Apple has big changes in store for this year’s Apple Watch revamp. A new report today details that the Apple Watch Series 10 lineup will feature bigger screens, a thinner design, and faster performance. However, Apple has hit some snags in its plans for new health features.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that both Apple Watch Series 10 models, codenamed N217 and N218, will have bigger screens this year. In fact, Gurman says that the larger of the two models will have a screen that’s “about as large as the one found on the Apple Watch Ultra.”
This aligns with leaked schematics that surfaced last week, showing that the bigger version of the Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a 2-inch display, which is slightly bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra’s 1.93-inch display. Gurman also says that the Apple Watch Series 10 will be thinner, but the “design itself is unlikely to look much different.”
The Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 will both get a more powerful processor this year. While this could “lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road,” Gurman says Apple currently has “no plans” to bring the full set of Apple Intelligence features to the Apple Watch.
As for new health features, previous reports suggested that the Apple Watch Series 10 would add blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnea features. In today’s report, Bloomberg says Apple made progress on these features last year, but has since “run into some serious snags.”
The hypertension technology for the Apple Watch “hasn’t been as reliable as hoped during testing,” the report says. The reliability problems “may force Apple to postpone the release beyond this year.” When it is available, the feature won’t show the user their exact systolic and diastolic readings. Instead, the feature will show blood pressure trends over time, similar to how the body temperature feature on the Apple Watch currently works
The Apple Watch’s rumored sleep apnea detection feature is tied to blood oxygen saturation data. Currently, Apple Watch models sold by Apple in the United States don’t offer blood oxygen monitoring because of an ITC import ban.
Either Apple will resolve that issue by September or find a way to work around it (perhaps the company could argue that its oxygen reader can be used for purposes that aren’t directly related to blood oxygen levels). It also could announce the feature but not release it until a later date — or just delay it altogether.
Is this the Apple Watch X?
Bloomberg previously reported on Apple’s plans to debut an “Apple Watch X” overhaul to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the device. This has described the redesign as the “biggest overhaul yet” to the Apple Watch.
In today’s report, Gurman says it’s not clear if this year’s new Apple Watch will get the anniversary branding, or if a bigger release is set for 2025:
It’s still not clear whether Apple will brand the upcoming watches as an anniversary model or wait until next year. Given that the Apple Watch was announced in 2014 but not released until 2015, the company could either tout the anniversary this year or have a splashier release in 2025.
The Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are expected to be announced in September alongside the iPhone 16.
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