The Apple Watch Series 10 and Watch Ultra 3 are set to launch alongside the new iPhone 16 lineup at Apple’s September event. But before that, Mark Gurman shared some interesting insights about the upcoming Apple Watch in the latest Power On newsletter.
Apple Watch Series 10 and Watch Ultra 3
Gurman mentions that the Apple Watch Series 10 will come in two sizes, codenamed N217 and N218. The big change will be the display size. A CAD render from 91mobiles shows a 2-inch display, slightly bigger than the Watch Ultra 2’s 1.93-inch screen. This would easily make the Series 10 the largest Apple Watch to date. Design-wise, both models will be a bit thinner but won’t look drastically different.
If you’re eyeing the Apple Watch Ultra 3, don’t expect a major redesign or a bigger screen. The updates will probably be in the hardware and software.
What’s New in Hardware and Software
Apple plans to add a new chip fo Watch Series 10 and Ultra 3. This might pave the way for future AI enhancements. But, we won’t see full Apple Intelligence on these watches immediately. That’s reserved for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac initially, with Vision Pro coming later.
Down to health, two new features were expected this year: high blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnea detection. That said, Apple is struggling to make these features work reliably. While testing, Apple didn’t find the results for high blood pressure or hypertension reliable. That only hints at further testing till these results are at an acceptable level.
Similarly, the sleep apnea detection feature is facing even bigger challenges. It relies on blood oxygen saturation, but Apple can’t include this feature yet because of an ongoing legal dispute with Masimo Corp over IP rights. Gurman thinks this could be resolved by September, but there’s also a chance the feature might be delayed.
What About the Apple Watch SE?
Besides the Series 10 and Ultra 3, Apple is working on a new Watch SE. The last update was in 2022. This time, it might have a plastic shell instead of aluminum. This change could lower the cost (for Apple) and make it more competitive with Samsung’s $199 Galaxy Watch FE. Currently, WatcH SE starts at $249. We have already covered in depth why Apple might opt for plastic casing.
