The new Apple Watches' S8 chip appears to have the same CPU as the S6 and S7, which may explain why Apple has lately only used the S5 or earlier for comparisons
Hartley Charlton / MacRumors :
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had presented the Series 6 as a faster-CPU upgrade, while the lower-priced Watch SE used the older S5; that makes the S8's apparent CPU reuse a meaningful break from the earlier Series 6 performance step. A July report had already tied slower progress in Apple's non-Mac chips to its growing Mac-chip investment.
The subsequent S9 performance jump—described as 30% faster than the S8—marks a clearer new Watch silicon generation, rather than a continuation of the S6-to-S8 CPU cadence.
First-order effects
- Series 8 buyers receive an Apple Watch whose CPU performance appears unchanged from the Series 6 and Series 7, limiting a hardware-upgrade rationale centered on speed.
- Apple's use of S5-or-earlier comparisons avoids directly framing the S8 against the two immediately preceding watches that appear to share its CPU.
Second-order effects
- The S5-based Watch SE becomes a more useful performance reference point for Apple’s lineup, while Series 6 and Series 7 owners have less CPU-driven reason to replace their watches.
- Apple’s chip-investment trade-offs become more visible in wearables: the reported slowdown outside Mac chips aligns with a Watch generation focused on changes other than a new CPU.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues to stagger major Watch-silicon updates, Watch upgrade cycles will be defined less by annual CPU gains and more by sensors, displays, and interaction features until a new chip generation arrives.
- The later S9 launch suggests Apple can concentrate a larger performance and on-device capability shift into a distinct silicon refresh, rather than distributing smaller CPU gains every year.
The trend: Apple Watch silicon appears to be moving toward less frequent, more consequential CPU refreshes as Apple allocates chip-development attention across its product lines.