea level. Since the tallest peak on earth is Mount Everest's 8,848-meter peak, that means you can take this to the top of literally any mountain on the planet.
The new built-in Depth app logs your dives and lets you review your most recent sessions on the watch. From your phone, you can see your complete dive history, complete with GPS pinpointed entry point.
You can get the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at Amazon for just $749 (reduced from $799).
$749 at Amazon
